11 tips for writing well for the web!
There's a difference between writing text for print media and for websites. Text is not just text. At least not if you want to be visible to search engines and at the same time deliver good content for digital readers. Here are our top tips on what to consider when writing for the web.

Long reading
Estimated reading time: 15 minutes
NOTES: This is the long version for those who want to go deeper. If, on the other hand, you want to skim through - check out the short version here.
All illustrations: Ingrid Rognstad
We help you succeed online!
We who work in Dekode is keenly concerned that our clients must succeed online. We have gained a lot of experience over the last few years, and we have learned a thing or two about what works when you have to write engaging and converting content for the web.
We've attended many conferences and seminars to teach both ourselves and our customers the art of good writing. We have often been advised to create large and complex strategies. Focus on the long term and measurability. And of course that's both right and important. And yet:
We've been looking for concrete, tangible advice on how to write good texts for the web that you can use straight away. That's what you get here, through our 11 points!
Dekode
These tips are all about writing well for digital platforms. Our focus is on good communication, while always keeping the search engines fresh in your mind as you write. Focus on the reader first and the search engine second. But both need to be included.
If you want to know more about how we work with SEO at Dekode , we recommend that you read the post "How do we approach SEO at Dekode?" by Suganthan Mohanadasan.
1. Who do you write for?
Start by thinking about who you are writing for. Are there colleagues who want to feel a sense of belonging in a text with technical terms and technical terms? Or is the goal to reach out to new people clients , members or users?
Adapt your language so that the reader doesn't fall off the wagon, but easily understands what you want to say.
Example: Imagine the language a doctor uses when writing or talking about a diagnosis to another doctor. This can be full of medical terms, Latin names and is often distanced from an emotional approach.
When a doctor speaks to a patient, however, it is essential that he or she manages to change their language. The doctor needs to replace the medical terms by explaining in a popular and understandable way, preferably with an empathetic approach.
If a patient is confronted with a tirade of foreign words, he or she will feel stupid, lose interest or simply become frightened.
When writing for the web, keep the following in mind:
- Know who you are writing for and what information they are looking for.
Feel free to create different personas to visualize who the users of your website are. You can get the facts about who the personas are from Google Analytics, which gives you some clues about who your readers are. For example, age, gender, where they live, etc.
- Choose the right tone of voice or verbal identity
In other words, the voice you use when you write. This should be adapted to your target audience and build on your company's brand. For example, should you write in a formal, pleasant or youthful manner?
- Avoid complicated words, jargons and terminology
Difficult words cause you to lose readers along the way.
You can say complicated things in a simple way without it becoming boring.

2. Structure your content
If you're writing for a newspaper, a magazine or a book, you can take into account that the reader has plenty of time.
If you're writing for the web, you need to take into account that your reader will only skim the text.
When writing for the web, you should therefore keep that in mind:
- The reader rarely reads everything you write
- The reader often jumps in the text
- Use headings and subheadings - many people only read headings and/or skip to the section that has an interesting heading.
- Adapt your content to the right format. Is it text for an article, a blog or a static subpage?
- The most important thing must always come first. Start by presenting the problem, answer it and then use the rest of the article to elaborate.
- Almost all texts should have a preamble or introduction of one to two sentences that summarizes the content of the page.
- Body: the main message of the text
- Conclusion or reflection that summarizes and clarifies
- Call to action (CTA) - end with a link to what you want users to do. For example, suggestions for further reading, contact us, sign up for a newsletter or buy a service.

3. Use KeyWords/keywords/trigger words
Think about what words or phrases people use when they search on Google and should end up on your page. Use the words and phrases that you know or assume users are searching for when you write.
Your keyword should be included in the headline, in the preamble and in at least one subheading, if it is natural. It should also be included in a caption, the meta description, alt caption and the url of the article.
At the same time, it's important that you don't "stuff the keyword" by using it too much in the text. Remember not to sacrifice readability for the sake of SEO. Write for readers, not browsers.
4. How long should you write?
Many people believe that you should write short texts online, and this is true to a certain extent. Readers are usually on your website to find information or get answers to their questions. Therefore, only include what is necessary in the text and give your readers what they want straight away.
At the same time, it's important not to write too briefly. Search engines like Google like you to use a lot of words, but there's a big difference between writing for a front page or an archive page on a website, a product description for an online store and writing a blog article.
Recommended lengths for different texts:
- Blog articles: Ideal length is often between 1,500 and 2,500 words. This provides enough space to cover the topic thoroughly and is good for SEO.
- SEO content: To rank well on search engines, posts should be at least 300 words, but preferably longer.
- Landing pages: Should be between 500 and 1,000 words. Shorter texts can also work if they are direct and focused on conversion.
- Product descriptions: Can range from 50 to 300 words, depending on the complexity of the product.
- News articles: Often between 500 and 800 words to keep readers' attention.
- Informational pages: Dealing with specific topics or services, should be between 1,000 and 2,000 words to provide detailed information.
Short sentences
Remember not to make your sentences too long. Only 25% of sentences in a text should be as long as 20 words (according to Yoast), but feel free to keep the percentage even lower. Long sentences are difficult for a search engine to read. Also, short sentences are easier to read for most people - not just machines.
Our advice is to often replace a comma with a full stop. This makes the text easier to read and often removes unnecessary words at the same time.

