Writing for the web requires a different kind of thinking from writing for print advertising. The requirement for advertising in newspapers and magazines is to grab the attention of your target, get the crux of the matter across at lightning speed, and then, if he or she is hooked, give the details. Web content writing is different. The website reader is there by choice, so you have a chance to tell your story. But the challenges are several.
Focused Writing Topics and Byte-Sized Information to Hold Fleeting Attention Span
The nature of internet has created a generation of readers with an attention span that is growing shorter by the minute. The challenge before today’s writer is to hold the attention, rather than grab it. Large, unwieldy chunks of information are almost guaranteed to make the reader open another tab, and wander away from your page. To prevent this, information needs to be attractively packaged under focused topics and in byte-sized morsels; crisp formatted text with informative sub-heads, short paragraphs, or better still, bulleted copy.
Layered Content: for the Skimmer as Well as for the Researcher
The challenge – and the beauty of web writing is its delicious ability to be layered, with different levels of detail and depth. Web writing is iterative, with one round of copy at the top level answering a basic curiosity about the product or service, and then more layers at different depths giving the serious reader the freedom to dig down as deep as he or she fancies. In this way, readership requirements at both ends of the spectrum are catered to.
Non Linear Writing
Perhaps the single most significant characteristic of web usage is that content viewing is non linear and non-sequential. This automatically means that content for web needs to be written in a non-linear fashion, with disparate bits of information that are not connected by chronology. While a book is likely to be read sequentially from the cover and page one till the end, a website could have a reader enter the home page, follow the subject of his or her interest down to several levels, then come back to home page and browse.
Ease of Navigation
Given the non linear nature of viewing, navigation becomes an important factor in user-friendliness and effectiveness of a website. It is important to ensure that user-friendliness is not compromised on account of creativity. Navigation is more effective when it is intuitive, and is it wise to be creative within the boundaries of industry norms and standards
Effective web content creation is about writing for a reader who is constantly challenging the writer. This is challenging even for experienced writers, especially in the transition period from print to web. It is essential to re-train oneself to think in new ways ( bullet point lists rather than essays, non linear instead of sequential) to best leverage the potential of the web.
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