People move fast on the Web. They’re busy, they don’t have a lot of time, and they have short attention spans; this makes them more impatient. They want to be able to find information that’s useful to them.

When you have just 10 seconds to grab the user’s attention with your content, you need to make your point and you need to do it FAST.

Here are some tips* to help you get your point across clearly and quickly:

• Put the most important information at the top
• Organize content into SHORT paragraphs (5 lines or less, maximum 20 words per sentence)
• Make sure you understand who your reader base is (so you can write directly to them)
• Avoid jargon, exaggerated claims, and cute or clever lines (they prevent the reader from getting to the main point quickly)
• Write meaningful headlines and subheads (and keep them short!)
• Use clear, concise, and correct language (poorly written copy slows readers down)
• Put yourself in your readers’ shoes (will they care about what you wrote?)
• Don’t copy and paste your print brochure word-for-word

Writing long scrolling pages of confusing, non-useful, and “fluffy” or self-serving content will only drive your audience away from your website. If, after 55 seconds (less than a minute!) of browsing your site, a user still doesn’t understand what your company or your product does, then you need to revisit your content.

The good thing about websites is that they’re dynamic. It’s never too late to develop succinct, clear, and useful website content. People will continue to surf the Web at rates faster than we can blink but, if you present content that’s useful and to the point, they may slow down long enough to check out your site and get to know you.

*Sourced from:

“Website Content Writing Tips.” Entheosweb.com. Entheos. n.d. http://www.entheosweb.com/content_writing/tips.asp

Rollins, Corey. “IMC: Expert Panel Tips on Writing for the Web.” techvibes.com. Techvibes. 12 Sep. 2008. http://www.techvibes.com/blog/imc-expert-pannel-tips-on-writing-for-the-web

“10 Writing Tips for Designers.” Webdesigner Depot.com. Webdesigner Depot. 23 Feb. 2009. http://www.webdesignerdepot.com/2009/02/10-writing-tips-for-web-designers/

Like “service,” correct spelling and grammar are not things to advertise you do well. It’s expected.

If a company’s signage catches your eye, it’s likely you will look further, go to the website, pick up a brochure, or read the annual report, and your written content is put to the test.

Your words are a critical part of your brand’s lasting impression.

When prospects or potential clients come across content mistakes, including bad grammar, misspellings, and fact errors, they will do one of two things:

1. abort and forget about you, or
2. keep reading and have trouble taking you seriously.

As a rule, if you’re the writer, you shouldn’t be the editor. After several drafts of writing, it is easy for meaning and message to become misconstrued and for mistakes to get overlooked.

Failing to edit your content can be embarrassing and leave you looking unprofessional. Also, reprinting can be costly and stressful if you are working with a deadline. On the other extreme, editing can maintain your credibility and help you deliver a clear and concise message consistent with your brand.

Before projects go to print or get published to the Web, content generally goes through four editing stages:

Developmental Editing:

• helps to develop content from initial concept, research, and outline
• ensures messages are being delivered succinctly
• makes suggestions based on analysis of competing works and market analysis

Substantive Editing:

• reorganization of paragraphs, sections to improve the order of text presented
• writing and rewriting segments of text to improve readability and flow of information

Copyediting:
(also called line editing)

• fact checking
• correcting errors in grammar, spelling, word usage, and style

Proofreading:

• the last check for errors as copy sits in its final layout before going to print

When facing a deadline, the last stages of editing and proofreading often get thrown by the wayside. But for your potential clients who take grammatical errors to heart, the editing process is worthwhile.

If the delivery of your brand is unexpectedly interrupted by a grammar glitch, it may have your audience wondering about the service or product you offer - especially if you can’t spell.

Interdisciplinary work between cognitive scientists and rhetorical theorists (people who study language) has recently shed light on the old maxim that the way you say or write something is just as important as what you’re saying.

What cognitive science has discovered:
Our brains operate along basic principles of rhythm, repetition, similarity, and difference (among others).

What rhetorical studies has discovered:
Rhetorical scholars point out that the very objects of their study – literary figures of speech – function along these same principles. For instance, figures of speech based on similarity and difference include rhyme, assonance, consonance, alliteration, and many more.

How these discoveries are related:
Since figures of speech align language to the way our brains operate, we can intuitively recognize the formal (or structural) patterns in the language of a message. This recognition subtly invites our participation, because our brains naturally detect and anticipate patterns and structures.

Just think of the last time you caught yourself singing along to Britney’s latest pop-atrocity. You despise the song, but your brain is simply delighted by its repetitive structure, strong rhymes, and consistent rhythm, and just can’t help but join in.

Philosopher and theorist Kenneth Burke explains that once you grasp the trend of the form in a message, it invites participation regardless of the subject matter. The result is a sort of “collaborative expectancy” between audience and message, inherently making the message more persuasive.

When applied to business communications, formal patterning can be used to:

• create parallel structure across sentences in a sales piece
• ensure message consistency across a company’s entire business communications
• weave a powerful metaphor throughout your business proposal

Ultimately, science has reinforced a powerful principle to guide business communications:

Literary figures of speech improve the persuasiveness of a message because they align language with the ways that our brains operate.