Writing is big business. This is particularly true of online writing thanks to new platforms. Online writing is, however, different in nature from writing offline. This is due largely to how online media platform advertise and attract readers.
For starters, thanks to the need to satisfy search engine algorithms and employ search engine optimization (SEO) tactics within the body of online text, the article-writing style guide for online media (like blogs) requires elements that may not be needed in offline, traditional forms of writing. The guidelines ruling writers online reflect this reality. Online writing guides are likely to encourage the use of short paragraphs with easily identifiable headings and sub-headings, active instead of the passive voice in most instances, and short sentences. This is much unlike books, magazines, and newspapers, for example, that require reading. On the contrary, online articles should be scannable.
