Writing for the web is very different than writing for any other purpose, probably because the web is far different from any other media. In high school, it’s rare to find any training on this subject even though it’s predicted that books will be obsolete and all reading will be done online with in 10 years.

For the record, this is one mom that will never give up her books. As a small-time online bookseller since ’99, I stock pile books not only to sell, but I just plain LOVE books. However, I also love the ease of finding information online and can’t imagine how much easier college would’ve been if I’d had what college students have available these days.

What I have noticed is that many people write the same way online as they would offline . . . and I’m sure you have noticed it, too. You may not have realized why you didn’t want to continue reading that copy online, but we have been trained a certain way by the internet marketing specialists – and it’s based on some very extensive research. Internet commerce represents the biggest economic shift since the industrial revolution, and the research icons did not take that lightly. It also helps that online buying behavior is very easy to track.

Some still take the intellectual  ‘Amish approach’ and refuse to concede technique to modern technology, but face it, the internet is here to stay.  That’s not to say that teaching the difference between writing techniques and the value of each isn’t important. Blogging capitalists are begging for creative writers that can optimize their copy for the web and are often forced to settle for simply someone that knows the basics. Training your child to write for the web could give them a skill that could help them make  money online and more valuable in the marketplace.

So, what is “Writing for the web”?

Naturally, the basics of good writing, spelling, grammar and punctuation will always apply, but there are two basic factors that makes writing for the web different;  1) Writing to be read, and 2) Writing to be found (by the search engines).  Most of the following points apply to writing to be read, because writing to be found can get a little too technical for most of our readers. It’s definitely become a science!

• Short sentences and paragraphs. The outstanding trait of writing for the web is writing concise, to-the-point copy. Unfortunately, one source insists that when writing for teens, it must be very short (text-message short) and very simple. I’d like to give them more credit than that…adults aren’t much different! One topic per paragraph is the norm, and space between paragraphs so not to appear too text heavy.
• Scannable text. Scannable means I can scan the article and know what it’s about by simply reading the headlines. 79% of readers online simply scan the article instead of reading all the words. Again, short and simple… Of course, there’s the other side of the coin that writes so the copy isn’t too easily scannable, because they want you to read every word. You chose.
• Capture the reader. An engaging summary at the beginning, or some other technique to entice the reader to stay on the page longer than the average 2.3 seconds.
• Lists, lists, and more lists. Have you noticed that at least a third of all titles include a number? 5 ways to pet a dog; 11 best ways to pick a dandelion, etc.  Bulleted lists are the most fashionable, at least this year they are.
• Links-a-lot. Inserting links within the copy in an unobtrusive way is an art some are still learning (me). While you don’t want to insert too many links, you also don’t want to lead your reader away from your web page too quickly. Links leading away from the page should be placed at the bottom of the article.
• Keyword insertion, or writing for the search engines. This is the essence of what is often referred to as ‘optimized copy’, because it’s how the search engines decide who gets what position in the search results.
• Easy Navigation. Let your readers know where they’re at, because yes, they will get lost. You will always see “next”, “previous”, “page 2″, etc notated in obvious places, as well as clear ways to find contact information and to return to where they may have started. Just click your heels three times and say, “There’s no place like home. . .” Which brings me to the next command:
• No Puns. Somehow puns went out with lava lights and disco. Maybe if you’re writing for the baby boomer crowd, but puns, especially in titles, are taboo.

These are the basics of writing for the web, and it doesn’t appear that there is that much to teach, right? Maybe all we really need to do is to stop teaching writing at about the third grade!   Personally, I believe that any writing is best taught by reading, writing, and more reading. One way to incorporate this skill into your homeschool would be to re-write a well written paper to a concise piece suitable for the web.

There are many technical aspects of writing for the web that I haven’t covered that are essential to good search engine optimization. The proper usage of links, title tags and more are also necessary to learn how to apply. Visual components, good layout, and design elements are also important. Obviously it’s too much to cover here.

If you want to really get serious about writing for the web, there is a science referred to as “Information Architechture” that is becoming a very well paid field. As mentioned earlier, what we do on the internet has been studied extensively, and is really quite interesting if you like that sort of thing. Remember, it’s calculated that the average web page has 2.3 seconds to engage you, so what do you notice first? On a web page done by a specialist you can be assured that the first thing that got your attention was NO accident. Beware.

Jakob Nielson is considered an expert in this field, and you can read his definition of writing for the web at :

http://www.useit.com/papers/webwriting/

(did you notice I put this link at the bottom? )

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