Head First Web Design

Chapter 7. Writing for the Web: Yes, You Scan!

Writing for the Web is just like any other kind of writing, right? Actually, writing for the Web is completely different than writing for print. People don’t read text on the Web like they read text on a printed page. Instead of reading text from left to right, beginning to end, they scan it. All of the text on your site needs to be quickly scannable and easily digestible by the user. If not, users won’t waste their time on your site, and they’ll go somewhere else. In this chapter, you’ll learn a bevy of tips and tricks for writing scannable text from scratch and making existing text easy to scan.

Sharpen Your Pencil

Text on a screen reads differently than text on page. This is kind of a big deal when it comes to writing for the Web. But don’t take our word for it, give it a try.

First, read the text at www.headfirstlabs.com/books/hfwd/chapter07/text/index.html and keep track of how long it takes (write down your time below). Now, read the version below and make a note of how long it takes.

Now, read the version below and make a note of how long it takes.

Coleco Industries, which was originally named the Connecticut Leather Company, was founded in West Hartford, Connecticut in 1932 as a shoe leather company by Russian immigrant Maurice Greenberg. Moving into plastic molding in the 1950’s, Coleco eventually sold off their leather business, ...