Writing online content, for a new website, email blast or other online medium can be challenging. When approached with a new online writing assignment, I focus on the following ideas:

Audience
Appeal to the audience at hand. Identify the target audience of the piece (whether it is a family planning a summer vacation or a businessperson looking for a new bank) and use words and tones with which that audience is familiar.   

Goal
Keep the goal of the piece in mind. For instance, if the goal is to have visitors purchase online, use short, punchy calls to action to entice a sale. On the other hand, if the goal is for visitors to stop by a physical location, use rich, descriptive copy that leaves them wanting more.

Length
Deliver the message succinctly. It’s easy to paint a picture with words if you have unlimited space, but when writing online, space is usually quite precious. Use bullets to make dense copy easier to digest. Bold and italicize important points. Edit (and re-edit) drafts to remove unnecessary words.

Graphical Elements
Visualize the finished product. The graphics and overall design of the piece will first catch the eye of the viewer. Focus on writing copy that highlights and supports these graphics. Incorporate headlines that convey your message, while creating a relationship between the copy and the graphics.