Mediabistro’s “Writing for the Web: Guidelines for Writing Online” With Manoush Zomorodi

Online class: Writing for the Web: Guidelines for Writing Online
Manoush Zomorodi
Mediabistro

Users want

• Multimedia
• Specific answers to what they’re searching

Service-oriented content

• Advice
• Stats
• Ingredients
• Instructions
• Ratings
• Health information
• Test results

Users will read as little as possible, so be concise

Headlines

• Be sure to write searchable headlines and subheads
• Searchability trumps cleverness
• Keywords need to be in the headline

Sidebars

•     Provide easy access to supplemental bonus material, bonus points for multimedia
•     Guides
•     Recipe-finder
•     Audio & video

Photos and graphic elements
Illustrations can liven up a dry topic
    
Source information

•     Use firsthand/primary sources
•     Check credentials, be sure your experts reall are
•     Be sure the site itself is reputable

Blog

•     Tout and own your expertise
•     Stand out and get noticed
•     Keep blog very focused on one subject
•     Update consistently
•     Engage with users