Comments on: Seven Expert Tips For Outstanding Web Writing

By: Joy (from Just Plain Joy)

Joy (from Just Plain Joy) — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 03:16:31 +0000

Does anyone else have thoughts about using Arial type for body content (vs. a more traditional Times or Courier)? I like to read Arial, but I want one of my blogs to read more like a magazine.

By: Joy (from Just Plain Joy)

Joy (from Just Plain Joy) — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 03:14:48 +0000

@ Nicholas Powiull – Thank you SO much for sharing about the printer friendly code. I installed it tonight and it is awesome! Love it!

By: Dee Langdon - BloggerNewbie

Dee Langdon - BloggerNewbie — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 01:55:48 +0000

Some new ideas! I like the print option. I like to use it myself so whatever I like, I put on my blog! It’s my blog :)

By: Jay Kimrey

Jay Kimrey — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 22:47:16 +0000

Thanks for the line-height advice Ali! I never thought, or read, about changing line-height to make the page more easy to read, but as soon as you mentioned it, it seemed so obvious!

Using on-page anchors can be even simpler than you described! The HTML 4.01 spec on linking states “Destination anchors in HTML documents may be specified either by the A element (naming it with the name attribute), or by any other element (naming with the id attribute).” So, instead of wrapping your section header in an anchor, with a name attribute, just add an id to the section header tag you’re using.

There are two examples on the HTML 4.01 spec page that show how to implement on-page anchors. http://www.w3.org/TR/html401/struct/links.html#h-12.1.1

By: Luke

Luke — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 17:03:47 +0000

Cool thanks for another perfect plugin suggestion to download, been thinking about adding print icons for a while now.

I wish I could have the “style guy” job sounds like it could be pretty interesting. One of the things that I feel really devalues a brand and site on the internet is inconsistence.

I also liked the tips about seo friendly link titles, on-page anchors and line spacing.

Thanks again for another great post!

By: Mountain bike parts

Mountain bike parts — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 05:07:07 +0000

Thanks for this great list… I know this will help alot of web designers in their approach to writing copy for the web.

By: Seth W

Seth W — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 02:49:50 +0000

Anchors, Titles and Spacing oh my… Well I’ve got some work to do now. Thanks Ali for the tips and your writing style is very fluid.

By: Rob O.

Rob O. — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 17:50:30 +0000

I already do break up longer posts with subheads, but hadn’t thought to use anchors to make it easier to jump to those subheadings.

Purely out of curiousity, do anchors offer any SEO benefit? I might be inclined to use them more often even on shorter posts if so…

By: Oilfield Tubing

Oilfield Tubing — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 04:53:49 +0000

Those are very good tips. I wish I know that earlier, now I need to rewrite my website :-)

By: Tuesday Hall

Tuesday Hall — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 20:26:06 +0000

Hi Ali,

Exactly my thoughts. Since its all read onscreen, a format should always be considered as an excellent tool to increase the aesthetics of a blog. I think the style sheet might need an artistic flair though.

By: Dan Massicotte

Dan Massicotte — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 14:17:25 +0000

Link Anchors…I always wondered how to do those. Thanks.

By: Keith Bell

Keith Bell — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 19:35:18 +0000

The TITLE attribute in link tags should be used judiciously — don’t overdo it: http://www.rnib.org.uk/wacblog/articles/too-much-accessibility/too-much-accessibility-title-attributes/

By: Make Money Online Tips

Make Money Online Tips — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 17:45:09 +0000

I never ever thought about the line spacing aspect. Really a very important yet overlooked aspect on a blog.

By: Agent SEO

Agent SEO — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 15:00:07 +0000

Nice tips! I love the styling guidelines and I’ve tryed to follow them on my personal blog. Also, I’ve tryed to always use Link Titles & always link to relevant articles either on my site or on another.

I like the idea of making articles print friendly. I hope the WP Plugin is easy to use.

By: Thorne

Thorne — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 14:51:36 +0000

DO NOT use Arial for body copy. That face was designed for headings, not for copy.

Here’s a good test. Go to the local bookstore and start browsing the books. Try to find one that uses Arial (Helvetica) for body copy.

You can’t and that’s because professional publishers (as opposed to bloggers) know which face to use for what.

By: Sunny Jamiel

Sunny Jamiel — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 13:39:16 +0000

Good post. I’d like to add that simplicity is usually the best approach. Try black colored simple font on white background. Too much distraction on page with different colors will only distract the readers.

By: Puspanjali

Puspanjali — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 04:08:45 +0000

I edited my blog’s stylesheet and I can just see the result.
Thanks Ali.The other points are also interesting and I would like to implement them on my blog very soon.

By: D. A. Shaver

D. A. Shaver — Sun, 22 Feb 2009 15:16:19 +0000

High Contrast Text
Use the highest contrast possible for text. Black text on white page is best. Black pages with white text are very hard to read.

Use A Sans-serif Font
Use an Arial or sans-serif font. A font is set of letters, which have the same design and uniform size. Serifs are the little tails, which are on some letters. “Times” is a serif font.

Two Fonts Per Page
Limit yourself to two fonts per website. A different font for the title or heading can look nice but after that readability get worse.

Do Not Use All Caps
Capitals should be limited to the first letter of a word. A paragraph or page in all caps is like an annoying person standing too close and talking too loud.
Use correct spelling and grammar and please just one period at end of sentence.

Just One Space Please
Use just one space between sentences and words. This means no justifying. The uncomfortable widths of words in justified text are also difficult to read.

By: Mike

Mike — Sun, 22 Feb 2009 13:36:02 +0000

The tip about generous linking is a really good one – most people believe that linking to other sites is just a traffic leak. However, I have seen in my testing that most visitors will keep coming back.

By: BloggerTinker

BloggerTinker — Sun, 22 Feb 2009 12:55:14 +0000

Never thought about Number 2. Making PDF links for longer post. This is convenient for readers. Thanks!