Style is unique and subjective. Think about people’s favourite writers – some prefer the crisp simplicity of Ernest Hemingway, while others the descriptive lushness of D H Lawrence. Some like books that get straight to the point, while others like a long preamble that scene sets. My point here is that you can’t please everyone, and nor should you try.
However, when deciding upon a writing style for your website try to keep the three following points in mind:
- Your writing style should reflect your personality – don’t try to appear intellectual and analytical if you are a dreamy story-teller. Your writing will only seem forced and empty if you try to be something you’re not
- Your writing style should evolve naturally from a desire to connect with your audience – write with your audience in mind and your style should fit those you want to attract
- Some writing styles can be distracting. Wordy, passive, awkward sentences won’t help your writing – it’ll just irritate people so much they’ll stop reading.
Words are power, so choose ones that describe exactly what you want to say. Avoid over-using words like ‘very’ to describe something. The soup wasn’t very hot – it was steaming! Choose strong verbs over weak ones. He didn’t run for the bus – he sprinted. Select specific adjectives over general ones. The product isn’t just new – it’s innovative!
What if you don’t realise that you are writing wordy, passive awkward sentences? We are often too close to our own work to be able to critique it objectively. Errors that jump out at a proofreader can slide right by us when reading our own work.
The Readability Statistics function in Microsoft Word is a handy tool, especially when you are new to writing. This tool proofreads your document for you and analyses it for grammar and style.
Grammatical errors might include:
- misused words
- punctuation errors
- subject-verb agreement incorrect
- possessive/plurals confused
- capitalisation used incorrectly
- questions structured incorrectly.
Stylistic errors might include:
- clichés, colloquialisms and jargon (these can make your writing appear shallow or insincere – the trick is to take a cliché and twist it into something original!)
- contractions (although I’ve used contractions to create a personal style – which is more common in web content – avoid using them if you wish to create a formal, technical, academic or business-like tone)
- sentence length (for web content, try to keep your sentences under 20-25 words)
- unclear phrasing
- overuse of the passive voice (keep sentences as active as possible, and let the subject do the action. For example: dinner was cooked by Sue is passive and much weaker than: Sue cooked dinner)
- wordiness
- sentences beginning with ‘And/But/Hopefully’.
Using Readability Statistics with Microsoft Word 2007.
Using Readability Statistics with Microsoft Word 2010.
To sum up, although grammar is a fixed point (to a degree), style is much more flexible. Once you know a rule, you can bend, stretch, or even break it to suit you – but you have to understand it first! Write using your own, unique voice and with a sincere desire to connect with your audience, and your web copy should develop a natural style that draws the reader in.
When it comes to creating a web content writing style that works for you, I shall leave you with the following quote:
Be yourself. Above all, let who you are, what you are, what you believe, shine through every sentence you write, every piece you finish.”John Jakes
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| Take My Word - Web Content Writing & Small Business Marketing |
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