eMedia Daily

Your Audience is Online - Are Your Writing Skills?

If you have a website, you have a web audience that you’re writing for. Like it or not, readers behave differently online than they do when holding printed material - which means that you need to write differently.

There are quite a few different resources that give you insight in how to write for the web, and how to write for search engines. A few universal tips:
- Use the words that you expect your readers to use. Even if your industry is full of acronyms and niche terms, make sure that your writing uses the terms that readers will use to search for the content that you’re providing.
- Use descriptive text when linking. Rather than “click here,” use “buy red shoes” as the words for your link. This not only help search engines understand your structure, but it also helps your readers know where you are leading them when they click.
- Don’t try to be clever in your copy. There is a good chance that your readers don’t have time for your clever quips, and the search engines won’t understand them.