The Yahoo! Style Guide: Writing and Editing for the Web »

The Yahoo! Style Guide is the work of many Yahoo! contributors, including past and present editors within Yahoo!’s editorial department, led by Chris Barr, senior editorial director. Find The Yahoo! Style Guide online at http://styleguide.yahoo.com.

WWW may be an acronym for the World Wide Web, but no one could fault you for thinking it stands for wild, wild West. The rapid growth of the Web has meant having to rely on style guides intended for print publishing, but these guides do not address the new challenges of communicating online. Enter The Yahoo! Style Guide. From Yahoo!, a leader in online content and one of the most visited Internet destinations in the world, comes the definitive reference on the essential elements of Web style for writers, editors, bloggers, and students. With topics that range from the basics of grammar and punctuation to Web-specific ways to improve your writing, this comprehensive resource will help you:

-          Shape your text for online reading

-          Construct clear and compelling copy

-          Write eye-catching and effective headings

-          Develop your site’s unique voice

-          Streamline text for mobile users

-          Optimize webpages to boost your chances of appearing in search results

-          Create better blogs and newsletters

-          Learn easy fixes for your writing mistakes

-          Write clear user-interface text

This essential sourcebook—based on internal editorial practices that have helped Yahoo! writers and editors for the last fifteen years—is now at your fingertips.

I-WRITE FOR AN ONLINE AUDIENCE

1. Write for the Web

2. Identify Your Audience

3. Define Your Voice

4. Construct Clear, Compelling Copy

II-SPEAK TO YOUR ENTIRE AUDIENCE

5. Be Inclusive, Write for the World

6. Make Your Site Accessible to

III-WRITE UI TEXT, EMAIL, AND MOBILE-FRIENDLY CONTENT

7. Write Clear User-Interface Text

8. Write Engaging Email and Newsletters

9. Streamline Text for Mobile Devices

IV-MANAGE THE MECHANICS

10. Punctuate Proficiently

11. Treat Abbreviations, Capitalization, and Titles Consistently

12. Apply a Consistent Style for Numbers

V-CLEAN UP YOUR COPY

13. Shorten and Strengthen Sentences

14. Avoid Common Pitfalls in Word Choice, Grammar, and Spelling

15. Proofread and Test Before You Publish

VI-RESOURCES

16. Get Familiar with Basic Webpage Coding

17. Optimize Your Site for Search Engines

18. Understand the Basics of U.S. Law for Online Content

19. Keep a Word List

Exercise Answer Keys 

Acknowledgments  

Notes    

Selected Bibliography                                          

Index