Do you remember the first time one of your friends showed you how to write a text message—and explained why verbs had become such old-hat? It broke the rules. But it made sense. Writing for the web also requires a fresh approach. For example, taking material from a newspaper and pasting it into a web […]
10 (Very Short) Web Writing Tips
October 14, 2018 By
If you want to improve your web writing skills, follow these 10 steps: Write in chucks. To create your hierarchy, outline the website as you would for printed material. Examine the site’s purpose and outline the main sections (e.g. words people use to navigate) and the links within those heads. Test it before it goes […]
How to Write Better Search Engine “Sorry, No Results” Webpages
February 1, 2018 By
In this web writing tutorial, we look at how to improve the text displayed when a search engine returns no results. In other words, we are going to write content that will help the user find the content on your website by suggestion how they can improve their search query, alternative methods to search the […]
Are you a web writer or a blogger?
September 19, 2016 By
Do you consider yourself a web writer or a blogger? Is there even any difference? I suspect for most people it means that same thing, but I’m not so sure. I asked a blogger here in Dublin if he saw himself as a writer who blogs, a writer, or a web writer? Or was I […]
How to Develop ‘Hub and Spoke’ Product Feature Pages
September 21, 2015 By
Summary: Key content requirements for software product feature pages are: introduce features, answer questions, and provide user stories. The Purpose of Product Feature Pages The product feature page is the front door to sales. It should be designed for customers searching for products that solves specific problems. This means that when designing the features page […]
[Video] Why ‘About Us’ is the 2nd most important page on your site
May 30, 2015 By
Let’s do an experiment. Pretend you’ve never visited your own site. Remember, you know nothing about you. Nothing. Look at your About Us page? Be honest, whats the one thing that’s wrong with it? Why Your About Page is the Second Most Important Page on Your Blog? Your About Page should NOT be: An afterthought, […]
10 Writing Guidelines for SaaS Applications
May 12, 2015 By
SaaS and web-based applications are becoming more popular as they replace desktop or network installations. How you document them is mostly the same as documenting traditional but there are some difference. Let’s take a look. Registration – explain how to set up the account, register an account, common setup issues, and troubleshooting, for example, if […]
How to write mobile content for Android and iOS
April 16, 2015 By
Looking for writing guidelines for mobile devices? With one third of all content now appearing on mobile devices. let’s look at how to develop content that works well on small screens, encourages users to perform tasks, for example, buying something on your website, and also ensures that they come back looking for more! Let’s start […]
How to Format White Papers (with video tutorial)
March 22, 2015 By
How we write white papers has changed. In the past, they were longer, more academic, and less visual. Today, white papers are used as a type of marketing tool, a form of lead generation. Because of this business writers need to adjust the tone, voice, style, and format of white papers, especially those which will […]
Release Notes: Best Practices with Salesforce and Dropbox Examples
February 24, 2015 By
This tutorial explains how to write, format, and publish release notes. It also shares best practices, guidelines and examples from Dropbox and Salesforce. Download: Release Notes template package with 2 pre-formatted templates in MS Word. Download Now for $7.99- Buy Here! Learn more about these Release Notes Templates Download a MS Word Release Notes template here. […]
Audience Analysis Checklist For Marketing Plans
February 22, 2015 By
Summary: Audience Analysis is the foundation of your marketing plan. Use it to crystallize what you know about prospective customers so you can reduce the guesswork and start building products and services real customers will pay for. Audience Analysis Checklist If you’re looking for ways to improve your audience analysis and conduct better market research, […]
Jane Austen on Persuasion in business writing
December 21, 2014 By
Jane Austen “How quick come the reasons for approving what we like.” Want to be a more persuasive writer? A few suggestions: Tap into the reader’s values. Be decisive. Don’t sit on the fence. Force the reader to take sides, hopefully with you Ask the reader a question, often framed as a dilemma. Help them […]
How to make Matt Cutts fall in love with your blog
December 15, 2014 By
Put yourself in Matt Cutts’ shoes. When people click Search, you give them the best results. How do you decide what really is the best? Understanding this is the key to creating content – not just text – for Google. It’s after quality. Yes, I know, there are exceptions to the rule but after blogging […]
17 Training Plan Writing Guidelines
November 13, 2014 By
Let’s say you’ve been asked to create a new training plan. You want to develop a series of modules that provides real value, that helps the learner succeed, and makes you, the trainer, feel satisfied. Where do you start? Let’s begin with these guidelines. When writing the training material: Highlight the benefit. Instead of describing […]
How to increase sales by writing more ‘scannable’ product pages
March 22, 2014 By
What’s the simplest way to get a prospective customer into the sales cycle? Write scannable web pages. Why? Because if it’s written correctly, you get them to read ALL of what you wrote, which improves your chance of getting them into the sales funnel. Think about it. When you’re reading online, do you read every […]