On Reading © by Stijlfoto
Web content writing tends to be more reader-centric than other forms of writing. It’s perfectly okay, perhaps even expected, for you to address the reader.
Keep the Reader Involved
How can each of the following sentences be changed to be more reader-centric?
- I’m going to teach you how to write for online audiences.
- Many people are concerned about the cost of living.
Below are reader-centric versions of the sentences:
- You will learn how to write for online audiences.
- Are you concerned about the cost of living?
Notice how the rewrites help the reader relate to the sentences? Notice how the “I’m going to teach” in the first example was changed to “You will learn”? Remember, readers want to know the answer to “What’s in it for me?” The more you can answer that question, the more successful your web content writing will be.
Make it Easy for Online Readers to Read
Not only that, online readers don’t spend a great deal of time actually reading. Web usability studies (Nielson, 1997) by John Morkes and Jakob Nielson (the New York Times calls Nielson the “Guru of Web page usability”) of Sun Microsystems suggest that Web users have a main goal of finding information as quickly as possible. In fact, it’s not unusual for online readers to scan Web content, reading the first sentence of each paragraph. Plus, reading on a computer screen is about 25 percent slower than reading on paper.
Among Nielson’s Web usability findings:
- Well organized Web content is good.
- Readers scan text. This is the norm.
- Text should be short and concise.
- Simple, informal writing is preferred.
- Credibility is important.
- Summaries are helpful.
- Readers like the inverted pyramid organizational style.
- Readers like objective writing.
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