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1. Writing for the Web

2.  Length
 Reader attention
 Links
 Search engine optimization
 Readability

3. The popularity of text online
 Write simple headlines
• Rather than transfer heads from the print edition, work hard on making
them simple and easy to understand.
• Remember you are writing for a global audience, many of whom have
English as a second
• Simplicity aids clarity.
• Use lower case as much as possible because too many capitals breaks up
the reading flow.

4.  Use short summaries and paragraphs
 Aim to summarize stories in a couple of sentences rather than provide all
the story.
 Provide a hypertext link to the full version. Set up each file so it is
possible to have a print-only version of each story as well, to cater for
the many people who prefer to read their news on paper.
 If you run a story for longer than two or three sentences, break the story
into paragraphs.

5.  Write tightly and simply
 Apply the basic editing principles, such as active voice and powerful verbs.
 This necessitates a return to the good old-fashioned inverted pyramid form of
writing that tells the story in the first three paragraphs.
 It means writing with verbs and nouns and omitting irrelevant modifiers
(unnecessary adjectives and adverbs).
 It means following the best principles of tabloid writing — short sentences (no
more than 20 words) and short words.
 Broadsheet papers cannot transfer their stories directly to the Web. Stories must
be edited. Sentences need to be shortened and a simpler language adopted to
ensure stories are easy to absorb.

6.  Think globally
o Edit with international readers in mind. Remember that Web sites have
global audiences.
o Readers in the Australia will only know what an ‘ambo’.
o A South African has a ‘braai’ to welcome people to their country but few
outside that nation know what the word means (it’s their form of
barbecue). Aim to use international language.

7.  Package material into chunks
 Think of ways to package material in bite-size pieces. One way to make
anything digestible is to break it into chunks.
 With online text, break a long list of items into bullet points. Or divide
material into columns or use colour to separate text.
 Make more use of bold to highlight key words.

8. Web editing summarized
 Editing web-based content:
• Use a compelling heading, frequent subheadings.
• Use shorter paragraphs; about 50 words maximum.
• Use shorter sentences.
• Use bulleted text or lists.
• Keep text to 700-1,000 words, and use links for longer
stories. Keep in mind, however, that a link to more
text is like a jump--you'll lose some readers who won't
follow it.
• Add in-text links for more information, but don't
overdo it.