Skip navigation

Writing for the Web Articles & Videos

  • F-Shaped Pattern of Reading on the Web: Misunderstood, But Still Relevant (Even on Mobile)

    Eyetracking research shows that people scan webpages and phone screens in various patterns, one of them being the shape of the letter F. Eleven years after discovering this pattern, we revisit what it means today.

  • Exhaustive Review or “I Can’t Believe It’s Not There” Phenomenon: Evidence from Eyetracking

    Repeatedly scanning the same content can indicate confusion or engagement. Often, it happens because users’ expectations are not met.

  • Plain Language Is for Everyone, Even Experts

    Professionals want clear, concise information devoid of unnecessary jargon or complex terms. Plain language is a necessity and benefits both consumers and organizations.

  • F-Pattern in Reading Digital Content

    Eyetracking research shows people read Web content in the F-pattern. The results highlight the importance of following guidelines for writing for the Web.

  • "Get Started" Stops Users

    A generic Get Started call-to-action attracts clicks, but also misleads users and acts as a roadblock for those looking to get information about the company.

  • How to Present Scientific Findings Online

    To appeal to experts, provide concise titles and summaries, use clear headings, charts and figures, and don’t overdo visual design.

  • Writing Digital Copy for Domain Experts

    These tips for writing web content for specialized audiences will help you sound authoritative and bolster your credibility. Professionals want content that is easy to scan, factual, and verifiable.

  • 7 Tips for Presenting Bulleted Lists in Digital Content

    Bullet points help break up large blocks of text, make complex articles and blog posts easier to grasp, and make key information stand out.

  • Microcontent: A Few Small Words Have a Mega Impact on Business

    Well-written, short text fragments presented out of supporting context can provide valuable information and nudge web users toward a desired action.

  • Reading Content on Mobile Devices

    Readers can understand short, simple text content on mobile devices just as well as on computers, but they slow down when reading difficult text on mobile.

  • International B2B Audiences: Top 5 Ways to Improve Your Site for Global Users

    International B2B sites should demonstrate regional presence, adapt to local conventions, and ensure that localized sites are consistent with a main site.

  • The Impact of Tone of Voice on Users' Brand Perception

    A two-part experiment found that different tones of voice have measurable impacts on users’ perceptions of a brand’s friendliness, trustworthiness, and desirability. Casual, conversational, and enthusiastic tones performed best.

  • The Four Dimensions of Tone of Voice

    A website’s tone of voice communicates how an organization feels about its message. The tone of any piece of content can be analyzed along 4 dimensions: humor, formality, respectfulness, and enthusiasm.

  • How Chunking Helps Content Processing

    Chunking is a concept that originates from the field of cognitive psychology. UX professionals can break their text and multimedia content into smaller chunks to help users process, understand, and remember it better.

  • Cringeworthy Words to Cut from Online Copy

    The right words can make or break trust; they affect your tone of voice and how people perceive your site.

  • “Learn More” Links: You Can Do Better

    The phrase ‘Learn More’ is increasingly used as a crutch for link labels. But the text has poor information scent and is bad for accessibility. With a little effort, transform this filler copy into descriptive labels that help users confidently predict what the next page will be.

  • 6 Ways to Encourage Social Participation on Intranets

    Promote employee contributions by setting examples, creating enticing topics of conversation, keeping a light tone of voice, and providing positive feedback.

  • Legibility, Readability, and Comprehension: Making Users Read Your Words

    Users won’t read web content unless the text is clear, the words and sentences are simple, and the information is easy to understand. You can test all of this.

  • Headings Are Pick-Up Lines: 5 Tips for Writing Headlines That Convert

    Attractive headlines and titles are critical in making the right first impression. Concise titles that sound authentic and relevant get noticed.

  • Great Summaries on ‘About Us’ Pages Engage Users and Build Trust

    Tell your story on top-level pages in ‘About Us.’ People who trust you are much more open to engaging with your organization and website.

  • Information Scent

    Information foraging explains how users behave on the web and why they click certain links and not others. Information scent can be used to analyze how people assess a link and the page context surrounding the link to judge what's on the other end of the link.

  • The Biggest Mistake in Writing for the Web

    Before you write any content for the web, you should clearly define who will read it, what the reader’s goals are, and what impact you want your content to have on the reader.

  • The Four Dimensions of Tone of Voice in UX Writing

    The words in your interface can help establish your product’s personality. The tone of any piece of content can be analyzed along 4 dimensions: humor, formality, respectfulness, and enthusiasm.

  • Better Labels for Website Links: the 4 Ss for Encouraging Clicks

    4 guidelines for writing the link texts on websites to ensure users click the right options. Links should be Specific, Sincere, Substantial, and Succinct.

