by Ann Kroeker

People invest a lot of time and money in Web design and development, only to reach the end of the process and realize, “Content! I almost forgot—my website needs content!”
After spending hours setting up technology and graphics, Web content becomes almost an afterthought.

Patchwork Web Content
So they scramble to send out staff e-mails requesting material. Days, even weeks, pass. After several follow-up reminders and a few vague threats, they end up with one short paragraph from Joe in Receiving, a long piece from Harry in Product Fulfillment, a page from Sue in Service and another lifted from an old brochure that was collecting dust in the office.
Cobbling the text together like that results in an inconsistent tone and mixed messages.

Do-It-Yourself Web Writing
Instead of drawing from the staff for text, some people approach website content as a DIY project. They feel confident writing their own material – which is fine, of course, if they’ve got the time and ability.

But they’re often pulled in a dozen directions, with “write website” sinking down the to-do list while tackling more urgent tasks. Finally they scribble out some paragraphs late at night to meet the deadline, and the site goes live lacking thorough editing, keyword-rich content, and the cohesive feel that a professional writer specializing in Web content could provide.

Captivating, error-free, keyword-rich content is key to increasing activity on your website. Content is what people are looking for. You need Web content that works.

Professionals who understand the writing process from beginning to end can provide what you need, but if you prefer to handle it yourself, at least take a few minutes to learn some basics of Web writing.

Web Writing Basics

Map It Out
From the very beginning, you need to organize the material in a way that makes sense and is easy to find and follow. Give serious thought to the architecture of the site—the tabs you decide on will serve as an outline or map for your site. Although this doesn’t appear to be a writing stage, it is. It’s the pre-writing and planning stage necessary for good content. The assistance of professional writers at this time is invaluable, since organizing and making sense out of material is what we do.
Minimize Clicks
Most people don’t want to click layer after layer to find the information they’re looking for. The general design rule is to keep it to three clicks or fewer, although determined readers will click down to sub-tier pages for very detailed info. In general, all information should be just a few clicks from the home page. Think about this as you organize your text.
What’s The Point?
Decide what point of action or what information you need to convey and why. You have to determine the purpose of your writing before you begin; otherwise, it’s easy to ramble. Is my website primarily to:

Inform?
Inspire?
Persuade?
Sell?

You should know your overall purpose before setting out to write. You’ll want to ask this same question to determine your purpose for each page—even each section of each page.

Who’s Your Audience?
Writers need to determine the website’s audience and write accordingly.
Who is looking for you online?

Figure out your target audience and you’ll more effectively determine the ideal tone and personality to convey.
Decide how much detail your readers really need. Some engineering firms, for instance, provide extremely detailed content, when their audience wants a more general approach and marketing bent.
Protect proprietary information. How much info do you want your competitors to see if they visit your site? Do you want to say your widget has x,y,z technology and that is what makes it very special, or do you just want to say it is, indeed, very special? Decide before you publish.

Write Conversationally
When writing for the Internet, your tone should be easy to understand. Many industries require you to maintain a professional tone, but that doesn’t mean you have to sound stuffy. Your text should sound like someone speaking – someone friendly – while remaining grammatically accurate.
Write Relevant
Web text needs to help readers determine quickly if they’ve found what they’re looking for, and it needs to be useful to them. You might inform them about trends in the industry while explaining what makes your company unique. However you say it, your content needs to be both relevant and useful. Plan for it, and write carefully.
Pare It Down
In general, less is more when writing. Pare it down even more for the World Wide Web. People are scanning each page for relevant information. Give it to them in short, interesting paragraphs – strip away excessive words and phrases. If you waste their time with filler, they’ll be tempted to click away. Give them only what they need.
Break It Down
Information on websites is best digested in bite-sized chunks, so break down your information. Dividing it up visually will make it easier for readers to find what they’re looking for. For example:

Divide text using subheads.
Use bullet points. Aren’t they nice?

Is That It?
Oh, no. There’s a lot more to consider when writing for the Web, including keyword-rich content and search engine optimization. We’ll save that for another post.

In the meantime, keep in mind that if you’ve had to consider these points—if this is new information or the writing process doesn’t come naturally to you—maybe you do need a professional Web writer.