Need Help
Writing a Reference Text
For Your Web Site?

In a nutshell, help writing a reference text to publish on a web site could be compared to help writing a how-to book. You might feel you need help writing a reference book, if you have never written one before.

First consider that a web site, designed to sell goods or services, must offer useful information before going into sales talk. Furthermore, presenting information on a web page requires special attention. Therefore, help on writing books is not always entirely suitable.

If you are not sure you can write well enough for the web, let me assure you that it is much easier than you think. In reality, you might not need as much help writing a reference text as you thought at first. Here is why.

It's different on the web

Reading text on a screen is more tiresome than reading from a book or a newspaper.

Eye strain soon sets in. It is not so bad now with LCD screens, but conventional CRT monitors are still in wide use. Some CRTs have a slow refresh rate (60 Hz or less), which make them very hard on the eyes. Also, the body begins to ache after a certain amount of time in the same position.

These factors make concentration decline rapidly after a while. You do not want that to happen.

To counter these undesirable side effects, here is basic help writing a reference text:

• make your sentences short,
• use active verbs,
• make your paragraphs short (two or three sentences at most),
• space out your information,
• avoid using distracting technology (flashing text, moving objects) unless you are selling such technology or products that make use of same,
• avoid "loud" colors (like flashy technology, they distract from the message rather than help … unless, of course, it is your intention to divert your reader's attention from something you do not want them to see!),
• use meaningful headings and sub-headings (the eye travels there first because they stand out and are shorter to read),
• use images sparingly and only if they really add to the message,
• avoid "cute tricks" … your credibility as a web entrepreneur is at stake.

Book publishers impose large solid blocks of text on the readers because every page adds to the cost of production. Space is at a premium, so they try to keep the number of pages down to the barest minimum. They offer help writing a reference book in-house to their writers, but it is usually biased in their favor.

However, there is a lot of space available on a web site and it is extremely cheap. You can afford to present your information in bite size fashion, spaced out to be easier to digest.

You can help your reader's experience by making full use of these advantages.

Besides, you are not writing a novel on your web site. You are writing to communicate, to share information with your readers.

The shorter the line of communication, the better your message gets through. The less noise the better. Your must be brief and to the point. This is what makes writing for the web much easier than it is for a book.

Avoid distracting errors

Of course, as you would do for a book, you must write without making spelling or grammar errors. Again, your credibility is at stake.

You can use a good word processor to write your texts. Major word processors offer a spelling and grammar checking feature. But they are usually barely sufficient and effective.

However, I recommend that you use a good spelling and grammar checking software. WhiteSmoke will help you write like an English Expert!

Such specialized software is indispensable to the web entrepreneur. It makes it much easier to produce quality content because you can concentrate on creating useful content.

Quality language checking software, and a little practice, will be all the help writing a reference text you may ever need.

If the software solution does not appeal to you, then you can always hire a professional copy editor to do the job. They will add to your cost of doing business, but your expected profit margins may allow them comfortably. You will have to decide.

You think you would not know how to convince or persuade?

Well, I beg to differ. I am certain that you have convinced yourself and others, more than once in your life. You have certainly persuaded someone before that there was a better way of building a product or rendering a service.

In fact, you may already know you can do better. That may why you are considering becoming a web entrepreneur.

All you have to do is stop to think about it. You can certainly speak with authority about things that you are familiar with. With the help of some help writing a reference text, you can:

• Describe the circumstances causing a specific need or problem (the need you can help fill or the problem you can help solve).
• Demonstrate the extent of your knowledge about what it is to live with such an unanswered need or unsolved problem.
• Demonstrate your knowledge of the consequences of letting the problem unresolved, or the need unanswered.

Aim for a "win-win" solution.

Once you have done the above properly, you can use your everyday arguments to persuade your prospective client by describing:

• the merits of your improved product or service.
• the pros and cons of standard commonly found solutions.
• how your solution takes care of the cons, and adds to the pros!
• what they have to gain by choosing your solution.

The world is far from perfect. Most everything could stand some improvement. There is room for invention too! Why not?

You will soon find that, with a little practice, you will not need any help writing a reference text.

Let there be no doubt that you can profit from offering the solutions you have already found through experience. You can take advantage of the knowledge and know-how you have already acquired. Many web entrepreneurs already do. You can too.

Stay tuned!

Do come back often. I will be adding to this site regularly.

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