Writing for the Web: Tips and Techniques for Online Content Creation

Maximizing Your Online Impact

Writing for the web is different from writing a novel.

With online content, you have just a few seconds to grab your reader’s attention and keep them engaged whereas in your novel you have the intrigue of the front cover and the attention-grabbing summary that makes them want — no need to know what happens in your novel that has them wandering over to the register your book safely tucked under their arm for safekeeping.

Web writing — not so much. If you don’t grab your reader in the first five seconds they’ll quickly turn their attention to something else that will hold them until they continue in their scrolling looking for that little bit of dopamine in their daily word intake.

To create effective online content, you need to know how to write for the web, an ever-changing and ever-elusive wave that can be hard to catch unless you’re already out there on the water, but here are some tips and techniques to help you create web-friendly content.

Keep it short and sweet

Online readers don’t have the patience for long articles. Keep your content short and to the point. Use short paragraphs, bullet points, and subheadings to break up your…