Everyone that does business on the Internet can benefit from understanding how to write for the Internet and how people read on the Internet.

Internet users read differently when surfing the Internet than they might when reading a newspaper, magazine, book, leaflet etc. Knowing how users read on the Internet is thus very important in ensuring that your content is read.

Internet readers skim read looking for keywords and phrases that lead them to the juicy tit-bit they are looking for. Helping to direct them to that information before they click away to another site is thus very important.

Meanwhile, if you need them to read all your information, for your own ends you need to write in a way then reduces the skimming.

A few good rules of thumb include:

Having a summary of page content at the top of the page in bullet list form. Some sites link directly to that paragraph for quick location by the reader. This is very helpful!

Having a summary of your main services and benefits on every page. This is important as a reader might find your site not via the main page but via one of the other pages. If they don't know via that page what you do, they might not stick around long enough to find out.

Basics of writing for the Internet

* Short paragraphs 3-4 lines max

* Bullet point lists (breaks up blocks of text - allows easy access to info)

* Bold important words that the user might find of interest

* Headings for paragraphs

* Try to write as if speaking to the reader

* Keep content concise

* Do not be verbose, not every reader has English as a first language and everyone in not educated to degree level.

* If you have space, leave a line between each bullet point for extra visibility (As I have done here)

* Avoid white on a coloured background - it requires more 'effort' to read. Some cool sites favour white on black. Jury is out on how effective that is. My opinion is not as effective as black on white.

* Size 12 -14 font is preferable to small font. Again it's easier to read.

* Don't clutter your page with distractions unless you want the user to stop reading and view that distraction. I.e. moving banners, popups etc.

* Music isn't a good one as people have different music tastes. It could be an instant turn off.

* Flash intro's can be enough to send people who want fast access to content to click away rather than waiting while the page loads.

There is a lot more to learn about how to write for the Internet, but this is a good basic guide to get you started.

Leah Gray is an experienced Internet Writer and Marketer. For the hottest tips and latest advice on marketing your small business or website, check her site out now: http://www.painfreemarketing.co.uk