Writing Principles

Writing principles


Push vs pull content

A goal of writing for the web is turning push content (what you want to say) into pull content (what your audience wants to read)

• This means considering what your users need more than what you want to say 

• “Give them the exact information they need, along with opportunities to learn more.” (Mailchimp)

• Self-serve content: Allow users to find what they need vs pushing info. Trust them. 

Use the right amount of words

• Online, people read about 20-28% of the page. Cognitive load increases 11% for every 100 words added to the page

• Readers scan; they do not read every word. The typical reading pattern on a webpage falls into an “F-shaped” pattern: 

Open

Open

Top: Sarah Richards, “Content Design”

Bottom: Steve Krug, “Don’t Make Me Think, Revisited”

Write in Plain English 

Using plain English is respectful to the audience. It’s about reading speed and comprehension--not the intelligence of the audience. Plain English ensures our content is accessible to people with: 

• learning disabilities, dyslexia or visual impairments

• poor internet connections 

• small devices

• poor internet connection 

• busy lives 
  
  

“People who are well-read (aka not dumb) read a lot. They don’t have time to wade through jargon. They want the information quickly and easily – just like everyone else. Wanting to understand quickly has little to do with intelligence. It has a lot to do with time and respect...It’s not dumbing down--it’s ”opening up” (Richards p 151)

• Use high-frequency words, nouns, and verbs 

• Remove all non-essential adverbs and adjectives to make writing easier to read on the web. “Avoid hyperboles, upsells, fluffy metaphors” (Mailchimp)

• In print, you can spice up a linear narrative with anecdotes and individual examples that support a storytelling approach to exposition. On the web, such content often feels like filler; it slows down users and stands in the way of their getting to the point.” (NN Group)

Write in Plain English 

• Prioritize Content. When everything is important, there is no visual hierarchy to help users understand what is important. 

• Organize content. Group things together that are related and use subheadings to guide users through sections. 

• Reduce clutter. Include only content that helps users complete the action they need to take. Remove “everything that is not part of the solution.” (Krug p 52)

Write for Mobile Devices

• Users can only read one thing at a time on mobile. There is no “sidebar” content. 

• Anything on the “right rail” will end up below all other content

Front-Load Text

• Lead with the main point or most important content, in sentences, paragraphs, sections and pages. (Mailchimp)

• The earlier the most important words appear, the better. 

• “The first 3 words should have information-carrying content...users often scan down the left part of a list of items. They never see the last words in a link unless the first few words attract their attention.” (NN Group)

Richards (p. 140)

Tips and tricks


• Read the text on a mobile device, or adjust your margins in Word

• Check Google Analytics to see how long people are spending on your page online; then, read the page out loud. If you were not able to read the page within that time frame, condense content.