5. Headings
It's always important to be clear with headlines. It's especially important to have clear headlines and divisions on websites. Create a simple and descriptive headline that tells you about the information you'll find on that particular page/subpage, and preferably who the sender is.
You can have both a title and a heading (H1) that are slightly different. H1 can be more "user-friendly", while the Title (meta) can be a little more data-driven. It's the title that carries the most weight with Google.
In articles, you can have longer and more exciting headlines, but remember that you should always include the keyword in the main headline.
6. Ingress
If you're writing a news story, article or blog post, you should always include a short preamble. A preamble should answer the questions "who, what, when, how and why" when relevant. You can also use the preamble to tease the content and/or to introduce the author of the story.
Example: Keywords (tags) can be a powerful tool in WordPress, but few content producers know how to use them effectively. Here's an introduction to the use of keywords from Simen Eriksen, consultant and project manager at Dekode.
7. Subheadings
Using subheadings makes it easier for both users and search engines to navigate your text and jump to relevant sections. This in turn can affect your ranking in search engines.
- Bruk alltid overskrifts-taggene <h2>, <h3> eller <h4> eller overskrift 2, 3, og 4 som du i WordPress finner i dropdown-menyen for skriftstiler på verktøylinjen. Dette gjør at både søkemotorer og programvare for universell utforming gjenkjenner overskriften som en overskrift. Ikke bruk fet skrift, det vil ikke leses som overskrift.
- Remember to include your keyword for the text in the headline + one or more of the subheadings. It's important to strike a balance here, don't use too many keywords in headlines - then it will be perceived as unnatural and difficult to read.

8. Images
Images are important to attract interest in your content and support the theme of the article.
- The main image in an article should, as far as possible, show what the keyword in the article is. For example, if you are writing a text about a product, the main image should be an image that is easily recognized as the product.
- Subsequent images should be varied. Each image should add something new, preferably by illustrating the different topics addressed in the article.
- Remember to use images that you have the rights to share! You'll find many free images with free licenses on e.g. Pixabay, Unsplash, Pexels and Digitalt museum.
- Remember that images must have an alt caption and can have a caption underneath. The alt text is not visible in your text itself, but will be read out to search engines and people with disabilities. For best SEO, alt texts should contain your keyword. It's also important to remember that it should be a natural and understandable sentence in terms of universal design.
- It is also an advantage if the file name of the image contains keywords and important attributes of an image. For example, if you are writing about pink clothing and have an image of a pink cardigan in silk, you should name the file Pink cardigan silk.jpg and not 2341234.jpg. This helps in Google searches for images, which can be a common way of navigating for many people.
- Also remember to put Featured image/featuredimage. This applies to the front page, subpages and articles. If someone wants to share the content on social media, the link will appear without the image if this is not set. Or even worse - it can choose a random image from your website or have a default image from the website service provider.
9. Handlebars
For the best SEO, you should have at least one internal link (content from your own website) and one external link (content from someone else's website) in your text.
Links in text should be easy to see and there should be self-explanatory descriptions of where the link leads. Feel free to link up several words and use active language. Write "Fill in the form", not "Form about..."
One of the ways search engines rank content is the number of backlinks you get. That is, others who link to your content. Links to and from high-quality, reputable websites increase the chance of visibility for your own website. By using reliable sources in your text, you also build trust with your readers.
Linking to older content is also a great way to retrieve content that may still be relevant and thus also get it to rank higher in search engines.

10. CTA - Call To Action
Always end your story with a call to action button. Once the reader has actually taken the time to get to the bottom of the story, you don't want to lose them, do you? What do you want the next step to be?
Create a clickable element at the bottom of the case. It can be a link, button, image or form that encourages visitors to take an action. In this way, visitors are taken further and you turn them from visitors into potential leads.
11. Make your content shareable!
Sharing your content is today the alpha and omega of reaching new target groups, potential ones clients and to get more visits and backlinks. Therefore, make sure that your content is best adapted for sharing on social media.
If you use Yoast premium, you can preview how your post/page will look in the social media channels you have connected your website to by clicking on the Social tab.
For example, you can choose which image appears when the link is shared, and you can change both the headline and preamble to adapt it to the channel in which it is shared.
Make sure to have:
- Short and sweet URLs
- Image(s) that support the article's theme
- The right headline
- Desired preamble for given channel
- Meta description
My recommendations :
- Yoast.
Download the Yoast plug-in and use this tool actively with WordPress. Yoast is available in both a free version where you can enter one trigger word, and in a subscription version where you can add synonyms to the trigger word, as well as many more features. Yoast operates with a traffic light system for how SEO-friendly your text is, so you can change from red to green before publishing. - Read the book "Write for the web " from Text Doctor Christine Calvert
- Follow us on the blog moz.com/blog where SEO experts share their best tips
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