for Improving Your Web Writing By Eric Reiss Sep 1, 2009 2 comments The truth is, most online readers don’t care much about grammar, spelling and punctuation as long as they get the information they need. With that said, good grammar does build trust in your organization. So does proper spelling — so proofread your text and ask a professional copywriter to look it over if at all possible. Here are some of the many tips I give our clients during my popular “Writing for the web” workshop. “Kill Your Darlings” is a quote from the American writer William Faulkner. Basically, it means you should take a critical look at what you’ve written. I often discover that if I cut out my first paragraph, I will improve the text 100%. On the web, people want you to get to the point. They’re not on your site to admire your fine writing. George Orwell, the English author of 1984, Animal Farm and other classics, has six rules of writing. Here they are – they’re all gems: Never use a metaphor, simile, or other figure of speech that you are used to seeing in print. Never use a long word where a short one will do. If it is possible to cut a word out, always cut it out. Never use the passive voice when you can use the active Never use a foreign phrase, a scientific word, or a jargon word if you can think of an everyday equivalent. Break any of these rules sooner than say anything outright barbarous! This is about getting your readers to understand what you already know. For example, if I mention “the soup Nazi”, you may or may not recognize this reference from the TV comedy, Seinfeld. As writers, we cannot take any chances — our job is to make sure that people understand exactly what we mean and what we say. Just for fun, read this description and create a vision in your mind: "Ordinary 60 W lightbulb with standard screw-in base (E27)" Pause a moment before you read on. Make sure you see the lightbulb in your mind’s eye. OK, continue reading.