Writing For The Web

Why is writing for the web such a key skill nowadays? It’s no secret that in 2015 print sales are falling and shared digital content is constantly on the up.

Despite the shorter, more personal nature of content that is read on the web everyday, you still need to apply core journalistic principles to make it work.

So how do you adapt your writing to the shortened attention spans of an audience staring at a screen? Follow our guide to writing for the web and the different formats to choose from – you won’t believe how easy it is!

News websites

Reluctance from news organisations to fully digitise their content is now a thing of the past – they’re now experts in getting their content shared further than their immediate audience.

The key thing to remember before starting is that the spectrum of reader level is broader on the web, so try not to include a heavy amount of jargon. Being straight to the point and using accessible terms will also have benefits in search rankings as these are what people are more likely to look for.

‘Front-loading’ content is the traditional way of starting a web article. By summarising an entire page’s worth of content in the first two sentences, you are much more likely to retain the audience’s attention.

A conversational tone throughout an article is also key, but the point must still be clear. There are several ways to make your audience engage with your content – For example, using pronouns such as ‘we’ and ‘you’ within clear, simple sentence structures makes an article much more approachable.

Social/Viral Content

The Internet can be a confusing place sometimes and we see so much variety in viral content on a daily basis, but how do you make sure your work gets shared more than others?

Studies have shown that evoking emotions is the catalyst for viral success, with positive being unsurprisingly more successful than negative.

For example, an article published on Buzzfeed called ’21 Picture That Will Restore Your Faith In Humanity’ has been seen over 16 million times and is the perfect combination of an enticing headline, interesting visual content and positivity.

Such is the immediate, ever-changing face of news content that gets shared around the web, if one of your posts becomes a success you need to analyse why and make sure this is maintained.

Pay attention to what worked; perhaps it was a humorous style of writing or you had an interesting take on a subject that your audience loved. Consistency is vital, and it’s a big part of what writing for the web is all about.

Timing your post is also important if you want it to go viral. Peak times of audience interaction tend to be 9am when people get into work, 12pm at lunch and 5pm onwards whilst people are on their commute home.

Listicles

By far the most approachable style of online writing, list articles or ‘Listicles’ are shared by consumers wanting to provoke emotion from their friends.

As mentioned, Buzzfeed and also Mashable excel in doing this by having a clear theme (pictures to restore faith in humanity for example) and more often than not they have a definitive ranking to help the Listicle come to a satisfying conclusion.

It’s at your discretion whether or not your company uses simple, easy-to-follow Listicles, the whole point is that they are light-hearted and fun. Writing for the web is often idealised as listicles about cats (which is only half true).

Still interested in writing for the web?

Hopefully we’ve made it clear how to be successful on the web and get your content shared all over, but it can take a few posts to see what your audience enjoys.

Writing for the web has a number of huge marketing benefits, from SEO to social outreach and customer engagement.

If you’re still unsure or just want some tips, email arthur@foreverdigital.local for some web writing advice and how to get your content the viral.