Writing for the web is a different beast than writing for print. There are many differences, but one of the most important is that people read differently on the web. The first difference is based on scientific fact: we read slower on a screen than on paper.

The second difference has to do with people’s habits. Most people only skim when they read on the web—they scan for information and don’t bother reading each word. It’s not their fault; it’s just how the brain works when reading text on a screen.

So, it’s important to write in a way that is easy to scan and understand. How do you accomplish this? Here are five tips:

Writing for the web is different from writing for print. The way the web works is different from print and the writing need to reflect that. Here are five tips on how to write for the web.

Keep it simple: Web visitors read in a F-pattern, scanning your content in an F-shaped pattern. To get their attention you have to break up text and make it easy to scan. People don’t read online; they scan, picking out individual words and sentences.

Write short paragraphs: Long paragraphs are difficult to read online, so keep your paragraph length down to three or four sentences at most.

Use headings: Headings help readers scan your content more quickly and easily. They also highlight the important bits of information, so make sure you use them well.

Be concrete: People skim online content looking for something that catches their interest so use concrete words instead of abstract words to describe something tangible rather than something vague and hard-to-grasp like “faster service” or “world class.” Use “free delivery in two days” instead of “fast delivery” as an example of being concrete when writing for the web.

Keep sentences short: Keep your sentences short and simple, much like your paragraphs, because short sentences are easier to

1. Writing is a conversation with your reader.

One of the biggest mistakes we make when writing on the web is forgetting that we’re writing for people, not just search engines or ourselves. People are reading what you write, and they’ll be happier if you make it easier for them to understand. It’s important to remember that readers don’t care about our company as much as we do. They want to know how you can help them, so we need to get to the point quickly and then expand on it later.

2. Chunking is your friend.

When writing, you should think of each paragraph like a mini-essay in itself. The first sentence should be a summary of the entire paragraph and lead into three or four sentences that provide more detail. In other words, start with your conclusion and then support it with details. This helps readers absorb information more easily by dividing larger chunks of text into smaller groups of related information.

3. List whenever possible.

People love lists because they’re easy to scan on their own or while they’re reading something else (like watching TV). Lists also help us structure our thoughts before writing, which makes it easier to understand when we go back later and edit our work again – because we always edit

Most of us who write on the web are writing for people we don’t know very well. They’re often not our friends and family. We’re writing for strangers who’ve come to our blog or website because they have a question about something, and we have an answer for them.

Our job is to make it as easy as possible for them to understand what we have to say. If you can do that, you’ll be way ahead of everyone else on the web.

Here are five tips to help make your articles easier to read and understand…

1) Use short paragraphs: Three sentences at most. When people read on-screen they scan content looking for answers. Most people simply won’t read long paragraphs on the web. It’s just too hard. So break it up into shorter paragraphs and use subheadings – which brings me to my next tip…

2) Use subheadings: This article has seven subheadings, and that’s appropriate for a long article like this one (1000+ words). But I’d use them even in shorter articles of 100-200 words just so people can scan quickly through content looking for answers they want fast.

3) Use bullet points: I’m using bullet points right now because they make it easier

1. Keep it short

Don’t worry about being too brief. People’s eyes glaze over when they see a lot of text on a webpage. They want the main point, so get to the point. Write your content for the web as if you were writing a letter to a friend.

2. Use subheadings

Subheadings break up big chunks of text and let people know what each paragraph is about. Use subheadings to make your content scannable and easy to read.

3. Stick to one idea per paragraph

Avoid paragraphs that combine two or more ideas—they confuse readers and make it harder for them to understand your message.

4. Use bulleted lists

Lists are an easy way to present information in small bites so readers can quickly scan them, grab the points they need, and move on with their lives. Lists also help you organize complex topics into easy-to-understand chunks of information.

5. Be conversational

The more you write like you talk, the better your web copy will be received by visitors. Try reading your content out loud—if it sounds weird then rewrite it so that it sounds natural.

Is web writing different than other kinds of writing? Yes and no. While there are some things you’ll want to do that are specific to the web, much of what works well in print will work well on the web too. Here are five tips for better web writing:

Write scannable text

Break up your text into small bite-sized paragraphs or bulleted lists.

Use definite, specific, concrete language

Write clearly and simply

Edit ruthlessly

The web is for everyone.

It was designed to be that way. But the reality can often be very different. We’re working to make sure it isn’t.

Join us

We help people with visual impairments, learning difficulties, cognitive limitations and others use the web more easily. And we campaign to make the web usable for as many people as possible.

We believe in an open web where people have control over their online activity, and where they have access to everything the web has to offer.

We are The Web Standards Project (WaSP), a grassroots coalition fighting for standards that ensure simple, affordable access to web technologies for all. We work with browser makers, authoring tool builders, and others in our industry to improve the standards support in their products so that authors can create better sites more easily, users have consistent experiences across platforms and products, and companies save money by not reinventing the wheel every time they start a new project.