Much research has been done on writing for the web. Here is a brief summary of the top things you need to consider:
- People often want the "nuts and bolts" information, not essays.聽Use simple language so users can quickly understand the content.聽Be brief! You do not have to fill the page with text.聽Communicate the absolute minimum information your reader needs to understand your message.
- People do not read websites. They scan for information and ignore non-critical elements and distractions. You should use headings to breakup sections of content and use the heading styles (not just the bold style) to make them standout on the page.
- Place content where people expect it.聽This means you should not be "cute" or "fancy". Place content in standard places used by most other websites.
- Make your content easy to find.聽Use labels that have meaning to your audience and do not bury content under obscure headings or menus.
- Create content that is accessible to those with disabilities.聽This is聽聽but it is聽especially important if your site contains聽content in files, such as PDFs and Word documents. See聽聽for more information.
- Avoid the use of "click here" when creating links.聽Instead use 2-3 meaningful words when you create links within your text.聽
