Tips for writing for the Web

Layout

Formatting and Background for the Web Article
1. Use a bigger font size for headlines

2. Use larger font size for people - it can range from 10 point to 14 point.

3. Colour code your headlines but do not use too many different colours.

4. Make sure the colour does not clash with the background, e.g. orange and pink together; blue and green; and yellow and orange ,etc…

5. Particularly avoid the following colours for text and background: yellow, green and blue.

6. Don’t use too much embolding or Italics… less is more because they are hard to read off a monitor.

7. Be careful of underlining headlines or words because it can be confused with hyperlinks.

8. Avoid the use of purple or orange for hyperlinks. These colours are very hard to see.

9. Don’t use serif fonts because you cannot differentiate serif font on the Web. Serif font is only for print.

10. Use bullet points - they are user –friendly and easy on the eyes.

11. Use vertical lists to break up complicated texts. By chunking the info., you make it easier for the reader to remember your message. Remember to use white space between chunking episodes to make the info. more appealing to the reader’s eye.