With the advancement of technology, the digital world has become the main source of our interactions, engagements, and content. Today, we access much of the information we consume online. Magazines, news articles, books, research, and additional printed work can now be retrieved and read digitally. Therefore, when sharing information online, we must ensure that our content is readable and easy for our audience to consume.
What characterizes readable web content? Here are a handful of considerations to make when writing for the web.
1. Do: Start with a Strong Introduction
Your piece should start by grabbing your audience’s attention. A captivating headline piques the interest of easily-distracted readers, generating the desire to continue reading.
Additionally, an introduction should highlight the essence of the entire work. This informs the reader of what to expect as they read on. It keeps them from being misled and exiting the page upon their expectations being unmet.
- Don’t: write a long-winded, redundant introduction. Refrain from being vague; Stick to the point and tell your audience exactly what to anticipate.
- Example of what not to do: This article by Manuel Castellsbegins with a lengthy introduction, full of observations and statistics. Toward the end of the introduction, by the fifth paragraph, Castells finally explains the purpose of the article. Unfortunately, by this time, his readers have likely gotten lost within the introduction and clicked away.
2. Do: Use Simple Language
No matter what you write, there is no way to know who will discover your work. It is important to utilize natural language. Type as if you are talking with your reader. You and your reader may not share the same knowledge, so be sure to write at an appropriate reading level and ensure that your writing is understandable for a general audience.
- Don’t: include complex language. Define and explain complex terms where necessary. Consider how your writing will be received. Stay away from typing to sound highly professional or intellectual. Read your work out loud to make sure it is generally easy to comprehend.
- Example of what not to do: This analysis published on the Nuclear Energy Institute’s website utilizes industry-specific terminology. While reading this piece, it is difficult for a reader that is inexperienced in the nuclear energy field to follow along.
3. Do: Ensure that your Audience can Skim
The average online reader is skimming quickly as opposed to reading deeply. Before committing to reading a piece, we often scan and scroll through the page to determine whether the piece is worth our time. Therefore, online writers should seek to provide their readers with exactly what they are looking for.
Make your work easy for your audience to skim by breaking up the content. Include headings, create lists using numbers and/or bullets, create hierarchy by bolding text or adding hyperlinks, insert visual elements to help the reader stay engaged and feel less exhausted.
- Don’t: Type long, wordy sentences and paragraphs. Ensure there is space on the page for your reader to process your content quickly and breathe.
- Example of what not to do: Using no established hierarchy, this Psychology Today article by Romeo Vitelli feels like one long essay. Though somewhat readable, this post would be easier to navigate with defined headings and sections and highlighted points.
4. Do: Be Concise
People read differently when reading online. We read less and we read selectively. Thus, keep in mind that your reader may not finish reading your entire piece. Aim to be concise by writing shorter paragraphs and shorter pieces than you would while writing a paper or composing a printed piece. For longer works, consider breaking your work into smaller chunks or multiple posts. This way, your reader is likely to stay engaged and return for more as opposed to quitting midway through a very lengthy piece.
Furthermore, keep your work in a single column, using a decent width. Try to keep your audience from scanning across the entire page and getting lost in the paragraph. Instead, format your page so that it is easy for your reader to jump to the next line and continue reading.
- Don’t: write long paragraphs in wide-width columns. Keep it simple, short, and sweet.
- Example of what not to do: People First’s section of their site entitled, “The Impact of Leadership Behaviors” is unreadable. This section is very lengthy, and the column width is wide, making it challenging to jump to the next line in the paragraph flow through the section smoothly.
Although there are more considerations to make when writing for the web, this is a good starting point. All things considered, read your work aloud and remember your audience.
So what’s a good example of readable content? Check out the following sources of readable content to understand how to format your written work better. The following sites also provide additional tips for creating an optimal reading experience for your online audience.
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