DEVELOPING CONTENT FOR

A USER BASED WEBSITE

>

CONTENT DEVELOPMENT

Thinking WebIt’s the anticipation of the user need that is the key to a truly functional site,translating into time savings for MCC.

According to the Nielsen Company:  As of May 2010, U.S. mobile users spent more timesending or reading e-mail on their phones than any other internet-enabled mobile activity(comprising 38.5% of mobile internet time spent). Social media was a distant second (10.7%)and reading news/current events was third (7.2%). (CNN)

You can increase productivity of users, faculty and staff by providing 24/7access to typical 9-5 info and procedures• What info do you get the most calls about?• Point them to the web for detail and forms if appropriate

79% of users scan the page instead of reading word-for-word• Reading from a computer screen is 25% slower than from paper

You can promote the site in your communications, such as:• You can download this form at (URL)• For current info, check the MCC Website at www.mcc.edu/yoururl

>

CONTENT DEVELOPMENT

The first page is the Index or Main Page of any section and should provide the user with a brief overview of the content contained in that section, and services provided by that area. The elements are: 

1. An Introduction discussing who you are, and what services you provide

2. Include contact, where: location, when: hours etc, in the Contact Box

3. Listed/linked items of content to be found in section with description if needed

4. What is the most requested information in your area?Set these as priorities when developing your content.Is this info easy to find on the page?

5. How can a user get the most out of your area or page?consider what action do you want the user to take? call, get forms, sign-up online, etc.

6. Involve all stakeholders in developing content, support staff are often on the front line answering questions and may have a better idea of what the customer is asking for.

< >

Developing Your Section

CONTENT DEVELOPMENT

When developing copy, try to limit the copy to a single frame if possible,and avoid long scrolling pages.

1. A template to help you with this process is available at http://www.mcc.edu/wdt/Con-template.dot Using this format will help you see if content requires editing, formatting or restructuring to include more individual pages.

2. Second Level Pages are pages that contain more detail and go directly off the main section page. • Remember, users can enter the site at any page, so make sure you explain its topic

without assuming the previous page has been seen.

3. Third Level Pages: if longer pages are required, they should be at this level or deeper.

4. Consider links to other data sources not within your department. Including navigation on your page to logical next steps or missteps by the user will make their web surfing experience friendly and serves the greater purpose of answering the clients questions they didn't know they had.

Think of each page as a newspaper article, the first paragraph contains an overview — the facts are filled out in the rest of the article (in this case, linked pages).

< >

Developing Copy

CONTENT DEVELOPMENT

These are specific words or phrase that a user might be looking for.

Using them in your text1. These are words that are picked up in search engines, and should be used as text in your

page.

2. These keywords are often a good starting point or review point in considering what aspects you’re addressing in your page, and ideally used in the introduction.

Using them in “description meta-tags”1. Use description meta-tag if your page has minimal text. ie: a page which uses graphical

elements like buttons where the text is part of the graphic with no actual text on the page. The “description” should be short and concise giving as much detail in first 20 to 25 words.

< >

Keywords

CONTENT DEVELOPMENT

• 79% of web users scan pages, they do not read word for word

• Highlighting key words in Bold is effective, feedback for this needs to come from the provider

• Listed/linked or bulleted items slow down the eye, and give those items more attention

• These items should be used with good judgment, sometimes trying to make too much stand out, nothing does...remember your priorities.

< >

Scanability

CONTENT DEVELOPMENT

How do the users get to your information?

1. Home page, if your content is on that level

2. Key User Paths: Prospective Students, Current Students, Faculty & Staff

3. Search: as many as half web users get around by using searches• This is why careful consideration of your “keywords” are important

4. Highlights area: a changing area, meant to draw attention to events and areas of interest

5. Jump Menu: the pull down menu on the home page, links to areas that might be specific destinations for users and are not otherwise represented directly on the homepage.

6. From another section of the site

< >

Navigation: Getting to your content

CONTENT DEVELOPMENT

Navigation: Path To Content

< >

Navigation: Path Within Content

CONTENT DEVELOPMENT

1. Provide a listing of links on your main section page

2. Keep in mind, linking within text can be a good tool, and informative when linked to other pages in your area, or areas of the site, if appropriate.

3. Local Nav comes in when you’re on the 2nd or 3rd level page, and contains links to all of your content pages, and other areas that play into decision making, and information gathering by user.

4. Some navigational devices will automatically be added by the web designer. For example: A new window will open when linking to a pdf or outside source.

5. Remember to check MCC Answer center questions that relate to your content.

< >

Navigation: Getting around within your content

CONTENT DEVELOPMENT

1. Become familiar with the existing Sitemap to help provide access to information and to avoid creating new content that may already exist in some format, such as directories, maps, etc.

2. Doing an analysis of site stats could inform this process, if you are interested in this, please contact the Web Development Team.

< >

Navigation: Other Tips

CONTENT DEVELOPMENT

1. Use a personal, informal tone.  Short sentences.  Bulleted copy.  The section/page should provide a quick read...scanable copy.

2. Speak to the user as the user — to the students as students, to faculty as faculty — Use words and phrases that are easily understood by the user.

3. Make sure that repeated references to specific information are the same• For instance “Class Schedules”, “Schedule Locator” both link to

Search For Classes. Consistently using Search for Classes will be more clear.

4. Mission Statements are a valuable tool for keeping your goals in mind — but won’t always communicate the information that the user needs or the services that you provide, if you’d like to post it on the site, avoid making it the introduction to a section.

5. Reviewing content from other institutions doing similar work, in our case other colleges, can inform the writing process. Using industry standard terms like Academics to categorize content will help visitors who have become accustomed to those terms.

6. Contact the web team for assistance with developing content or writing assistance

< >

Tone & Style

CONTENT DEVELOPMENT

1. If you have content existing on the MCC website, it will be recorded in our tracking system so that we can send you an automated email notice reminding you to review and update your content.

2. If you have a simple change on your existing page• Submit it using the Page Change Order button found at the bottom of each page• If your page does not have a Page Change Order button, it may be a pdf or data-

driven (dynamic) page, reply to the page change notice with your updates and if you have extensive changes attach document with the complete approved text.

3. Content/Drafts should be approved by Department Head4. Please check spelling and grammar on your revised content 5. If you are developing new content or just getting started its best to meet with the full Web

Production team.  Contact one of the team members to schedule an appointment.  We generally meet on Wednesday mornings, but are somewhat flexible to meet your needs.

6. Do you have time/date sensitive information on any of your pages?• Note when this information will expire as you turn over your content• We will use this as a guide to set up the tracking database that will send you

reminders to review your content. 6. Please provide timely response to developers on completed work.  This allows them to

progress to other projects and so that they can complete the transition to the live website while all the links etc. are fresh in their mind.

Content provided may be edited or rewritten as deemed necessary by the WDT

< >

What do you do now?

CONTENT DEVELOPMENT

A variety of information is available to you online atwww.mcc.edu/wdt/wdt_index.shtml current content includes:

• WDT Calendar: The current schedule of meetings, workshops and agendas

• WDT Contact List: A complete listing of all the members of the WDT, Advisors and Content Providers.

• WDT Links: An evolving list of resources

• Content Development: This PowerPoint Presentation and a MS Word Template is available for download

• Content Flow Chart PDF: Visual Flow Chart of the Development Process

< >

WDT Resources