Get to the point

Readers assess webpages in an instant. Your content has a few seconds—three or less!—to encourage people to read more, to take action, or to navigate to another of your pages. Impatient readers will click the Back button in a hurry or will stop skimming and go to a search box.

To get to the point fast and keep people on your site, follow these three guidelines for effective online writing:

1. Keep it short.

• Use short words, short sentences, short paragraphs, bulleted lists, and short pages.
• Slim down copy from print sources (a company brochure, for example) to suit the online format.

Example
Before
Architronixx, founded by an architect, Jay Pogue, an engineer, Barry Beasley, and a sound engineer, Mari DeHart, was a totally new concept in 1981, when it was founded. The idea—a firm that merged architecture, structural engineering, and acoustics—was brand-new. Today, Architronixx is still the leader in the field it pioneered almost three decades ago, and our buildings have garnered praise from national and international authorities.

After
In 1981, Architronixx invented a new concept: buildings that combine innovative architecture, intelligent engineering, and acoustic design. Today, Architronixx is still the leader in the field it pioneered almost three decades ago.
Learn more about how our designs work.
Walk through our award-winning buildings.
Read about our founders.

2. Front-load your content.

• In general, put the most important content in the upper-left area of the screen. Put other important pieces of information at the top of the page.
• Decide what’s most important to communicate, and emphasize it with prominent headings, boldface type, and other visual cues.
• Put the most important information at the beginning of headlines, paragraphs, and sentences. Don’t spend time leading up to your point.
• Place the most important words at the beginning of page titles, headlines, subheadings, and links. The most important words are typically your keywords, which are the words and phrases people may use in search engines when trying to locate your type of content. For information on keyword selection and placement, see “SEO Basics.”
• Place important but supplemental or tangential material in a secondary position on the page.

3. Keep it simple.

• Include only one or two ideas per short paragraph.
• Choose common words over more difficult ones. Even if more technical or sophisticated language is appropriate for your site, your readers will appreciate simpler language in the areas where their eyes are scanning to determine what a page is about.

• Delete fluff. Direct, objective text—not promotional copy—is more helpful to the site visitor, and readers perceive it as more trustworthy.

Example
Before
Not only can you indulge in relaxing spa treatments at this newly renovated hotel, but so can your dog. The Paws-and-Relax Resort offers complete individual and customized service for people and their canine companions, focusing on deep-tissue massage and acupuncture. No other spa packages in the city offer this decadent, pet-friendly deal.

After
The newly renovated Paws-and-Relax Resort offers relaxing customized spa treatments for you and your dog.

Pamper yourself and your pet with deep-tissue massage and acupuncture.

No other spa package in the city offers this decadent, pet-friendly deal.

Short, simple, and front-loaded: These qualities are Web-writing essentials, whether you’re crafting text for an email or a webpage, whether readers are viewing your copy on a mobile device or a desktop computer. As we delve into different types of content, we’ll mention these principles again and again.