Writing for the web is not the same as writing a company report or magazine article, and if you can't find the appropriate skills in-house, consider hiring freelance web writers and editors.

Know your reader; make sure that the tone and technical language is appropriate for the target audience: stuffy, corporate chest beating rarely impresses those brought up on the more informal nature of the web, but that's no excuse to start filling up a financial site with mother-in-law jokes.

Plan it. Don't just bash out the first thing that comes into your head - work out the points you want to make in advance and organise the piece into a logical order with a defined conclusion.

Keep it short. Write half of what you would for a print publication. Keep it easy to scan by using small chunks of text with clear and concise headlines, subheadings and bulleted lists. People don't like reading a lot of text onscreen (that's why the 'paperless office' never happened) so get to the point quickly and keep it succinct. Divide long stories up into manageable pages with a clear sub-navigation.

Don't overwhelm the reader: A golden rule is "one subject or issue per paragraph and one idea per sentence". Around 20 words is plenty for one sentence, fewer for those explaining complicated ideas.

Use spell checkers and have someone else proof read the content - spelling errors make any page look amateurish. Get several people to proof read the work.

Make it easy for users to find out what's on offer: consider using the 'inverted pyramid' principle of journalism: start off with a short conclusion of the piece, and then gradually add more detail

Keep it readable: small text is easier to read in sans serif typefaces like Verdana. White text on a black background may look 'cool', but it will rapidly become irritating for long pieces of text. For maximum readability, use left-aligned dark text on a plain or light coloured, non-textured background and AVOID THE USE OF CAPITALS.

Cut out the jargon. You may well know how to align the DF366 T/S sprocket w/rear dipstick configuration but others won't have a clue what you're on about. Avoid obscure technical jargon and abbreviations unless absolutely necessary - if they have to be used, include a glossary