This document provides a quick Top 10 list of writing tips for people on campus creating Web copy. The document was written in particular for staff of Information Technology Services and other technology professionals who might find the following advice helpful.

Web copy is like a news story - most people will probably stop reading part of the way through, so you need to put the most important information at the beginning. Start with the main idea, then expand on that as you continue, with the least important information last.

When writing for the Web, keep ideas short and clear. Because people tend to scan Web copy, it will be more difficult to convey a complex idea using many sentences than a simple point in a few phrases. Avoid big words and technical jargon if you're writing for a general audience - if they can't understand you, you can't help them!

This goes with the previous tip - to keep your writing clear and simple, limit each paragraph to one major point or idea. This will allow you to elaborate and explain your ideas methodically, and will prevent readers from missing any additional ideas in the paragraph if they aren't captivated by the first one.

If you find that you need several paragraphs to explain an idea, you should consider whether this idea needs its own page. If it disrupts the flow of the original content, it might be better if placed on a secondary page and linked to from the original content.

Sometimes the hardest part of writing is knowing what voice to use. When writing Web content for an organization at the University, you should balance a formal tone with the slightly more casual tone found in most Web writing. Your readers should feel that the information is presented in a friendly yet professional way. Think about what you would say to explain an aspect of your job to a coworker that you don't know very well. That is the kind of tone and information that should guide your writing process.

If your page is just a long string of paragraphs, people will be quickly bored or intimidated. Break up your content with descriptive headings, so that people know where to go for the specific information that they're looking for. This will also help you get your main points across, even if people do not read the copy closely.

Numbered lists and bullets are easier to scan because they strip text down to the necessities. If you have a series of items or ideas to present, consider using a list to convey them to the audience in a way that's easy to read and understand.

When you're scanning a Web page, two types of text will stand out the most: bolded phrases, and hyperlinked phrases. Make sure to use the bold function sparingly and discerningly to make important words and phrases pop. When you link text to a URL, make sure it's descriptive. Don't use a general phrase like "click here" - use the title of the Web page or document you're linking to, or a short description of it, so that people know where they're about to go.

People like facts, and numbers mean statistics. The most effective way to make a number stand out is to use the numeral instead of writing the word out. The eye will naturally locate a numeral and isolate it from the text around it, making it easier to find when scanning a lot of Web content. However, using numerals can contradict style guides in some cases. If so, you should follow your Web content style guide first and foremost.

Chances are, you know your job better than anyone else could hope to understand it. For Web copy, you'll most likely be explaining a technical process or system to an audience that isn't always tech-savvy. One way to make your explanation clearer is to think of a similar process or system that the audience might encounter in their nontechnical experience. Do things fit together like a puzzle? Is the generator the size of a bus? Be creative - as long as you make sure your analogy really does make things clearer for the reader.

Because Web sites are so easy to update, people expect Web copy to have accurate and up-to-the-minute information. While this may not always be feasible, you should make sure your content is never very out of date, and schedule regular content reviews to check up on yourself.