Writing and Publishing Text for the Web

Good web copy tells a reader what a page does before asking them to click anything. Titles, descriptions, headings, and link text should each help someone decide whether they are in the right place.

Start with the reader’s question

Write the main answer in plain language, then add the details needed to use it safely. A descriptive heading helps someone scan; “Learn more” does not say what they will learn. A short example can explain more than several paragraphs of generic introduction.

Check the published page

Metadata does not replace visible content. Look at the page on a phone, check the links, and read the title in isolation as it might appear in search or a tab. If an automated suggestion sounds unlike you or claims something you cannot verify, rewrite it.

Related tools

• HTML Entities — Escape and unescape HTML special characters.
• HTML Editor — A small rich-text editor that exports clean HTML.
• Markdown to HTML — Render Markdown to HTML in the browser.
• Slugify — Turn any text into a clean URL slug.
• URL Encoder — Percent-encode and decode URL components.
• URL Parser — Break a URL into its parts and query parameters.