Writing for your website

Writing for websites requires different skills from those needed for printed publications.

Here are some general tips:

• Accuracy - Check your facts thoroughly. If people see even one thing on your pages that they know to be wrong their confidence in your whole site is likely to be undermined.
• Simplicity - Write succinct copy and use simple, direct words to convey your ideas or present your product.
• Brevity - Short words, short sentences and short paragraphs work best. Paragraphs should seldom be more than two or three sentences long.
• Sense - It is easy to overlook mistakes such as missing words or lines on a screen. Be particularly vigilant in checking for this kind of error.
• Spelling - Use a spellchecker and a dictionary every time you compose or edit copy. Ask a colleague to proofread your copy.
• Punctuation - If you miss an apostrophe, question mark, or full stop, you can be sure someone will spot it!