4. Thinking in Hypertext

Because of the way it is all inter-linked, the internet can be viewed as one gigantic document, the components of which can be accessed and read in any order.

The components of this single, non-linear text are known in the business as hypertexts and an awareness of hypertext structure is important if you are to add more material to what is already on the web.

Hypertext’s two main features are that it usually comprises small, distinct documents (such as web pages) stored electronically, and these documents are linked to each other in a variety of ways. Thus, if you are planning to write for the web, you need to consider not just how you will break up your text but also how you will link its constituent parts to each other and to other web-based documents.

The first task is fairly straightforward. Take your subject matter and break it down to headings and subheadings until you have reduced it to chunks of around one or two screens’ worth in length. These are your individual web pages.

Next, however, you need to think about the interconnections between them and make sure these are clearly marked in your copy. To do this, look at your pages and check to see where there are cross-references between them, or where such cross-references could usefully be introduced. Also, are there other links you could include, say to other websites? How many links you can include on a page is really up to the structure of the site and your own ingenuity. The average page should include at least a couple, however.

One common, and very handy, type of link is what is called a ‘mailto’; instead of connecting the reader to another web page, it automatically opens up a blank email with a pre-determined address. Use it, for example, wherever you mention the words ‘contact us’ on a website.

Copy considerations

A consequence of hypertext is that it is difficult to govern which part of a website a reader will arrive at first. Logic dictates they will come via the home page, but that need not necessarily be the case if another website owner decides to create a link to one of the other pages you are creating.

As a result, you need to write every page as a stand-alone document that will make sense to someone who has no knowledge of the rest of the site. This can partly be achieved with headlines and subheads.

A headline on each page that reads ‘Company X: leaders in supply chain software’ will give newcomers a good idea of the kind of site they have arrived at, for example. At the same time, though, your body copy needs to be a complete text: introduce the subject, expand on it and then finish with a closing line, which should usually be a call to action (‘contact us’ with a mailto).