Web Writing Checklist

Adhering to the following guidelines and best practices will help ensure the usability and effectiveness of your website content.

The single most important thing you can do to improve your website is have audience-centered content that follows web writing guidelines and best practices. No other strategy has greater potential to positively impact the effectiveness of your website than good web writing.

  • Users of all levels of education want and expect clear and concise text on webpages that allows them to quickly scan the available content
  • Effective web writing improves the user experience across the board – increasing the effectiveness of your website
  • Effective web writing is an essential strategy for improving your search engine optimization (SEO)

Usability of Text

Make Pages Easy to Scan

Users scan webpages - they do not read them like a paper or book. According to the Nielsen Norman Group, “On the average Web page, users have time to read at most 28% of the words during an average visit; 20% is more likely.”

Writing for Specific Audiences

Once you have identified your primary and secondary audiences are, you can tailor your content to meet their specific needs. Every piece of content and aspect of design on your website – text, images, graphics, colors, layout, formatting, organization, etc. - should be passed through the filter of audience.

More Web Writing Guidelines and Best Practices

For more information, including guidelines and best practices, see Web Writing.