National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion
Volume 14 • Number 2 • Spring/Summer 2001

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Writing for the Web

It's somewhat overwhelming to consider that nearly every publication your organization—and every other organization— produces could be posted on the World Wide Web. (Sometimes it seems that all of them are there already.) Certainly material originally published in print should be made accessible on the Web. But usability experts suggest that editing material destined for the Web can greatly improve its effectiveness. 

Because the Web makes demands on readers that print does not, print material needs to be adapted to the medium. To understand the differences, think about how you might decide whether to read a print document. You might glance at the table of contents or the index, flip through the pages, or read the introduction. Visitors to your Web site lack such options. They will see your site and every document on it one screen at a time. The job of a Web content editor is to help users make the many decisions involved in reading on-line.

Reading on-line is not as easy as reading printed text. Today's monitors have a fairly low resolution; our eyes must work harder to distinguish type from the background, so users tire quickly and read more slowly on-line. Furthermore, using the Web demands more activity than reading a printed text. Both eyes and text move as we scroll though a document. On-line, users "drive" their mice; they determine the speed of scrolling and constantly decide when to switch views or sites, when to print. All this activity means that users are more likely than readers to scan texts. As a result, anything that helps users scan documents quickly also improves readability. 

The following tips for editing Web content suggest steps you can take to make it easier for visitors to your Web site to use the information they find there. For more information, visit the sites listed under Suggested Reading. 

Be concise. The length of the material needs to be adjusted to the purpose of the document. Usability expert Jakob Nielsen estimates that users read about 25% slower than readers of print. To compensate, reduce the content by half if possible. If you can't edit the sentences to make them simpler, make the paragraphs shorter. 

Move the bottom line to the top. An important principle of Web editing is to put the most important information first—in the sentence, in the paragraph, and in the document. In other words, start each page with the conclusion, assuring that users see the most important ideas. This structure is also called a summary lead (one that briefly summarizes the point or key finding of the document). Once the document is organized according to the principles just described, edit by cutting from the bottom. 

Clearly, this means that many of the documents that pass through the hands of a content editor will need to be reorganized. Web editor Merry Bruns, who teaches courses on editing for the Web, suggests analyzing the content of a document you need to post before considering the proper format. "If you're editing something verbose, tease out the raw information from the text and sort it by topic," she explained. She uses 3x5 notecards for this process. The point: be guided by the material you want to present and the needs of the user, not by the document's original form or appearance. 

Formatting helps users scan. Headings and subheadings help users find information quickly. Don't be cryptic; headings should give an accurate picture of the text that follows. 

Use boldface to highlight key phrases in documents and as a substitute for headings in shorter documents. Remember, users are scanning for key words that signal that your document contains the information they seek. Bulleted lists therefore can be used more frequently than in print. 

Provide an overview. Letting users know what's on a page before they click is very important. Even a single sentence of summary can prevent unwanted detours. Describe what the user will learn: Travel costs. Where to stay. How to get around. The best restaurants in Kentucky. Each piece of the article should link to the overview or abstract. 

Use hypertext links. Another way to break up lengthy text is to use hypertext links. Obviously, links work best to point users to the main parts of a document. There are many ways to use links. You might use links to list all the parts of a document following the title and a brief description of the piece. Be sure that the word or phrase you select gives the user a clear idea of what will be found by following the link. List the remaining links at the bottom of each linked section. Essentially each part of the document should give the reader ways to enter other parts. Strong links require active verbs to let users know what you want them to do: "Register for this year's conference," rather than "Conference Registration." Use links judiciously. Too many links will confuse and frustrate the user.

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This page last reviewed August 10, 2004

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Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion