Writing for the web is different than writing for print. This video gives an overview on how to start.

The people we are trying to serve with this website are

• Pro-Environment Public
• Nature Loving Families
• Teachers / Students
• Researchers
  • Scientists
  • Historians
  • Societies
  • Amateur naturalists
• Local Stakeholders
  • Native tribes
  • Creekside farmers
  • Creekside residents
  • Aggregate companies

Sometimes it’s appropriate to clearly say who the article is for, especially if it has a lot of acronyms and jargon specific to a subgroup, like ornithologists, for example.

There are plenty of references on the web about for the web. The Website Manual for University of Maryland is a good example.

Please note that tips on writing for SEO (Search Engine Optimization) also apply to Accessibility. The things that make it easier for machines (search algorithms) to read and organize information also make it easier for screen readers and other voice-command devices to use.

Here are Some of the Common Highlights

Divide your written copy into small, single-topic paragraphs.

Avoid paragraphs that are over 70 words.

If your article is more that 300-700 words, break it up into more than one article and link to the other sections.

Use well-organized headings and subheadings

Headings, sub-headings and sub-subheadings help people and machines scan your article and understand how it’s organized. (Headings in the form of questions are quite helpful for SEO.)

For example, consider the difference in meaning if I put the word ‘kites’ under the heading ‘Flying Objects’ vs the heading ‘Birds’.

Link Strategies

Links to and from reputable websites play a big role in good SEO and audience helpfulness.

If the link is to a page on another website, have it open in a new tab. Otherwise, let it open internally.

Descriptive Anchor Text

“Anchor text” is the visible text for a hyperlink. Good link text should give the reader an idea of the action that will take place when clicking it.

A bad example:

The best way to learn WordPress is to start using it. To Download WordPress, click here.

A better example:

Download WordPress and start using it. That’s the best way to learn.

Cornerstone Content

Since this is a WordPress website, we differentiate between Pages and Posts.

Posts are time-based articles. They can be long or short. They ‘disappear’ from immediate view, but are not lost since old posts can show up in search archive on this site and in Google Search.

Pages are meant to contain long-term (evergreen) and comprehensive content. Often called ‘Cornerstone’ content. Yoast SEO has written a good article on Cornerstone Content.