Web writing

Reading online hurts your web visitors’ bodies

Screen reading causes insomnia, backache — even serious illness

Yes, reading that blog post does make your butt look bigger. But mushy thighs are just one of the symptoms of screen reading.… Read the full article

Steal email newsletter content tips from the Skimm

Make your e-zine interesting, relevant, easy

What’s the secret to a successful e-zine? Make ’em laugh; make ’em think; make ’em Skimm.

In other words, make it interesting, relevant and easy.… Read the full article

How people read on tablets

Insights from Poynter’s EyeTrack study

Call it the bailout point.

People reading news on an iPad spent an average of 78.3 seconds on stories that they didn’t finish.… Read the full article

Get content above the fold on mobile

Put the hot stuff up top with the 1-2-3-4 test

Web visitors spend 74% of their time on the first two screens, just 26% on all remaining screens, according to the Nielsen Norman Group

So don’t blow your top.… Read the full article

How to get the hyperbole out of your web page

Improve your fact-to-fluff ratio

Readers are busy. Fluff takes space. Space takes time. So let’s cut the fluff and get on with it.

To cut the fluff, aim for a fact-to-fluff ratio of at least 1:1.… Read the full article

What’s the best link format?

5 ways to draw eyes, fingers

Your most important links are calls to action, writes HubSpot’s Kyle James. So how can you increase the chances that they’ll get clicked?… Read the full article

Mobile makeover for depression post

Communicator transforms piece for the small screen

Make mine to go.

More than half of your audience members now receive your emails, visit your web pages and engage with your social media channels via their mobile devices, not their laptops.… Read the full article

Create more short pages

Fewer long pages are less effective

Think index cards, not toilet paper: websites with many short pages — as opposed to those with fewer longer pages — work better.… Read the full article