THE LOOK OF YOUR PAGE

Split stories into chunks
Divide a long story into short pieces to fill one screen page. But split the story sensibly describing the content, or topic on the next page in the hyperlink at the bottom of their current read. It is not enough to say ‘continued’ or ‘more’, the reader wants to know if it’s worth linking to another page.

As a rule the vast majority of people do not like to scroll down long pages - unless they are really interested in the story they are reading. Always avoid scrolling on the index (home) page.

Use short paragraphs and don't clutter up the page. Empty space helps make the page easier to read and it looks more attractive. Small headings between paragraphs help a story rise out of the page. Keep them short, in bold type, and don't repeat what folIows in the text although you may tease it with a relevant word.

Before you start writing, decide whether any of the material should go into a separate page or in to a quote or fact box. If possible complement your story with graphics, to break up the text or make use of quote boxes. Notice the web page shown above uses short paragraphs, a fact boxe and a small picture to break up the text in the main story.

Captions:
Make your captions effective ... don’t just describe the look of the picture, remember people can see it. Give the detail of names and location.

Remember your audience is global