That’s because we read websites differently than we read print. When we use the web, we are scanning for specific information. We are looking for an answer to a question, and anything that isn’t relevant is in the way.

When we read on the web, instead of reading the text from beginning to end, our eyes quickly scan the page for keywords, headlines, or links that will give us the information we need, and we ignore everything else. If we can’t quickly find what we’re looking for, we go somewhere else.

That’s why writing for the web is so different than writing for a print publication. Here are five problems to avoid when writing web content.

1. Too much text.

Nobody takes the time to read through long paragraphs of text online. Paragraphs and sentences should be short and to the point, and information should be organized into discrete chunks, using headlines or links. Get rid of as many words as you can until the message is clear, simple, and to the point.

2. Use of unfamiliar terms.

Jargon confuses the reader. Terms that may be clear to employees may not be clear to the average user. The titles of links should be clear and easy to understand.

3. No way to quickly start key activities.

Forms and key activities should be easy to find and accessible from the home page.

4. Lack of organization. 

The path to find answers to your questions should be intuitive and logical. Users shouldn’t have to think about which link to click.

5. Busy home page.

The home page should include a title, a tagline, and a brief paragraph explaining your site if necessary. The home page should be a launching pad to help users quickly find the page they need. If you provide a link to everything directly from the home page, it becomes too cluttered and frustrates users.

The bottom line: don’t assume anyone is going to actually read your website. Instead make sure users can quickly scan it to find key information.

Here’s an example from a freelance writing discussion board. A new writer introduced himself as a newbie writer and asked the group for advice on how to start a freelancing career. The response from writers in the group? Don’t.

You will find lots of people who will tell you not to bother pursuing writing as a career if you’re just starting out – they will cite competition from out-of-work journalists, the poor economy, the dying field of journalism, content mills that pay pennies for an article. But the truth is, now is the perfect time to pursue writing – the Internet provides boundless opportunities for writers.

Think of all the people in the world who have access to the Internet. There are billions of web pages, and billions more are added every day. Think of all the companies who have a web presence, and all the small businesses that don’t have a web presence but need one. All of these companies need high quality content to continually engage readers and drive traffic back to their sites.

If you want to get paid for writing, opportunities are out there. You just need to go out and get them. I’ll be writing more on this site about concrete steps for landing work, but I suspect many of you may already know how. There is no secret for finding work, despite what some writing sites claim. The only trick is to just start trying, and to keep trying. And most importantly, don’t give up.

If you love to write and you want to make a living with your writing, you owe it to yourself to try. Don’t let anyone convince you otherwise.

When you are applying for a writing job, or submitting an article, or a story, or a blog post, it’s helpful to keep in mind that for every published article you read, there are usually dozens more the author tried to get published, but failed.

Consider this:

Stephen King’s Carrie was rejected some 30 times before it was published, and he almost threw away the manuscript because he was convinced it was no good. Actually, he did throw it away, but his wife fished it out of the wastebasket because she knew it had potential.

Kathryn Stockett’s wildly successful page-turner The Help was rejected 60 times before it was published. But she kept sending it out because she believed the book was good, despite all evidence to the contrary.

What were these editors thinking? I can think of no other explanation other than the editors either never bothered to read the manuscripts, or they made up their minds without giving it a fair shake. Some people will make assumptions about your work before they even read it. And you can’t control what kind of person is in charge of publishing or rejecting your manuscript.

Keep in mind that in order to be successful in writing, you must go through rejection. The more you try, even if you are rejected, the closer you are to reaching success.

The important point is not to let others change your belief in your ability. Because the most powerful determiner of your own success is belief in yourself.

Whether you believe you can do a thing or not, you are right. – Henry Ford

But I received a letter yesterday that was so well written, I wanted to share it as a highly effective example of how to solicit donations for a cause. Here it is below, with my comments in red.

Hello parents of [name deleted] School! She starts off with a friendly, personalized greeting.

My name is [name deleted], and I’m a member of the [name deleted] Parish and a recently returned volunteer from a year-long mission in Ecuador. This time last year, I was celebrating the birth of Christ among the poorest of the poor in Ecuador. Notice she tells us right away who she is and makes a connection with the reader. She is sending this to parents of children in a Catholic school, so the religious reference is appropriate. We also know that she is a passionate volunteer, having completed a year-long mission in Ecuador.

More than a billion people are living without clean water on our planet. She goes immediately into a striking fact to get our attention

The reality of Christmas in our world: America spends around $500 billion a year on Christmas gifts. That’s more than $600 a person. We also spend another $8 billion on decorating for Christmas. With two sentences, she offers statistics that immediately shift our perspective and make us think: why on earth are we spending that much on gifts and decorations when some people don’t even have money for clean water?

We want to give people the gift of life this season by providing clean water. The gift of life – now that sounds like a worthwhile cause.

 The mission of [name deleted] Parish is to raise $5000 for Christmas this year through the non-profit organization “Charity: water”. 100% of every penny we raise will go directly to the water projects. 100% – that’s what we all want to hear. Now we feel comfortable that our money will not be mispent. And every project is “proved” using GPS technology and photos and put on Google Earth. Together, we’ll be able to see the impact we’ve made. Even better, we will be able to see tangible results from the money we give.
One billion people, one cause. great slogan.

My friends in Guayaquil, like more than one billion people on our planet, are living without clean water. Some walk miles every day to get to the nearest source: a stagnant, parasite-infested stream or pond. They lug it back to their families. They suffer from a multitude of diseases because they lack clean water. Approximately, 45,000 people die each day from waterborne illnesses. These images are very effective – I can actually picture these people. They seem real, rather than just a vague idea. I can’t imagine walking miles for clean water, or even down the street for that matter.

[name deleted] Parish has started a campaign for clean water to raise $5,000 by Christmas. On December 16, 2011 students will have an opportunity to bring in $1.00 to dress in purple for the day. All she asks is for $1! I feel like giving her more. This donation will combine with the Parish for our $5,000 campaign for clean water!

Please also consider making an additional donation via check (made payable to “xyz”, with ‘clean water’ in the memo – drop off at the Parish Center) or on our website, at www.mycharitywater.org/xyz. This gives me two different options to contribute. Every dollar helps the fight for clean water! Also, check out the informational videos online at http://www.charitywater.org/media/videos/. She gives me a link where I can find more information.

Thank you and many blessings to you and yours this Christmas,

[name deleted]

Now am I going to donate to this cause? Absolutely. This letter is so effective that anyone who read it would feel guilty for not contributing. And that’s how you measure an effective fundraising letter.

She teaches others to not say, “Woe is me,” but instead to look to the right or the left of you to see someone else who has a greater need.

A big proponent of holistic healing, she describes using spirituality to help women: “It’s about touching the core of another person with your own core – the real you.”

A startling statistic I found while doing background research for this interview: in 2008, there was one case of HIV for every 49 African American women in Baltimore City. One in 49!  Baltimore ranked tenth in estimated AIDS diagnosis rates of U.S. major metropolitan areas.*

So glad we have organizations like STAR combatting this issue.

To read more about Rev. Hickman (and STAR), read my profile of her here.

*According to the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene.