20 Tips on How to Write for the Web

There are really only a few tricks to writing properly for the web. If you know how to write, you are already 95% of the way there.

These are some of the more common mistakes that I’ve seen in web copy and some tricks that I use every day to write effectively, from e-mails to site pages.

You don’t need to be an English major to understand any of this advice either. It is written in plain English that everyone can understand.

These are tips based on my own experience and education as a writer, and particularly as a writer specializing in the web.

If you’ve got some tips of your own feel free to share them in the comments section.

1. It’s Versus Its

This is a very common mistake that a lot of people make.
It’s is short for “it is”, so “it’s all relative” is correct while “it’s color is blue” is not. “Its” is a term of possession, so “its color is blue” is correct.

2. Overuse Of Punctuation

Excess punctuation should be left out of most sentences on the web. If a reader sees a sentence with more than one comma, the sentence becomes harder to scan and therefore more likely to turn a reader off.
More advanced punctuation such as semi-colons and colons should be avoided completely by starting new sentences instead.
Example: “It is really important to keep three principles in mind, when thinking of the best shoes to buy; comfort, style, and eco-impact.” Should be: “Comfort, syle, and eco-impact should be kept in mind when thinking of the best shoes to buy.” Short, sweet and no semi-colon.

3. One Space After a Period

This is something I struggle with daily. It was drilled into my head, especially during University, that two spaces after a period were needed.
The convention for web writing is now one space after a period.
This is something that the owner of this blog gently pointed out to me, and I researched it extensively before implementing it. He was completely right.

4. Don’t Begin Sentences with “But”, “And”, or “Yet”

This is more common than you would think, and I have seen it from very established writers.
If you are challenging a concept from the previous paragraph or sentence, use “However” to start the sentence.
If you are trying to follow up on an idea from a previous sentence, don’t begin a new paragraph and just present the idea in the next sentence.
Your audience will leap with you without an introductory “and” or “but”.

5. Overuse of “Also”

I go through all of my articles for what I call the “A Word” before releasing them into the wild.
“Also” has its time and place, but frequent use looks like a grammatical hiccup and is highly noticeable after a while to your reader.

6. Keep Sentences Short

While this was covered in the section on punctuation, it is important enough that it needs its own heading.
A sentence should never be longer than a line. If you need to list something, do it with bullet points or an attractive graphic rather than producing a long sentence.

7. The Serial Comma

The serial comma is used before a grammatical conjunction, such as “and” for the last item in a list of commas. Its use has been a topic of hot debate by writers and people in the publishing industry for a long time.
Since web writing aims to keep itself as simple as possible, the usual preference is to do without the serial comma.
Some clients will insist on its use, especially if they are in occupations where a more formal use of language is the norm, such as law.
Example: “She likes the films of Ridley Scott, Martin Scorcese, and Clint Eastwood.” Technically its use is never really incorrect, but it does serve as excessive punctuation that can trip up the reader.
You want your audience to read the sentence, not to pause on the comma and ponder whether or not it is being used correctly.

8. Capitalize Words in Headlines

Excepting prepositions (of, to, for, is) and the words “and” and “the”, all major words in a headline should be capitalized.
I see a lot of copy where only the first letter of the headline is capitalized.

9. Their, There, and They’re

Their: Is a term used to illustrate possession, such as “their mitts were soaking wet”.
There: Indicates the whereabouts of something, such as “the statue is located there”. They’re: This is a contraction of “they are”. “They’re going to the beach today.”

10. Use Lots of Headlines

Ideally, any site page or blog posting should read much like this article, with a headline and then a paragraph or two.
Headlines act as important signposts for the reader to decide whether or not they want to read those paragraphs, so the headline should always describe the subject matter of the paragraphs which follow it.
This will look weird to those used to more conventional forms of writing, but the more you break it up, the more readable it is.

11. Use Spell Check and Your Eyes

Spell check isn’t always enough. If you spell “breakfast” as “break fast”, the typical spell check will not pick up on your mistake.
This is especially important for site copy. You can’t expect people to trust your brand or product if you have spelling mistakes on your page.
While a spelling mistake may be forgiven by your readers in a hastily written article or blog posting, it won’t be if it is present on a page that is trying to sell something.

12. Weasel Words

These are vague generalizations that are made for the convenience of the writer, not the audience.
If a writer is rushed for time, they may write something like “most people feel that juice is 100% tasty”.
The proper procedure is to find out the statistics and facts and work those into the sentence. The correct form would be “60% of people feel that juice is 100% tasty, while only 5% feel that it is only 10% tasty”.
Web readers are reading your site to get information, not opinions.

13. Then and Than

These words are very commonly misused. Then is indicative of a place in time, such as “there was no internet back then”.
Than is a quantitative term, which can follow the use of “more”, such as “there is no more annoying thing than a writer telling people how to write.”

14. Apostrophe Use

When you are considering whether or not to use an apostrophe, look at your demographic.
Is it a blog like this one that would benefit from a more casual style? Is it a website for a financial adviser?
The web is usually home to a more conversational style, but where you feel the context is more professional, don’t use the apostrophe.
Examples: Personal Blog for a financial adviser: “You’re going to find the new SEC regulations difficult to navigate without a little help.” Website copy for a financial adviser: “You are going to find the new SEC regulations difficult to navigate without a little help.”

15. Obscure References

Think of these as in-jokes with yourself or your industry that your clients just don’t get.
“This new album is more explosive than the Tunguska Event!” would be a good example of an obscure reference.
Again, this is context-specific. Referring to an episode of Star Trek by name will go over just fine on a Trekkie blog, but not in a mainstream news piece on science fiction.

16. Acronym Use

It is a good idea to limit acronym use even if you think your audience will know the acronym.
The 10% who don’t know it will be annoyed and may click off of your site. If an acronym will be repeated throughout a site page or an article, it is only necessary to define it the first time it is used. Once again, this is context-specific.
You don’t need to spell out AJAX for the readers of this blog, while you would have to for a mainstream media article. Wrong Acronym Use: “CPIC, CSIS, and the PAO are running a joint venture to better educate the public about how hard drugs finance international terrorism.”
Right Acronym Use: “The Canadian Police Information Centre (CPIC), the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS), and the Police Association of Ontario (PAO) are running a joint venture to better educate the public about how hard drugs finance international terrorism.”

17. Keep Person On Track

If you are referring to yourself as “I” at the start of your piece, don’t shift to “we” in the middle. Keep grammatical person use consistent.

18. Use Hyperlinks

If you are writing for the web, you want readers to be able to interact with your page.
You saw this above with the “Tunguska Event”. It was linked to a definition rather than leaving it up to you to look it up if you were interested.
If you are writing site copy for a business offering a product or service, use links to other areas of the site here and there to make it even easier for customers to find what they are looking for.
Keep both inbound and outbound links relevant and don’t use too many.

19. Overuse of Literary Devices

This is just good advice for any writing, online or offline.
Overuse of metaphors, similes, or any other literary device will distract from the point of your composition and make you look pretentious.
Literary devices are meant to help you get a point across in a certain way, so use them if you have to sparingly and move on.

20. Words to Avoid: Just and Regardless

“Just” can end up insulting your reader by implying that an action is easier than it actually is.
Look at the difference between these two sentences: “She says that I should just learn the French language.” “She says that I should learn the French language.
The first example makes it seem like the person is being talked down to, while the second sentence reads as more of a suggestion.Regardless should be avoided as it is a nonsense word that really doesn’t mean anything at all, right along with its sister word, irregardless. When included at the beginning of a sentence, the words are not necessary, as you can see in these examples:
Regardless, the show must go on.
Irregardless, the show must go on.
The show must go on.

Written exclusively for WDD by Angela West.
Do you have a pet peeve word or phrase that you would like to see eliminated from the web or tips of your own? Share them in our comments section!

40 Excellent Logos Created with Helvetica

It’s over fifty years old, it’s the most widely used font ever, and it has recently become the subject of its own movie.

We’re talking about the world’s most recognizable font: Helvetica. Its relevance in design through the years and even today seems unbeatable.

The appeal for a distinctive, professional and timeless typeface has never dwindled and it keeps gaining more followers day by day. Love it or hate it, with its multitude of styles and versions, Helvetica is here to stay.

From airlines, to car companies to the largest software company, Helvetica’s use in logos throughout the world remains as strong as ever. In this article we’ll take a look at 40 excellent logos created using Helvetica.

