The research on how people read on the web has been consistent for twenty-five years: they do not read, they scan. They look for headings, bold text, bullet points, and the first sentence of each paragraph. They read linearly only when they have decided the content is worth their full attention.
Copy that is written for linear reading — the way most professional writing is taught — performs poorly on the web. Not because it is bad writing, but because it is the wrong format for the medium.
The inverted pyramid
Journalism solved this problem a century ago with the inverted pyramid: the most important information first, supporting detail after, background last. Web copy should follow the same structure.
Start with the conclusion. Put the key point in the first sentence of every paragraph. Use the rest of the paragraph to support it. Readers who scan will get the key points. Readers who read linearly will get the full argument.
Headings are navigation
On the web, headings are not just organizational — they are navigational. A reader who lands on a long page will scan the headings to decide whether to read further. Headings that are vague or clever rather than descriptive do not help readers navigate. Headings that describe the content do.
Sentence and paragraph length
Short sentences are easier to scan than long ones. Short paragraphs are easier to scan than long ones. This is not a rule about intelligence — it is a rule about cognitive load. A reader who is scanning a page on a phone while commuting has limited attention to give. Short, clear sentences make it easier to extract meaning quickly.
The edit that matters most
The most important edit in web writing is the cut. Remove every sentence that does not add information. Remove every word that does not add meaning. What remains will be clearer and more useful than what you started with.