The_Essential_Manager_s_Handbook

304 / COMMUNICATING EXTERNALLY

Preparing

content for

the web

THINK ABOUT

LENGTH

AVOID

FRAGMENTATION

16 %

Limit the length of

each paragraph

and each page to

about half of what

you might consider

for a printed page.

Don’t arbitrarily

divide a page that is

likely to be printed.

Be careful not to

subdivide your

information into too

many pieces. Your

readers may be

overwhelmed or

frustrated if they

have too many

choices. Ensure that

each segment is

sensibly organized,

coherent, and easy

to scan.

Writing for the web

Engaging your readers

Why is writing for the internet different?

First, people rarely read websites

word for word. Instead, they scan the

page, picking out individual words and

sentences. Rather than starting at the

beginning of a page and reading from

The way that people read a website is very different from the way in which

they read other written information. You must take this into account when

developing content for a website. It is not sufficient to simply repurpose

content written for print; you need to write specifically for the internet,

thinking carefully about your audience and what they need.

start to finish, internet readers will scan

a site looking for relevant items and then,

if they find something useful, print it for

later reference. Guide your reader by

highlighting the most important or useful

points in your document using headings,

lists, and eye-catching typography.

Try to provide

information in

segments or

“chunks,” and use

lists rather than

paragraphs—

this will allow

readers to quickly

find what they’re

looking for

US_304-305_Writing_for_the_Web.indd 304 30/05/16 3:05 pm