Have you seen other famous logos using Helvetica? Do you use this font in your designs?

5 Tips on How to Write a Killer Slogan (with Interactive Examples)

Slogans are memorable phrases often used in conjunction with company logos and in advertising campaigns.

They are claimed to be the most effective means of drawing attention to one or more aspects of a product or brand.

But how often do you see “serving you since 1982″ or a similarly canned slogan under a beautifully designed logo? Too often.

In this post, we’ll discuss 5 essential tips on how to write a killer slogan and, if you feel you can’t manage it on your own, where to go to get them written for you.

At the end of these tips, you’ll find a selection of famous slogans as well as an interactive showcase of famous slogans.

The first step is to decide whether or not you need a slogan. If you have a logo, you are already engaged in branding your product or your company.
If you have already taken this step, you really should consider a slogan as well.
Do you want to brand your product or company? That depends on the image that you are trying to project. If you want to attract larger corporate clients, branding is pretty much a necessity.
They will want to see that you are as serious about your product as they are. If you prefer to work with mom and pop shops and want to appear as the helpful guy next door, you may not require this level of branding.
The business model of your company determines your level of branding. If you want to take things to the next level, this is a good starting point.

1. Start From The Logo

If your brand doesn’t have a logo yet, you should get that done first. A slogan works with a logo in order to promote brand identity.
A slogan doesn’t really work without a logo unless your sole advertising medium is radio. The logo is the chicken, the slogan is the egg. If you are designing the logo and producing the slogan for a business, you have a unique opportunity to create both at once, which can allow you to better integrate the two as a final product.
Remember that top brands change their slogans all the time, and you can do the same if you feel you need to five years down the line. No slogan is cast in stone.

2. Give the Project the Time It Needs

You need one hour to research the company that you are doing the slogan for, 1-2 hours to brainstorm ideas after your initial research, and 1-2 hours for client consultation and editing.
If you are drawing up a contract, make sure that you limit the amount of times that you “go back to the drawing board” so that the project doesn’t turn into an endless time suck.
Coming up with a slogan isn’t easy, even for seasoned veterans, and takes at least one working day, so charge accordingly. On the flip side, if you are hiring a slogan writer, there needs to be an element of trust there before you hire them.
You have to trust that they really are going to come up with some great slogan ideas for you to choose from, and you can’t really keep going back and expect them to go through the process indefinitely after paying for an initial session.
If you really don’t like the slogans that they give you, or feel that they misinterpreted your brand’s vision, most slogan writers will want to make it right within limits and these limits will usually be made very clear in your initial contract.

3. Keep It Simple

A logo is only effective if your audience can understand it quickly.
You only have a few seconds to impress, so a slogan like “the best in olfactory widgets since 1949″ isn’t going to do the trick. Simplicity is what you’re aiming for.
Slogans absolutely cannot go over one sentence and five dollar words such as “olfactory” should be avoided. Some rules are made to be broken; if there is a five dollar word that rolls up a few sentences of meaning in one word, go for it.
The one sentence rule, however, should be adhered to at all costs. Simple slogan: Just Do It (Nike). Not simple enough slogan: Selling the Highest Quality Organic & Natural Products (Whole Foods).

4. Make It Funny, If You Can

Where you can bring humor to a slogan, do it.
A great example is Cracked.com’s slogan: “America’s Only Humor & Video Site, Since 1958″. This slogan packs in a few jokes including making fun of the usual “since such a year” slogan and claiming to be the only humour site in America.
There is also a claim about being the only video site, and the fact that they couldn’t have been a website since 1958. All of this in eight words, if you count the “and” symbol.
While they had to make their slogan funny, the same approach to slogan writing of injecting a joke or two is something that you should adopt when appropriate.
If you can’t make it funny without making it lame, just drop the funny and go with your next best options.

