"Sometimes you come up with an idea that requires creative and technical wizardry to provide an internal client with exceptional value. Then, after the initial excitement has worn off, the scale and difficulty of the task becomes apparent. 
WEBWRITING: INFLUENCING FACTORS
7 useful tips and tricks when writing for the web.
If you are taking the trouble to write copy for your website, it pays to do as much work as possible to ensure that it is easy to read. At first your reader is voraciously scanning for useful morsels of information, so the more you can do to slow down this process, the better.
1. Headlines
Headlines more that anything else determine whether your copy will be read. They need to be short, eye-catching and straightforward to understand. Writing over-clever headlines with double meaning can be counterproductive. On average, five times as many people will read a headline as read the body copy. Key words that are relevant to your copy and the needs of the reader will help to add impact.
2. Include a Short Summary
Journalists do this all the time. Write a short summary of the body copy in your introductory paragraph. It should only be one or two sentences. If you have any ‘hot’ news, make sure it goes here so that you attract the readers' attention and encourage them to find out more. If often helps to have the summary in bold.
3. Body Copy
- Limit each paragraph to just one idea and use short, simple and concise sentences
- If you have lengthy copy, use subheadings to break up the page
- Within each paragraph use numbered or bulleted lists as this helps to highlight your content and convey meaning quickly
- Highlight key words in bold but don’t go mad and litter the page with them
- Avoid acronyms as you will only confuse and alienate those who are not familiar with them.
4. Hyperlinks
Hyperlinks are the most prominent webwriting feature but often the most abused. You don’t do yourself any favours by sending your reader to places that are not relevant. Be measured in the way you use them and make sure that the wording is self-evident in its description of what the target page is about. Don’t be afraid to use several words to describe it. ‘Click here’ or ‘next’ is meaningless.
Standardise the way you use hyperlinks and make this consistent. For example, blue and underlined for links to visit and red/purple for those already visited.
Try to avoid image hyperlinks. These occur when a designer thinks it's cool to embed a link into a picture. All this does is confuse the reader. For a start the reader only knows it is ‘live’ by chance and once it has been visited there is no visual indication to say whether it has been visited or not.
Remember that underlined words can’t be used on the web; underlining as a way of emphasising meaning is redundant.
5. Visuals
Visual images are important but you need to be disciplined in the way that you use them. Don’t fall victim to the belief that it will be strong visual imagery that will attract your reader’s attention rather than useful, relevant copy. Copy should win every time and dictate the imagery — not the other way around.
- Use bold imagery only if it is central to the story. Online newspapers are good at this
- Always ensure that images are used in the context of the copy. Avoid gratuitous imagery
- If you want to break up your copy, use small thumbnail images. These can help with the layout without detracting from the copy
- Avoid image hyperlinks; instead write the link alongside the image.
We think in pictures, not in words and phrases, so remember to use your writing skills to generate positive imagery about a product, situation or event.
6. Layout and Typography
A lot of what you write will be influenced by your layout and typography. In terms of layout, your page needs to be easy on the eye to allow the reader to pick up relevant pieces of information quickly and easily. If the layout is bunched and inconsistent, it will deter the reader. Typically, readers look first at an illustration, then the headline and finally the copy; so put these elements in that order.
Typography is about font, font size and line length. Good typography helps visitors read your copy, while bad typography prevents them. It’s a good idea to use a font that reflects the values of your business and client base. For example, Comic Sans or Curlz conveys a completely different image compared to Arial or Verdana.
Small font size will only frustrate the reader, so make the size easy to read if you wish to increase your readership.
The type of content you publish influences line length. Sales and marketing copy benefits from a shorter line length, whilst readers of more intellectual copy are sometimes happy to read lines with up to 95 characters per line (cpl).
7. Concision
This is the hardest part. Concision is about delivering the most amount of information using the least amount of words. To do this you need to know your subject in detail and be prepared to ruthlessly cut and edit what is not relevant.
Follow the 80/20 rule by making sure that your efforts are focused exclusively on providing only the 20% of information that will have impact and add value.