How to: write for the web (part 2)

Carrying on from 'How to: write for the web' (part 1) we continue to look at how to create articles that work online.

The importance of headlines
In print a good headline grabs the reader's attention and makes them want to read more.

Writing for an online audience is no different, but now your headline has to interest both your readers and Google.

In most content management systems (CMS) used by journalists, the main headline is actually the title tag in the make-up of the website.

This appears as the writing in the blue bar at the top of the browser's window and as the main blue text link in the list of sites when you search on Google.

Research has also shown this text accounts for 30 per cent of a user's choice of which result to click on.

Google and other search engines consider this to be one of the most important sections of on page text and expect it to tell them what your article is about.

So get the most important keywords in your title:  nouns, such as Chester, and keywords, like murder.

How to write headlines for the web
Firstly, don't use puns, metaphors or wordplay. Use your keywords in the title instead - in may not be as exciting, but it works.

Secondly, keep headlines short: evidence suggests that Google pays greatest attention to the first 60 characters of any headline and many RSS feeds cut the headline off after this too.

Google likes place names and people search for places a lot online. Google News will find it easier to pick the stories up, categorise and send out as news alerts if there is a clear location.

Finally, make sure you try different phrases to see what gets a response on your site.

Ruin the story in your first paragraph
According to research carried out by Dr Jakob Nielsen, only 16 per cent of online users read a webpage word by word. The vast majority scan read.

Eye-tracking experiments have shown that readers scan a webpage in an 'F' pattern: they read the top section of the page in full, scroll down a bit before reading a bit more, usually less than before, and then carry on scrolling down to the bottom of the page unless they see something that interests them.

It's clear that most people are not going to reach the end of your article so there is no harm 'giving the story away' in the first paragraph.

Most content management systems are also set up so that your first paragraph appears as the snippet of text underneath your headline on a Google search result.

This can account for 43 per cent of a user's decision on which result to choose – making it even more important than the headline.

After the headline this paragraph can be the next section of text search engines read, so make sure you include some more of your keywords.

Make your article as 'scannable' as possible
Use pull out quotes to draw people in, and if possible try and create sub-headings to attract people's attention, or use bullet points.

Highlight keywords - search engines consider words that have been highlighted with special bits of code to be important.

If you use your content management system to bold up or underline key phrases it will automatically create this code – called HTML - around them.

Using web links
Another way to highlight key phrases in your article is to turn them into a hyperlink to an external website, or another page on your own site.

When you are creating a link make sure that the text you're linking from - called anchor text - is relevant.

For example, if you're linking to another page on your site about Miss World competitors from Chester, for example, don't write and link from: 'For similar stories CLICK HERE'.

Instead, make sure you include some keywords such as: 'Follow the link to read more about previous Miss World competitors from Chester'.

Don't be afraid to link out to relevant external websites too.

Google and other search engines like links - especially if the anchor text is relevant to the site they are linking too, and this in turn is relevant to the rest of your webpage.

It's no good having a link to the Miss World website on an article about a fire in Chester - you’ll confuse Google and risk them not ranking your page correctly.

End with a call to action
At the end of your article give your readers something to do. Make them want to leave a comment or email you with their opinions; offer them one side of the argument and let them answer back.

Many of you will have your own tips and advice on how journalists can write better for the web so why not leave a comment with your suggestions?

Christian Dunn is the digital editor for NWN Media Ltd, publishers of the Evening Leader. Contact Christian through his blog.

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