5 Keys to Good Web Writing

I’ve picked up a few writing tips from editors that I’ve worked with and, while writing for print is different from writing for the web, knowing these five simple principles can help you make your blog more reader-friendly.

1. Shorter is better. Keep it short. Be brief.

The average visitor spends about 96 seconds reading the average blog (see How Long Do Your Readers Stay at Your Blog – Length of Stay Statistics). As Jakob Nielsen wrote, users don’t read the web—they scan. Being concise can improve the usability of your post by 58%.

Keep most of your posts short (in the 200- to 500-word range), within the average reader’s attention span. Most visitors will never leave the landing page; if you can’t say something meaningful in a few hundred words, there’s little incentive for a new visitor to click to another post.

2. Cut the fluff.

When you’re writing for print and your editor gives you a word count, it forces you to prioritize. When you’re writing for yourself, it’s tempting to let yourself run on. Don’t. Since most of your posts should be under 500 words, you’ll need to make some choices. If you’re writing a review, for example, focus on the most important features and ignore the rest (or put the details in a chart that can be quickly scanned).

3. Write simply and clearly.

Unless you’re writing for a narrowly defined expert audience, keep your content simple. It’s not difficult to explain yourself clearly without talking down to your audience, even if you’re an expert. Writing a how-to? Assume your audience will need even the basic steps outlined. Define technical terms. One step or idea to a paragraph. If providing clarity makes your post unwieldy, provide links to related resources.

4. Check the facts.

Before you post, check the accuracy of your information. You want to build a reputation as a credible—authoritative—source. And check your links. Links break over time, but there’s no excuse for a broken link in a new post.

5. Have fun.

Your blog should express your personality, even as you follow the first four keys. But unless you’re Andy Ihnatko or Mark Morford, you’re probably better off keeping your personality on a leash. Allow yourself the occasional flourish, but remember that being a good self-editor is knowing the difference between indulging yourself and writing with the reader in mind.

Five keys: economy, priority, clarity, accuracy, and personality.

Oh, this post is 411 words.

RobertRobert Ellis was the founder of Upstart Blogger. He now blogs (and continues to design themes) at Futurosity.