Web Writing 101

When you’re writing for the web, you have to write tight.  That means you have to trim out unnecessary language, use easily digestible words and leave out fluffy, non-informational stuff. Novelists and creative writers can craft flowery prose – but we can’t, because web readers want to read and digest information quickly.

Blog posts, press releases and regular web content should be concise and to-the-point if you want to keep your readers happy.

Cut Superfluous Language

Do you need to say “The beautiful woman’s brown hair cascaded down her back in a mass of tangled curls” to get your point across?  Sure, it was great to visualize her hair – but if your reader doesn’t have time to visualize, you shouldn’t be writing it.

Fix it like this:

“The woman’s curly hair was tangled.”  Or, if you want your reader to know it was brown: “The woman’s brown hair was curly and tangled.”

Use the Right Ammo

Bullets, to be precise.  When you can use bullet

points to avoid fluffy, non-informational prose, you should.  (And I could correct that sentence to say only “Use bullets to convey information.”)  If you need to tell readers that you offer free consultations, interior decorating services, room painting, cabinet refacing and much, much more, try this:

ABC Company is proud to offer:

• Free initial consultations
• Interior decorating services
• Custom wall finishes
• Cabinet refacing
• and more

Skip Big Words

What do you consider tight writing?  Do you have a great example to share with other readers?

Image courtesy of Lusi at RGBStock.com.