The key is to show your reader respect, don't waste their time.
Don't: Use material written by ad copywriters verbatim. Don't take copy written for other mediums and transfer them online. They are usually written with a separate agenda in mind and while consistent tone is indeed important, the structure and depth of information is normally quite different.
Do: Write for your readers. As with any writing task, establish exactly who the target audience is, and what you want to achieve. Bearing this in mind throughout the writing exercise will keep you focused.
Are your readers trend-making teenagers or paranoid parents? Knowing this will help establish tone, style and choice of words. Remember: where teens are concerned, trying too hard can often result in a very poorly received website.
Don't: Write for your internal stakeholders. Writing for the web sometimes becomes a political battle between key stakeholders. If they are quite distinct from your target groups, then remember, there's no need to angle the content for them.
Do: Engage your readers in conversation. Referring directly to your audience by using pronouns like 'you', 'our', 'we' make you approachable, and makes copy easier to read, holds attention well and fits with the increased dialogue that the web can provide.
That said, not every situation calls for such chummy writing. It's important to strike a balance and adjust the tone according to content and context.
Don't: Insist on a stuffy third-person narrative. Unless you are publishing official research results for very specific industries, there's no reason to narrate everything as if you were a newscaster. It sucks the life right out of your otherwise exciting content.
And it's worth remembering that while writing copy for the web can be challenging, it can also open up a world of opportunities. The interactive nature of the medium makes presenting complex, long copy comparatively easy - if you get it right. You just need someone who knows the interactive possibilities of structuring the information before they start writing.
That's the key.
