writing short phrases on web pages

[amythepoet]

I've read here that it is advisable to use short phrases on your web pages and web readers don't really read, they scan,

o.k. - I get that, but how short is enough, or too much?

Is there an example I can see somewhere?

Thank you

[shape]

Say this discussion name more shortly:

Short writing on the Web.

I belive in this idea. The simple the better. Less hype more real life.

[rogerd]

Amy, I think a lot depends on your site and the context. I think short phrases are most important for vistors who are making choices - "Find Widgets" is better than "Click here to search our extensive database of widget products by product name, product type, part number, and description".

Short phrases are good headlines to allow easy visual navigation on a page, and listing 6 short phrases as bullets is probably better than trying to incorporate those ideas into a well-worded paragraph.

Nevertheless, conventional sentence structure has its place. News articles, well-crafted product descriptions, etc. require more structure and description than phrases offer.

[ogletree]

if you have a lot of pages and a site template be careful to have enough content on that page. Otherwise your pages will look too much alike and you may not rank well. If you are talking about catch phrases and bullet points keep them as short as you can. Keep the stuff at the top of the page very short and easy to understand. Have paragrphs below that with lots of words for the spiders to read. Nobody is going to read further down anyhow.

[amythepoet]

Thanks very much.

Yes, I am trying to keep my titles short and short headers too.

But yes I have lots of content for each page, it's just that I thought that the readers don't read complete sentences in the text, so now I am bolding some points in the text, but I want to keep a clean look on the site, it's a tough balance

I know it is imperative to have lots of content for the spiders, I am doing that.

Thank you

Any other tips would be greatly appreciated.

[EileenC]

For your content, use lots of subheadings, with white space between each section, to pull the reader through. The reader will scan the subheadings first and then get pulled in (or not) to the paragraphs under that subheading. A good rule of thumb to follow is that they should always be able to see at least one subheading on their screen without having to scroll to find it. Throw in some bulleted points, too.

[amythepoet]

ok Eiileen, I will work on it, thank you

[CromeYellow]

Otherwise your pages will look too much alike and you may not rank well.

How do you mean ogletree? Are you referring to a dupe content filter or something else more interesting? ;)

Cy

[ogletree]

Just a dup filter. There have been a lot of threads about how people that have a site template have problems because they don't have much content on each page. That said I have seen a site do well with very little content. You have to remember there are at least 2 sets of rules. Normal sites and over the hilltop (florida proof) sites. If you are the latter you can do things that help your site but would hurt if done on somebody elses site.

[gail]

Have at least 250 words on each page.

[paybacksa]

Be brief.

Make your point.

Offer actionable [127.0.01] choices [127.0.0.1].

And when the reader is engaged beyond those early lines, you may offer more meaningful text for them to enjoy.

Then finish it,and

Offer more [127.0.0.1].

[amythepoet]

Ok, makes sense.

thank you

[JayCee]

Another important place to use very short text is in link text. Every link should tell the user what to expect if they click on it (and not by saying "click here").

Users should never have to use a link, just to see where it leads.

Then there is the issue of key words in links :)

When you really need detailed info, the experts recommend the newspaper "upside-down pyramid" style.

Start with the bare facts at the top, as in a headline.

Then add more detail in each paragraph below, always putting the most critical info the highest.

Pretend that an editor is going to delete some part nearest the bottom, to help you decide what is really important to include and how high up to put it.

[OlRedEye]

Strange how I just WANT to click on that more... :)

[amythepoet]

Let' say that I'm an artist and now on the home page, I want to get people to buy my paintings?

Now, instead of saying "think how special a landscape painting will be in your home? and have landscaped painting a link that goes to the landscape painting page, instead I would just discuss the advatanges of buying a landscaped painting from me?

Would that be better to do on the first page?

Right now, I thought it would be best to make the hyperlink that are some of the keywords inclujded on the home page, but now I think it would be better to do it the other way?

i'm so consufed, and need help!

thanks

-a-

[webwoman]

amy - I have just read Net Words by Nick Usborne. This book has some excellent advise that will help you feel less confused. I recommend it along with the advice that you are getting in this thread.

[ken_b]

The need for short paragraphs is just as important as short phrases for headlines and bulleted points.

No matter how good or important your point is, no matter how urgent the call to action is, it can easily get missed in the middle of a large block of text.

Personally, I prefer paragraphs that are 4 - 8 lines long. The wider the column, the fewer lines.

[chrisnrae]

I second that Networds is a good read. Basically, people scan, so you want to important points on your page to stick out. You don't want the whole page to be "headlines". But, shorter paragraphs, headings and the other great tips you got in this thread will help in your effort to make you copy more web friendly ;).

[stever]

Amy, as a former journalist and news editor, I'll second the comments about the close relationship between "journalese" and general web copy (note the "general" distinction).

To clarify some of the former points just a little:

the pyramid style doesn't just mean writing in headlines or in bullet points. The art of it is to give people with different attention spans or with differing levels of interest as much information as they need or want.

Thus theoretically, a headline would encapsulate the story, as would the first paragraph, then the following three or four paragraphs and then the main body.

Here's an example:

<headline>
Queen Takes Bishop's Porn Check

<first par>
A constitutional court will decide on the legitimacy of Thursday's vice raid on a high-ranking Church of England official, legal experts said today.

<longer intro>
A wrangle between the Church and Buckingham Palace broke out following the search of Anglican premises for what police officers described as "compromising photos".

A senior Palace executive had given the thumbs-up to the raid after the Metropolitan Police officers expressed uncertainty about jurisdiction.

But ecclesiastical lawyers now believe that the police and royal officials may have overstepped the mark - and an application has been made to the House of Lords for review by the Constitutional Court.

<body>
The raid on Canon Albert Sproggett's luxury penthouse near the Palace of Westminster was carried out on Thursday by the Metropolitan Police Anglican Taskforce ....blah blah blah

For good examples of succinct writing look at tabloid papers NOT for their content but for their way of presenting it.

The main web copywriting "crime" I notice is that sentences and paragraphs are far too long.

Edit: correcting excessive instances of the passive voice!

[edited by: stever at 8:30 pm (utc) on Aug. 18, 2004]

[amythepoet]

Thanks everyone for all your great advice.

i will work on it.

amy

[JayCee]

Perhaps no one repeated this particular web copy "rule of thumb"?

For fast scanning or reading, paragraphs should be much shorter than in traditional writing. In general every new thought should also be a new paragraph.

I think this is sometimes referred to as "chunking", breaking up text into "bite-sized" bits.