  • Establishing Tone of Voice

    Learn how to establish tone of voice in your experience and evaluate the impression your copy leaves on users.

  • Why Chunking Content is Important

    Chunking makes content easier to comprehend and remember. Chunking text help users understand the relationship between content elements and information hierarchy.

  • Translation and Localization

    The language of your product is important when communicating with a global audience. Translation and localization are two different levels of adaptation.

  • Plain Language For Everyone, Even Experts

    In our usability study with domain experts, we discovered that even highly educated readers crave succinct information that is easy to scan, just like everyone else.

  • Writing Digital Copy for Specialists vs. General Audiences

    All people prefer web content that is digestible, but domain experts have shared knowledge that changes the rules of plain language.

  • F-Pattern in Reading Digital Content

    Eyetracking research shows people read Web content in the F-pattern. The results highlight the importance of following guidelines for writing for the Web.

  • Content Inventory and Auditing 101

    A content inventory and audit are two important activities to complete before developing a strategy to improve your digital content. Conduct them together to set your content up for success.

  • Privacy Policies and Terms of Use: 5 Common Mistakes

    Policy pages often fail to follow basic usability guidelines: they are not readable, lack high-level summaries and inside-policy navigation, have poor formatting, and are not available in expected places.

  • How People Read Online: New and Old Findings

    Looking back at findings from a series of eyetracking studies over 13 years, we see that fundamental scanning behaviors remain constant, even as designs change.

  • Text Scanning Patterns: Eyetracking Evidence

    Eyetracking research shows that there are 4 main patterns that people use to scan textual information on webpages: F-pattern, spotted pattern, layer-cake pattern, and commitment pattern.

  • The Layer-Cake Pattern of Scanning Content on the Web

    When headings and subheadings visually stand out on the page and are descriptive, users engage in an efficient scanning pattern that allows them to quickly find the information that they need.

  • Typography Terms Cheat Sheet

    Typography concepts can sometimes get lost in translation between researchers, developers, designers, and stakeholders. Use this cheat sheet to help you decode the meaning of common or often mistaken typography terms.

  • "About Us" Information on Websites

    Users expect About Us sections to be clear, authentic, and transparent. They compare corporate content with third-party reviews to form a holistic opinion of a company before initiating business or applying for jobs.

  • Better Link Labels: 4Ss for Encouraging Clicks

    Specific link text sets sincere expectations and fulfills them, and is substantial enough to stand alone while remaining succinct.

  • UI Copy: UX Guidelines for Command Names and Keyboard Shortcuts

    Labels for commands should be brief, informative, rely on verbs and adjectives, and avoid branded terms. Command shortcuts must limit the number of modifiers and follow standard conventions.

  • Interface Copy Impacts Decision Making

    The language used in interfaces influences the decisions that our users will make. Manipulative copy nudges users towards making choices that are against their best interests.

  • Inverted Pyramid: Writing for Comprehension

    Start content with the most important piece of information so readers can get the main point, regardless of how much they read. This style of writing is perfectly suited to writing for the web.

  • F-Shaped Pattern of Reading on the Web: Misunderstood, But Still Relevant (Even on Mobile)

    Eyetracking research shows that people scan webpages and phone screens in various patterns, one of them being the shape of the letter F. Eleven years after discovering this pattern, we revisit what it means today.

  • Exhaustive Review or “I Can’t Believe It’s Not There” Phenomenon: Evidence from Eyetracking

    Repeatedly scanning the same content can indicate confusion or engagement. Often, it happens because users’ expectations are not met.

  • Plain Language Is for Everyone, Even Experts

    Professionals want clear, concise information devoid of unnecessary jargon or complex terms. Plain language is a necessity and benefits both consumers and organizations.

  • "Get Started" Stops Users

    A generic Get Started call-to-action attracts clicks, but also misleads users and acts as a roadblock for those looking to get information about the company.

  • How to Present Scientific Findings Online

    To appeal to experts, provide concise titles and summaries, use clear headings, charts and figures, and don’t overdo visual design.

  • Writing Digital Copy for Domain Experts

    These tips for writing web content for specialized audiences will help you sound authoritative and bolster your credibility. Professionals want content that is easy to scan, factual, and verifiable.

  • 7 Tips for Presenting Bulleted Lists in Digital Content

    Bullet points help break up large blocks of text, make complex articles and blog posts easier to grasp, and make key information stand out.

  • Microcontent: A Few Small Words Have a Mega Impact on Business

    Well-written, short text fragments presented out of supporting context can provide valuable information and nudge web users toward a desired action.

  • Reading Content on Mobile Devices

    Readers can understand short, simple text content on mobile devices just as well as on computers, but they slow down when reading difficult text on mobile.