Beyond the graphics and the music and the jazzy links to other sites and all of the considerations in terms of the mechanics and usability of a website, when you are in the process of creating one, you must consider the vitally important aspect of its readability.

What is readability? Well, simply put, it means that the text should be well written, error free, and easily understandable. This is the easiest aspect of the creation of a website to implement. There are a number of ways of making sure that the writing on your website is clearly and carefully done. The easiest is to follow the Five Step Method.

Step One: Plan what you want to say. Some people find it helpful to compose an outline. Others simply jot notes from which to refer when it is time for writing. Other people like to allow the ideas to float from brain to fingers to keyboard to document.

Step Two: Compose your written piece. Don’t be too concerned about sentence structure or spelling or other English usage rules. Get your ideas out. Be creative. Be clear.

Step Three: Read what you have written. That’s obvious, right? It is intuitive that you should read what you have written, but the way in which you read it might not be so obvious. You must read what you have written as if you are an outsider, a visitor to your website who does not know what you want to say. Sure, you know what a word or phrase or sentence means. But, will a visitor to your site understand? Now is the time to clarify your thoughts and substitute better language. You might also want to enhance your writing with punchier, stronger phrases that grab the reader’s attention.

Step Four: Proofread. Read every sentence with great deliberation. Do not read what you expect to be there. Read what is there word for word. You may have used an incorrect word or spelling or you may have left out a word or repeated a word. It happens. After you have read carefully, use your spell check function. Then read it again.

Step Five: Print, and then read your text again. Sometimes it is easier to spot an error on a printed page than it is by looking at your computer monitor. Another good idea is to ask someone else to read what you have written. Another pair of eyes might spot errors that you have missed. In addition, another person might be able to suggest another, more interesting way of stating what you have written.

Another alternative is to submit your text to a professional editing service, such as Proof-reading.com