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Winning Words for Web Sites, by Brian Holley
A lot of attention is paid to designing web sites. The graphics,
the branding, the java scripts - all go to give a site a
professional and polished appearance. Then you begin to read the
text. The first typo you ignore. The second is annoying, then a
sentence is so poorly constructed you can't make out what it means.
No matter how pretty the site looks, if it doesn't read well you'll
lose business.
Writing copy, like designing graphics, is a skill in its own right.
You wouldn't ask a chef to fix your car, or a mechanic to cook your
meal, so why expect graphics, computer or business experts to write
your text?
Good text is concise and easy to understand. Here are some
principles to show you how to evaluate a well written site:
KEEP IT SHORT
Most words are used to join other words together, therefore the
fewer of them you use to communicate your message, the more likely
it is to be read. After all the computer screen is 75% less
efficient as a reading medium than paper. A copywriter will
often write more words than is needed in the first draft. The
second or third drafts are produced rearranging phrases to weed
out unnecessary words.
KEEP IT SIMPLE
Some people think that using big words and lots of jargon
demonstrate intelligence. Usually it demonstrates a total lack of
empathy with the reader. You need to be sensitive to how people
take in information. The more three-syllable words you use, the
more complex the writing will be, even if the words are in normal
everyday use.
KEEP IT FLOWING
When people write long, rambling sentences, with multiple clauses,
and especially when they pepper the writing with complex words and
irrelevant side issues, sentences become so complicated, even to
the most sophisticated of readers or minds, and sometimes to the
writers themselves, that it is almost impossible to ascertain the
meaning - just like this sentence in fact! Sentences of between 11
and 20 words on average work well. But the length needs to be
varied, so that the writing flows.
KEEP IT ALIVE
Lively writing is interesting. To write in a lively way you have
to use the active rather than the passive voice most of the time.
So rather than "Your contract will be handled by our customer
services representative", you would write "Our customer services
representative will handle your contract." You will notice that
in the active voice, the sentence is shorter. This is one of the
simplest ways to reduce the number of words you use to express
a concept.
KEEP IT CLEAR
You can change the meaning of a sentence completely by the use of
one or two commas. Take the commas out of this sentence and see
how the meaning changes: "Tinkerbell, says Peter, is a fairy."
Punctuation should be there to help the reader understand a phrase.
Unfortunately, many writers, because they write the way they speak,
assume their readers will understand. But you have to help your
readers understand using good (and correct) punctuation. Try this
little test:
(1) What's the difference in meaning between "its" and "it's" ?
(2) Where should you put the apostrophe in the word "childrens"?
(3) What is the rule for hyphenating a word?
(4) In what circumstances would you use a semi-colon?
(5) What do colons denote?
KEEP IT ACCURATE
The services of a good proof-reader are essential. Never, ever,
proof-read your own work - you're bound to read what you
thought, not what you wrote.
There's a good general rule for writing. 40% of the work should
be in planning, 20% in writing and 40% in editing. By observing
this and the other principles above, your writing should be clear
and easy to read. However, if you're not a trained and experienced
copywriter, get the help of a professional for your web site. Once
you're committed to publication you are potentially under scrutiny
from several million readers.
ANSWERS TO THE SHORT PUNCTUATION TEST
(1) its = belonging to it. it's = it is
(2) children's
(3) A hyphen generally creates a third meaning from two words,
each of which has an unrelated meaning of its own (e.g. stop,
watch, stop-watch)
(4) A semicolon (;) is used to separate long clauses with linked
ideas. E.g. We'll meet in the board room at nine; if
that's not possible let me know. It's also used to
separate clauses when a joining word is left out .
(5) Colons denote the beginning of a list like this: one, two,
three.
Brian Holley has been involved with computing, writing, and both IT
and management training for over twenty years. Brian runs The Holley
Warren Partnership with his partner Elizabeth and is now focusing
his skills on web-page sub-editing and producing web based training
materials. You can find out more by visiting the site at:
http://www.hwpartners.co.uk
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