On Content Writing1.
Clarity Clarity is in the eye of the beholder, not of the writer. No matter how clear your words seem to you, never assume they're clear to your readers.
2.
Relevance Readers expect relevant content online. If they don't find it quickly, they'll leave. Engage them rather than coner them. But still convience them.
3.
Brevity As a general rule, online text should have half as many words as print text, but often one-quarter or even one-tenth is called for.
But shorter isn't always better. Cut every unnecessary word, but never sacrifice clarity for brevity!
4.
Scanability and readability Online, readers tend to scan, looking for something to act on. Make it easy for them. Whenever possible, break up text by using headlines, bullets, and frequent paragraph breaks.
5.
Consistency Navigation, terminology, tone, and style should be consistent throughout the site. Inconsistency tends to confuse and annoy readers.
Choose a style guide, such as "The Chicago Manual of Style," and stick with it. Or write your own.
6.
Freedom from errors Grammatical mistakes, typos, and misspellings can spoil or even ruin a reader's experience. Not all readers notice, but plenty do. And chances are a few will be outraged, especially if you're writing about writing.
Never be the sole proofreader of your writing. Have someone else -- ideally a professional proofreader or editor -- proof it both before and after coding. (Proofing it before coding isn't enough. Text can be dropped, put in the wrong place, retyped incorrectly, or miscoded.)
7.
Good integration with the site design It might seem that ensuring the text and site design are well integrated is the designer's responsibility, not the writer's. Not true. Designing web pages should be a collaborative, iterative process between the writer and the designer because a site's design can have a big impact on the text. What sounds good in a text file might be all wrong once the text is incorporated into the design.
Work closely with the designer throughout the process, and cultivate a collaborative relationship. Both the text and the design will be better for it.
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