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Articles Copy writing articles Punctuation for Website Copywriters: Top 3 Tips
Articles Copy writing articles Punctuation for Website Copywriters: Top 3 Tips
| Punctuation for Website Copywriters: Top 3 Tips |
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Copywriters need to modify their punctuation (slightly) for an online audience. That's because computer screens are harder to read than printed pages (due to their lower resolution and flicker). These three tips will help make sure online readers understand the meaning of your website copy: 1. Use Punctuation Sparingly: Punctuation marks help organise ideas and control the flow of sentences. But they easily get lost on-screen because they're small. So I recommend using punctuation in moderation online. Format information into lists if possible. Use short sentences and short paragraphs. 2. Don't Use Semi Colons: I avoid using semi colons when writing online. They're too easily mistaken for colons. The proper use of a semi colon is to join two independent clauses into a compound sentence. For example: "It's nearly midnight; the restaurants will probably be closed." On the web you're better off using an em-dash (long hyphen) or a period (full stop). E.g. "It's nearly midnight ? the restaurants will probably be closed." or "It's nearly midnight. The restaurants will probably be closed." Also, it's better to use em-dashes instead of hyphens in website copy. Hyphens are small. So they can more easily be overlooked than longer em-dashes. 3. Check Your Copy Offline: To make the best impression on your website visitors, your website copy must be free of grammatical and spelling errors. Typographical errors and poor English can easily turn off potential customers. So make sure you run your content through a spell checker before you upload it to your website. Then print it out and get a colleague or friend to proof read it. Once it's live, you should check the content again on-screen. About the Author: With a career spanning more than 12 years, Charles Cuninghame is one of Australia's most experienced website copywriters. |
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