Text
Text is the meat and potatoes of your site. It is where users will usually find the information they are looking for. Like any good written document, a Web page should be clear, concise and accurate. However, there are some special concerns when writing for the Web.
Brief
Reading large amounts of text on a screen is much more difficult than in print. Keep your online text short and to the point.
 Rule of thumb: your online text should use half the word count of a printed piece.
If you want to include online access to an entire printed document, consider creating a condensed Web version of the document and then linking to a .pdf file of the complete version. Or, break up large sections of text into separate, linked pages. Or break up a long page of text with anchor tags, links that take the user to a specific section of your page, like the ones on this page.
Fresh
Unlike printed documents, your Web site can be updated instantly. Users will expect freshness. You can't get away with linking to last year's policy or last month's press releases. Be sure to update or remove old information. If your site is not fresh, it will not be taken seriously.
Scanable
As a rule, users scan Web sites looking for the answer to their questions. They do not read Web sites word-for-word until they've found the information they need. Make sure your text "scan friendly."
Rule of thumb: each block of text or Web "paragraph" should be no more that 4-5 lines long.
Use bulleted lists, white space, headings and bold type to draw attention to important information. Use these elements sparingly; if you emphasize everything, than nothing is emphasized.
Readable
Avoid flowery fonts, blazing backgrounds or crazy colors. It is important that your text be read clearly and painlessly on a computer monitor. Use of overly decorative text can also hurt the printing quality of your site.
Universal
Anyone can access your site from anywhere at any time. Use complete addresses and telephone numbers. Listing your phone number as x5-4125 will not help off-campus users. Avoid using relative terms like today or next Wednesday when describing an event or deadline.
Also, do not assume that your users have read through your Web site in any particular order. Users can access your site through your homepage, or through any of your sub-pages. Your text should reflect this.
Accessibile
Important, information-bearing text should be presented in a form that is accessible to all users. Do not include important information in graphic form without also providing a text alternative that can be read by a screen reader (a Web browser used by the visually impaired).
*Note: Information on these pages were adopted from the University of Rochester web site manual
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