According to Jakob Nielsen web users read at most 28% during an average visit to a single web page. What does that mean? Lose the dummy text and as far as the text you do keep – get to the point.

Whenever I write copy for the web I imagine that the user will read the first line of any block of text, if I’m lucky. This is a good practice for me since it forces me to write quick and concise text.

Especially tighten up text on pages where the user isn’t expecting to do a lot of reading. If a user is visiting a blog, they’re prepared to do some reading, but if they’re on a corporate website – they’re just trying to get what they came for and leave. Presenting a large amount of text to the user isn’t going to make them believe they can accomplish their goal and they may leave your site entirely.

Here are a few tips for writing for the web:

The conclusion is first
Don’t make users read 5 paragraphs of text to finally discover what it is you’re talking about. They simply wont do it.

Short and sweet
Try to explain everything in the most concise manner. If you’re trying to get the user to learn more about your company’s enterprise solutions don’t say, “Find out more about what Acme Company can offer your enterprise now!” simply put, “Learn more about our enterprise solutions.” It’s straight to the short and straight to the point. This exercise will also help your site feel less cluttered.

Don’t use lingo specific to your field
Even if you believe people mostly in the same field will view your site, don’t use company jargon. While you may know what “SMB” means – the customer who was told on his first day of work to purchase your Small & Medium Business package may not.

More tips and information on writing for the web:
http://www.useit.com/papers/webwriting/