Guidelines for digital writers

Lisa Smith

Simple. Human. Direct. Writing for digital.

"Make it simple, but significant." -- Don Draper, Mad Men

When you write for the web, you are writing for two audiences: Readers and search engines.

Search engine algorithms favor pages that work well with web readers’ habits. It’s important for digital writers to understand how online readers see things. Luckily we have over 20 years of usability studies that show exactly how readers view web pages.

Users spend an average of 5.59 seconds looking at a website’s written content.*

What do you want them to see?

Habits of online readers: Skim, scan, then read.

79% of online readers skim pages rather than read in depth.
Most readers retain only 28% of what they read online.
Readers have shorter attention spans when reading online than other media.
Readability — how easy it is for readers to read, understand and retain your writing — is an important indirect factor in SEO (search engine optimization).
Readability directly impacts engagement — how well it captures readers’ interest.

Readability is a core element of SEI’s best writing practices and brand voice.

Tips for better online readability

Write for the scanning eye: Can your reader skim the page and still capture key concepts?
Think visually. What sentences should stand out to the reader?
- Are your strongest sentences being “buried” in long paragraphs?
- Are your key conclusions front and center, or all the way at the bottom?
- Will the reader quickly see why they should care about this content?
Make it about them, not you. Place benefits for the readers in prominent areas like subheads.
Use subheads. Readers will see them quickly, and search engines notice them. Use them in order: H2, H3, H4.
Use plain, easy-to-understand English – no jargon.
Keep your tone conversational, down to earth and relatable.
Define any terms that may be unfamiliar to readers. Keep your definitions conversational in tone too.
Write your title and subtitle thoughtfully. Make them descriptive; the reader should know what they are about to read. Include terms that people are likely to use in a web search on your topic.

Skimmable, readable paragraphs

Place your conclusion and most important concepts at the top, not the bottom.
Break long, complex paragraphs into smaller ones when possible. Try to cover only 1 - 2 main concepts in a paragraph.
Sometimes, you can express a long, dense paragraph as a more skimmable bulleted list.
It’s ok to use a lone sentence if it’s strong and you want the reader to notice it. Not everything has to be a paragraph.