Web Presentation Guide 5.1
Writing for the Web

Action
Write short and scannable web pages that help users quickly accomplish their tasks.

Why
Web users want content that is easy to find and easy to understand.

What/How
Give users what they need in as few words as possible, as further explained in the Governor's Plain Talk Executive Order.

• Make text easy to scan by chunking text:
• Break up text into short sections.
• Use headings for each section.
• Use short straightforward sentences.
• Use lists.
• Use data tables and visuals when they help.
• Use plenty of white space and avoid long passages of dense text.
• Use half the words of conventional or printed writing.

• Provide links to other useful information and resources related to the users' task(s), rather than repeating content.
• Sequence information in a way that is logical to users
• If information is sequential, place it in the appropriate order, for example step-by-step guides or checklists.
• If information is not sequential, place the most important content at the top.

• Provide an easily understood key message.
• Use the language and keywords of primary users.
• Use active voice.
• Avoid language that has a marketing or sales tone in informational content.
• Avoid agency jargon and spell out all acronyms on first use.

Checklist: Writing for the Web

Topic		Complete
a.	Be brief.
b.	Make text scannable by using headings and breaking text into short sentences.
c.	Break text into short sections of straightforward sentences.
d.	Use meaningful headings.
e.	Use lists (bulleted and numbered).
f.	Use visuals when they help convey the information.
g.	Supply links to other useful information and resources.
h.	Use the language and keywords of primary users.
i.	Use the active voice.

Resources

Writing for the Web	Jakob Nielsen's research on how users read on the Web and how authors should write their Web pages.
Web Writing Style Guide	From Sun Microsystems, a detailed style guide on writing for the Web.
Jakob Nielson - How Users Read on the Web	Information about how people scan Web pages for key words and phrases rather than read word by word.
Plain Talk Executive Order	An Executive Order from the Governor, that directs agencies to use Plain Talk principles to create user-friendly documents.

Related guide topics

• Accessibility
• Common Look and Feel
• Hyperlinks
• Navigation
• Usability