Writing web pages for your readers

Aug 03, 2006

The popular perception is that a web page writer should use simple language. I don’t mean to imply that to be literary you need to write complex textual structures. You can be literary while using very simple language. In the web page writing context, by “literary” I mean, focusing more on the writing style and less on what you really want to communicate and what should be the desired effect. The desired effect is, to make a sale, to get a contract, or to get people to sign up for your subscription.

Many clients approach me with “this is how we want to sound,” and herein lies the fundamental problem. Rarely someone approaches me with “this is what our customers would like to read.” What is the web page about after all? It is about making an impact, not an impression. You don’t want to impress your readers; you want to convince them into transacting with you and this can only happen if you write for the reader. I’ll write on this thought more later on.