How to Write Effective Web Articles

by    Jack Redding

Even if it is not easily recognizable, writing for the web is different from traditional ways of writing for the print media. Some of the differences are the choice of words, the sentence structure, the format, and also the number of words to be used. So if you are interested in starting a career in online writing, here are some tips on how to write web articles that grab attention and will make people want to read and take action.

1. Keep it short.

There are a number of usability studies that have been conducted ever since the Internet became a popular medium. The one thing that is probably consistent with the results from these studies are preferred word count for each article. It is advisable to lessen your number of words to less than 500 words per article because these studies have found out that anything more than that and it becomes a chore to read the article.

There are exemptions to the this rule (or suggestion if you want to call it that way). One is that if you are posting some sort of an investigative piece then surely 500 words are not enough to convey the whole story. But as a general rule, people prefer to read less on the Internet even though they are always on the lookout for more information. Perhaps that s where all the irony of it lies.

2. Break down your article into paragraphs.

Paragraphs create the appearance of less words to read as compared to one whole paragraph. It is also easier for the eyes to read one paragraph after another. Aside from that, studies have shown that people can best understand what they are reading if each thought or idea is presented within just one paragraph. So it is always better to have as many paragraphs as you think you might need and to avoid writing everything in one whole chunk.

3. Put images on your articles.

Another way on how to write web articles that are engaging is to put pictures on your articles. People can easily get interested in what they are reading if they can see some good pictures around the article. Of course it must be important that the images should be relevant to the topic of the article otherwise these will just be considered as clutter.

4. Write an engaging title.

The first thing that a reader will notice in an article is the title. So if your title is boring to begin with, there are less chances for anybody to read even the first sentence of your document. Make your article as interesting as you can and you will find that more people will actually read your article and finish it.

5. Put all of the important information on the first few paragraphs.

One effective method that you must know on how to write web articles is that it is best if you put the most juicy facts of your article within the first paragraphs. The reason behind this is that people love to skim or scan an article rather than read it word for word.