5. Stay Honest and Don’t “Trump Up” Your Product

Honesty is important. Can your business actually deliver on the promise that your slogan makes? If not, rethink the slogan.
You’ll also want to stay away from slogans that incorporate language like “the best” or “#1 at what we do” because that kind of language is not only standard and boring, but hard to substantiate even if it is true.
This is a fine line to walk because you still want to present the idea of a quality product without coming off as being too pushy, but a good slogan writer can manage it.
If it seems too intimidating, don’t think of it as writing a slogan, think of it as writing a brand message. What would your product say if it could talk?
Dishonest Slogan: Daz with the blue whitener washes cleanest (Daz) Example from p.186, Advertising as Communication, Gillian Dyer, 1988

Where To Find Slogan Writers

This all depends on what you need them for. If you are a graphic designer that already does logos, you are better off working with a freelance writer.
If you are a business client that needs a logo and slogan, you may want to use an advertising agency or a combination of a graphic designer and a freelance writer, depending on your budget.
To truly get what you want out of either arrangement, come to the agency or writer with a list of your own brainstormed slogan ideas, all of the brochures and websites about your product that you can gather and an open mind for what they can create.
They will likely come up with something completely different, but this will give them an excellent starting point.

Advertising Agency

An advertising agency will generally be very experienced in slogan writing as they deal with brand management on a day-to-day basis.
Agencies do not come cheap, but are well worth the investment in terms of the quality provided for the dollar. Given the cost, mid-sized to large companies will want to consider agencies.
If you have a larger budget, an agency will often be able to arrange market research testing for your slogan and logo that is also well worth the investment.

Freelance Writers

Some freelance writers specialize in slogan writing, but really any freelance writer can manage this task.
You’ll want to look for writers who have experience writing sales letters and promotional copy, as they are more likely to produce the results that you are looking for.
While the experience level may not be the same as a top-level agency, the bill and the more personalized service that you will receive may be more of what you are looking for if you run a smaller business.
If you are looking for a slogan writer, simply post an ad on CraigsList in your area and watch the responses come flooding in.

In-House

This depends. Often sales managers and staff work so closely with the product that they have a hard time looking at it with a fresh eye.
There are also interpersonal factors to consider; if you love the job your sales manager is doing but hate their slogan, you may find yourself in a difficult position.
If you have a marketing writer on staff, they will usually be able to produce good slogans for you. A sales person or manager has a very specific skill set that generally doesn’t extend to creative.

Interactive Examples

Some companies change their slogans very often while others keep their slogans for years. Just how memorable are slogans in general and do they really accomplish what they’re set to do?
Here are 20 examples of well known companies and their slogans. We have purposedly hidden the companies behind these slogans so that you can see if you can figure out which company is connected to which slogan.
To reveal the company behind each slogan, simply roll over the images below:

Famous Slogans

Here are some of the most famous slogans ever created:
Where do you want to go today? – Microsoft
Where’s the beef? - Wendy’s
Between love and madness lies Obsession. – Calvin Klein’s “Obsession”
Plop, plop; fizz, fizz; oh, what a relief it is. – Alka Seltzer
There are some things money can’t buy. For everything else there’s Mastercard. – Mastercard
Sharp Minds, Sharp Products. – Sharp
Do you… Yahoo!? – Yahoo!
Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. – Wikipedia
Because you’re worth it. – L’Oreal
Be all that you can be. – United States Army
M&Ms melt in your mouth, not in your hand. – M&M candies
Let’s Make Things Better. - Philips

We make money the old-fashioned way….We earn it. – Smith Barney
Everything is easier on a Mac. – Apple Computer
Don’t leave home without it. – American Express
The king of beers. – Budweiser
Welcome to the World Wide Wow – AOL. (play on World Wide Web)
Live in your world, play in ours. - Sony Playstation and Playstation 2 gaming consoles
When it absolutely, positively has to be there overnight. – Federal Express
Push Button Publishing. – Blogger.com
The best a man can get. -  Gillette
We’re number two; we try harder. - Avis Rental Cars
Nothin’ says lovin’ like something from the oven. – Pillsbury
Come alive! You’re in the Pepsi generation. – Pepsi Cola

No battery is stronger longer. – Duracell Batteries

Intel inside. – Intel

Summary

A slogan is as necessary to a brand, even an online-only one, as a logo is. If you have one, you should have the other, if only to differentiate yourself from the rest of the crowd that has a logo with no slogan.
Even if you are going to hire someone else to produce it, you should brainstorm a list of options just to make sure that they understand what you believe your own brand message to be.
Keep it simple, try to make it funny, and make sure you aren’t making an inflated claim about your product.

Written exclusively for WDD by Angela West. Interactive examples and slogans compiled by WDD.