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WP-Tonic 109: The Real Difference between Web Copy and Print Copy

July 20, 2016 by Sallie Goetsch Leave a Comment

This entry is part 3 of 30 in the series WP-Tonic Roundtable
WP-Tonic 109: Web copy vs. print copy

There is a distinct difference in people’s mind between “writing for the Web” and “writing.” I get more than 54 million results for a search on “writing for the Web,” going all the way back to Jakob Nielsen’s classic article from 1997.

But a closer look at what it means to write good web copy and what it means to write good print copy reveals more similarities than differences.

Usability.gov has a nice summary of the guidelines that evolved from the early work of Nielsen and his colleagues. You’re probably familiar with all of them:

  • Use the words your users use. 
  • Chunk your content.
  • Front-load the important information.
  • Use pronouns.
  • Use active voice.
  • Use short sentences and paragraphs.
  • Use bullets and numbered lists.
  • Use clear headlines and subheads.
  • Use images, diagrams, or multimedia.
  • Use white space. 

Many of these same guidelines can be found in The Elements of Style, which was first published in 1918. (You can download the Kindle version of the original book for free.) Start with a topic sentence. Use the active voice. Use concrete language. Omit needless words.

So what IS the difference between web copy and print copy? The WP-Tonic Live Panel (Brian Lee Jackson, Jonathan Denwood, John Locke, and I) sat down to discuss this, and concluded that the issue is not so much a difference between web copy and print copy, as between marketing or sales copy and other kinds of writing: fiction, essays, academic writing (not the high school paper kind that’s advised to follow the guidelines in Strunk & White, but the college-professor kind where you need lots of jargon and a footnote every three words).

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  • Interviews (5)
  • Checking Up on Your Website (4)
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  • WordCamps (17)
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More in this series:

  • WP-Tonic 103: WordPress & Online Marketing In 2016: What Works!
  • WP-Tonic 105: Speeding Up WordPress From Slow Dog To Young Speed Machine
  • WP-Tonic 109: The Real Difference between Web Copy and Print Copy
  • WP-Tonic 095: How to Pick the Right Premium WordPress Theme
  • WP-Tonic 099: What Plugins Should You Consider for any WordPress Site?
  • WP-Tonic 111: What Makes a WooCommerce Site Successful?
  • WP-Tonic 113: How Do You Write Winning WordPress Proposals?
  • WP-Tonic 115: Visual Builders for WordPress
  • WP-Tonic 117: Email Plugins, Marketing, and Strategy for WordPress
  • WP-Tonic 119: Website Redesigns
  • WP-Tonic 123: What Role Does Social Media Play in Your WordPress-Based Business?
  • WP-Tonic 126: Your Website and Your Overall Online Strategy
  • WP-Tonic 128: Black Hat SEO
  • WP-Tonic 130: Does Content Marketing Really Work?
  • WP-Tonic Live Panel Resumes
  • WP-Tonic 157: Coordinating Complex Site Migrations
  • WP-Tonic 159: WordPress Form Plugins
  • WP-Tonic 161: Pricing Models for Web Design and Web Development
  • 227 WP-Tonic: Setting Up Nameservers and DNS Record Types
  • WP-Tonic 229 Insights On How to Build a Successful Online Community
  • WP-Tonic 231: How To Manage Difficult WordPress Projects
  • 233 WP-Tonic Round Table Show “WordPress Hooks, Actions and Filters”
  • WP Tonic #235: Converting Site Visitors To Subscribers
  • #237 WP-Tonic Round-Table “Basic Design Principles From Color Palette to Layout for Your Website”
  • WP-Tonic #239: The Future of WordPress Page Builders
  • WP-Tonic 241: Advice on Setting up & Using WordPress Multisite
  • WP-Tonic 243: How Do You Write Great Content for Your WordPress Website?
  • WP-Tonic 245: Does the Genesis Framework Have a Future in a World of Theme & Page Builders?
  • 247 WP-Tonic Friday Round-Table Show: Extending WordPress Using ACF (Advanced Custom Fields)
  • WP-Tonic 250: Tips & Tricks On How to Make Your Websites More Mobile Friendly

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