Writing Web Content
Website content is much harder to read than printed material, so brevity and clarity are extremely important. Your readers are looking for answers and helpful information – and quickly.
Website writing is as much about removing words as creating them. Think of the typical person who will be reading the page, then ask yourself "If they read this, how will it help them answer their question or find a solution to their problem?"
Remember, what’s interesting to you may not be interesting to them. Do they really care about the entire history of your company, or do they just want to know if you’ve been around for more than six months?
Basic Guidelines
At Eduka, we have professional copywriters who can create your website content for you.
If you prefer the Do It Yourself option, these 5 points will get you well on the way.
1. Ask these questions about anything you write
- how does it meet the needs of readers?
- what will people know, or be able to do, after reading it?
- how does it help us achieve our aims?
- is this information really necessary?
2. Be friendly and personal
- every person reading your website does it alone, so write as if you have only one reader
- using a website is a personal experience
- write in 1st and 2nd person - it's “us” talking to “you”
3. Be brief
- about 150-300 words per page
- about 20 words per sentence
- about 1-3 sentences per paragraph
4. Remember that most people don’t read most website content
- put the main point in the first paragraph so people see it first
- use bullet points if there is a list of related points (see the before and after example in the downloadable PDF below)
- omit redundant content that obscures the important stuff
5. Avoid duplication and “filler content”
- instead of repeating information that is on another page, link to it
- don’t waste your reader’s time by stating the obvious
- leave out fluffy marketing slogans and the like
Download the article
We've made a printable copy of this article, along with a "before and after" example of bad vs good web content.