Writing Words for the Web...and How It's Different from Other Media.

For starters, on the Web, you cannot predict how an individual will navigate a website so you cannot assume that information stated on a previous page will have already been read. Although most people begin with a visit to the home page and work their way out from there, sometimes even the home page is not the page through which a visitor enters your site. That's why some kind of central, reappearing communication theme needs to come into play.

For example, our WebAdvantage.net web site has a standard masthead that appears on every page. On that masthead is the phrase, "Internet marketing strategies & solutions." At least this way, even if you were to enter our site on the Marketing Tip page, you could still quickly understand that we provide Internet marketing strategies and solutions.

Also, because navigation is unpredictable, it's extremely important to have consistent navigational tools throughout a site. The more complex and deep the site, the more important navigation is. At the very least, top and bottom navigation bars ought to be implemented.

Transition from anywhere

Don't rely on logic and navigation tools to communicate information to your visitors. Each page should present information in a thorough and understandable fashion, independent of other pages. Strong page headlines are a must, as they can also help "gel" information, page to page.

You've heard of sound bites, right? Well, on the Web, you ought to think in "information bites." People tend to absorb little chunks of information more easily, and with a great possibility of information overload on the Web, you'll be doing your reader a great service if you make information more "digestible" for them. Then, if they want more, they'll read on or drill down to a deeper page.

Utilizing subheads, hyperlink phrases, teaser paragraphs, bulleted information, and lists are good ways, to accomplish this. EMarketer.com does a nice job of implementing these techniques

* Converse with your user

Although debated, it's also generally accepted that using more casual, "conversational" language is OK on the Web. Instead of framing everything from a third person perspective (he/she/ it/one/they), it's fine to say "you" or "we." Nielsen/NetRatings has identified Intuit's website as one of the most usable business-to-consumer web sites, and it definitely uses more casual language.

* Kill the techno-speak

There's nothing worse than reading a Web page and still going, "Huh?!" when you're done. Droning on and on using high-tech language is a quick way to make a smart visitor feel dumb...and to turn them away from your site. Write for the "everyman," making your site easily understood by all.

* Don't forget calls-to-action

Just because you've got great content doesn't mean that people are still going to do what you want them to. Obvious reminders along the way like "Click Here," "Buy Now," or "Contact Us" can be the difference between a site visitor and a site customer.

* Keep 'must-knows' above the fold 

If there's something absolutely essential for a site visitor to know, be sure it's not buried three-fourths of the way down the page, which readers would miss if they didn't scroll downward.