| No-one knows your customers better than you do. So, it stands to reason that this makes you the best-qualified person to write your web site content. Or does it?
Before sharpening our pencils, or the computer equivalent, let's consider a few facts:
Reading from a monitor screen requires 17 per cent more effort than reading from paper
Most people scan web sites and then print out what they think they need
Reading from a monitor is 25 per cent slower
The inescapable conclusion is that web site writing is best served in easily digestible bite-size information chunks.
Starting on the home page, the text should clearly state the purpose of your site. Don't leave your audience guessing.
If the eyes are the windows of the soul, web sites are equally transparent in betraying the weaknesses of your company. So, no matter how attractive your site may look, basic spelling errors look shoddy and unprofessional. Visitors to your site will form their own conclusions.
While you know your customers, it is never safe to make assumptions. Avoid jargon and buzzwords in particular, and remember that while you live and breathe your company, others do not necessarily possess the same level of enthusiasm for, or knowledge of, the subject.
Also, metaphors, like humour, do not always travel well. You run the risk of potentially offending some part of your audience, particularly if it is a global one, through the injudicious use of metaphors and humour.
For instance, take the apparently innocuous expression, "going out for a drink on a Friday after work". Some religions observe Friday as a day of rest. Other cultures disapprove of alcohol.
It would be all too easy to mutter here about political correctness. But the fact is that your visitors are approaching your web site from cosmopolitan points of cultural reference. To have a global outlook and feel, your web site must steer clear of these international gaffes.
Another example of cross-border contretemps is in innocently referring to the seasons. It may be summer in the Northern Hemisphere, but in the Antipodes, it's winter. Also, remember to quote times in GMT and prefix UK phone numbers with +44.
From a more aesthetic viewpoint, don't feel every single pixel has to be occupied. Do not be afraid to leave 'white space'. Less is more.
In summary, take your time do not rush this job. Give yourself plenty of time to think through everything you want to say. Getting your 'message' fixed clearly in mind first will make the process of writing that much easier and satisfying.
* The Golden Rules of DIY content writing
Always use a speel chucker, read on the screen and proof-read again from a print out
Be economic with your words. Write 'tightly' using as few words as possible to get your message across.
Keep sentences short. And avoid lots of clauses and qualifications, or you' ll quickly find, without a doubt, that frequently people give up, if I'm not mistaken, before they even reach the end of the sentence.
It's not an essay. Get the main points and conclusions across first. Imagine an inverted pyramid: the most important sentences are at the base and the least important at the pinnacle.
Break up your text using :
- bullet points
- to emphasise
- key ideas
Use subheads, short phrases centred in bold. These also break up what
Wodge It
could otherwise be an uninviting wodge of text. Subheads should reflect the actual content in its immediate area. Two word subheads are good. Three word subheads start to look too wordy.
Other techniques to make your text look more attractive are italics and bold. But do not go overboard. Likewise with exclamation marks!!!
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