2. The Basics of Web Copy

When people first started putting text on the internet there was little or no notion of the limitations of the medium. Many of the results (some of which are still around today) were not dissimilar to those of the early days of desktop publishing in the 80s, with an enthusiasm for unusual fonts and colours sometimes making text all but unreadable.

By the mid-90s, however, as an increasing number of professional communicators turned to the internet out of personal and commercial interest, a body of wisdom began to grow regarding what would and would not work on the web. From this, a set of basic rules emerged that is now fairly well established, if not necessarily well known to those outside the web copywriting fraternity.

The starting point is the simple fact that text is harder to read on screen than it is on paper. It takes longer to read the same number of words and it can be difficult to track sentences in large blocks of text. When you scroll down a page, it becomes even more difficult to keep track of where you are. In fact, knowing where you are generally on a website is more difficult than it is with physical media; the page you were looking at two moments ago can be hard to find again once you have moved on. This ‘jumpy’ nature of content, made possible through hypertext links between pages, also means that you may not finish reading one piece of text before you find yourself in another.

It is all very confusing. Which is why virtually all the rules that govern good web copy are concerned with making text easy to read, easy to assimilate and easy to move around in. The basic rules (with variations depending on whom you consult) are:

• Break text up into short chunks. Very short chunks. No more than about 50 words per paragraph.
• Make each paragraph a self-contained statement.
• Make that statement worth reading. Remember that bored readers will be on another page (or site) at the click of a mouse.
• Make the overall text short, too. No more than about two screens’ worth of copy. That’s 300 to 400 words.
• If your text is longer than that, try breaking it into sections that can go on different web pages.
• Finally, if a piece of long text absolutely has to stay together, give each paragraph or two a heading and put links to each heading at the top of the page; the reader can jump to any section they want to. Make sure there is a return link with each heading, as well, so that readers can easily get back to the point they came from.

Getting to the point

In effect, the creation of good web copy is nothing more than another application of the ‘keep it short’ principle covered in Chapter 8. When writing for the web, you need to cut out all the frills and niceties of language and get straight to the point. No word should be too precious to spare from the edit.

On the web it is more important than ever to use small words instead of large ones. But because of space constraints and the need to impart information quickly, it is also more usual to use contractions (‘its’s’ instead of ‘it is’, for example) in web copy.

Web readers do not want to hang around reading your copy, but they do need to be entertained by it. Unlike other types of media, the internet is full of opportunities for interaction. Your text will be competing with pictures, flashing banner ads, pop-up windows and all manner of other enticements. Even when you have got only 250 words it can be a tough job getting anyone to read till the end.

As important as it is to keep your message short, then, you need to make sure it is interesting, relevant and/or amusing. Many websites try to achieve this by adopting a personal, chatty tone with their readers. While this may well engage most audiences, I would favour doing whatever you think is right for the particular readers of the site you are writing for.

Editing for the web

One of the less surprising facts about the internet is that people tend to be more interested in revisiting websites if there is something new there for them to see. As a consequence, the principle of updating content as often as possible has become enshrined in web best practice, happily for copywriters and others who are charged with supplying that content. News sites, for example, often post up new stories on an ongoing basis, so publication happens almost as soon as a story is written.

This voracious appetite for content on the web means editors are usually keen to re-use material that has been published elsewhere. As a copywriter, therefore, it is not unusual for you to be asked to adapt your (or indeed, another person’s) press feature, brochure text, case study or whatever for use online.

If the text is already short and punchy, this should not usually present a problem. If it is a 1,000-word feature, however, you will need to make drastic cuts. This involves skill, but it is a skill well worth acquiring.

If you want to know whether you can edit for the web, try the following exercise. Take your best piece of long copy – say, a 1,000-word feature. Make sure it is something you are perfectly happy with; something you would not change a word of. Now cut it down to 500 words.

This is on the outer limits of what you could get away with on a website. A content editor would probably want to break up the copy a bit to make it easier to read online. Now, try cutting it down to just 250 words. In the process, you will have to ditch virtually all your fancy prose. Your argument will be reduced to the bare skeleton of what you want to say. You will have no option but to get to the point. This copy will be fine for the web.

What if you cannot reduce the text that far? Is there a critical example or argument that is eating up space on the page? If so, try cutting it out and placing it on a different page, with a link to the main text. This is the way you need to think about copy on the web. Each piece of text must be short; but a chain of texts can go on forever.