If you are a writer, you must be able to differentiate between writing for a web and writing for print media. In most cases online audience won’t be reading the complete article unless your article is capable of grabbing their attention. When it comes to print media, one has to read every word in order to understand the article. This is not the case with online articles as a reader will only scroll down till the end, scan the article and see if he is interested in reading it. So, you need to change your writing style if you are writing for websites. Your writing should have a positive impact on the reader and having quality content so that an interest can be developed in his mind to read your entire article and benefit from it.
Following are a few tips which can help you in writing for web effectively:
1. Segment Your Article:
Honestly, I would never read an article which is full of paragraphs and no breaks. When I say breaks, it means that an article should have headings and sub headings in order to make the reading convenient for the reader. An article with no breaks can appear to be a very boring article regardless of the fact how interesting it is.
Also, you are writing for the visitor and not for yourself. A reader might not have enough time to read the entire article to find out the topic of his interest. Headings will help them scan the topic of their interest and they can read it easily. You cannot force a reader to read the entire article if he is not interested.
Headings also help out in making the primary topics prominent. Headings and sub headings also bring a certain consistency in the article and as I said, it will make things very convenient for the reader which is the most important thing, at the end of the day.
2. Usage of Bullets:
The main purpose of your article is to educate your readers so they need to understand it. Long paragraphs are not only hard to understand however, they get very boring too. Once you are done with dividing your articles into headings and subheadings, you can divide the most important points with the help of listings or bullets.
This is one of the best ways to keep your article organized and it will be easy for readers to scan it and benefit from it.
3. Say NO To Long Paragraphs:
Long paragraphs are good for print articles however; you need to understand that reading on screen is different from reading on a paper. Reading long paragraphs on screen can be a very daunting task so; do not make your readers suffer with long paragraphs. Try to keep it short and simple. Readers should be able to find out what they are looking for in an easy way.
As mentioned earlier, mostly, online readers prefer to scan the entire article, look for the information they want to read and let go off the other parts of article. Your article should be interesting enough to make the reader read it completely. However, give them an option to scan it and read their favorite part.
4. Highlighting The Text:
There are always some important points that need to be highlighted in an article. If you are using some important phrases or quotations, you can always highlight them so that the reader can read the most important part of the article. Also, it helps you in emphasizing on the important parts.
Mostly, headings and subheadings are bold however; the important phrases can also be highlighted. It also gives a very good look to the entire article.
5. Changeable Font Size:
Your job is not only limited to writing as you should be aware of a few other things as well for instance, publishing of the article. No every reader can read the article in the text and size defined by you. A lot of readers are not aware of this fact however, internet browsers do give them an option to change the text size. However, if you have restricted pixel-specific font size, internet explorer users won’t be able to change the text size which can cause problems for them.
You should not want the control over text and font. Let readers read it with their own convenience.
6. Use Relevant Links:
You can always use referral links in the article in order to help users gain more information related to their search. You can add various links from your own website if you want users to explore your website. Make sure you place the link where it is applicable. It will not only promote your website, however, you will serve the purpose of your article i.e., providing information to the readers.
7. Focus on the Feedback:
Feedback is one of the most important things when it comes to online websites and blogs. You should be aware of what your readers are thinking and a constant interaction with them will help you a lot in improving the quality of your articles as you will be keeping in mind the likes and dislikes of your readers. If you are interacting with them, you are giving them a reason to come back to your blog so make sure you have an option to comment or give feedback with your article.
8. Syndicate Your Writing with RSS Feed:
If you want a good exposure for your articles, create an RSS feed in order to syndicate your writing. This will help you in promoting your articles and you will be able to improve the quality of your articles as well. RSS feeds enable other websites to syndicate your content. These little things can help you a lot in becoming a successful online writer. If your blog is growing, you should definitely opt for RSS Feeds.
9. Understand Your Audience:
Before writing an article, you need to analyze who your target audience is. If you are writing for a specific type of people, you should have a certain way of addressing the issue. However,, for general audience, try to avoid difficult phrases or lines which are not understandable by a common man. Your article should be informative yet simple for the reader.
You should also keep in mind the length of the article. Not everyone is interested in reading long articles. The length depends on the topic however; if you are writing an article on entertainment industry, try to keep it short and simple. If it is a health related or technology related article, you can prolong it as you may need to put in a lot of important information.
10. Things That Need Your Attention:
Once you are done with writing, you need to focus on other important things as well. Text and background color is one of them. You need to make sure that the background color and color of the text are compatible. Light background and dark text is mostly what should be used so that readers are able to read it easily. If the layout of the article is not pleasing to the eye, your reader won’t read the article regardless of how informative it is.
To Conclude :
Your website is meant to be viewed and read, and both these aspects require quality. If you will incorporate the points mentioned above, you will see the improvement in the numbers of readers. Other than giving importance to your writing, you need to focus a little on other things as well to become a successful online writer.
I am a terrible writer… but a great guitar player 😉 This article was very useful to me. Thank you for sharing.
Great article, retweeted!
Great article Arfa. A lot of the time we get on a rant in blog writing and forget that we are writing for a specif audience.