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Writing for the Web J. Todd Bennett Managing Partner
| Date post: | 18-May-2015 |
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Self Improvement |
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Writing for the Web
J. Todd BennettManaging Partner
Knowing your audiences
Creating the content they are looking for
Writing it in the right style
Formatting it for effective scanning
Writing for the Web is…
Why good web writing matters
People read differently on the web
Users rarely read entire pages word for word
Reading on the screen is physically more difficult than on paper
Why good web writing matters
Web readers typically:Scan pagesPick out key words and phrasesRead in quick, short burstsAre action orientedClick and forage in search of bits of
information that lead them towards a goal
The game has changed
vs.
channel
organization
A lot has changed. It’s time to think differently about our
websites.
Know your audiences
Who are you trying to serve? What is important to them?
Success = how well you provide them with what they
want, the way they want it
Common Content Mistakes
Zipf Distribution
Long Neck
Long Tail
Because of ease and low cost, people tend to put everything they can on the web.
We have become web pack-ratsSuccess based on big numbersMany sites resemble a house with lots
of additions and no real plan
What NOT to do
Welcome people to your website and explain what a website is.
I would like to personally welcome you to our web page. We have put together a great collection of information and links to help you learn more about us. I invite you to look around and click the links to the left.
Blah blah blah, blah blah blah blah blah. Blah blah blah, blah blah. Blah blah blah.
What NOT to do
Put your mission statement on your home page
• Don’t tell people what you do and how you plan to do it, show them.
• Make your most important services and content available immediately.
• People came to your site to do something or learn something– make it easy for them.
What NOT to do
Organize your website and write content to reflect your organization
What NOT to do
Put every piece of printed content on your website
Large volumes of bad content don’t make a good site.
Simple rule of thumb: If your visitors don’t need it, and you can’t maintain it, DON’T PUT IT ON YOUR SITE!
What NOT to do
Use “marketese” or promotional writing on the web
Boastful, exaggerated
language reduces the
likelihood that your content
will be read or believed.
What NOT to do
Post a PDF version of a document unless necessary
Appropriate when the format and integrity of the original printed
document must be maintained, such as a
printable form
Writing Style
Traditional academic writing: Pyramid style
Lays the foundation with lots ofsupporting research
Builds to a logical conclusion
Takes a lot of reading to get to the point
Inverted Pyramid Style
Puts the most important information FIRST with supporting detail to follow
When writing for the web:
Catch your readers’ attention in the first few
words
Start with the conclusion, follow with the
details
Remember: who, what, where, when, why and
how
Only one idea per paragraph
Use half the word count of traditional writing
Write to be found in a search
Use words that your target audiences use when searching
Identify words your users search by:
• Ask them• Check your web analytics• Check your internal search logs• Use a service
https://adwords.google.com/select/KeywordToolExternal
Be clear, concise & direct
Use the active voice the subject does the action (e.g. “The president
released a statement.”)
Avoid the passive voice the subject receives the action (e.g. “A statement was
released by the president.”)
Cut wordy phrases
Be clear, concise & direct
Wordy, passive phrase:
In the event that it snows, the parking hotline should be called prior to coming to campus.
Concise, active phrase:
If it snows, call the parking hotline before coming to campus.
Concise word choices
Instead of… Use…
Due to the fact thatFor the reason that
Because, since, why
Despite the fact that Although
In the event thatUnder circumstances in which
If
In reference toWith regard toConcerning the matter of
About
It is necessary thatIt is important that
Must, should
Is able toHas the opportunity to
Can
Prior toIn anticipation ofSubsequent to
Before, after
Use simple words
People read simpler words fasterYou don’t need to impress web visitors with
your vocabulary
Tip: When writing, think about how you might say the same thing to someone on the telephone.
Use simple words
Instead of . . . Use . . .obtain Get
prior to Before
purchase Buy
request ask for
subsequent Next
terminate End
utilize Use
cognizant Know
facilitate Help
Provide Context
The Given-New PrincipleStart with something the reader already
knowsthen provide the new information
Example:“If your financial aid award includes a
PLUS loan, send the following documentation to the Student Accounts office:”
Use Parallel Construction
To improve readability, present similar content in parallel constructions— consistent
patterns in the way information is written.
People anticipate patterns when reading and grasp information more quickly when patterns exist.
Switching patterns requires more mental energy.
Use Parallel Construction
Parallel
View your purchase history
If you already have an account, sign in to view your records
If you don’t have an account, complete the new account
request form
Non-parallelCustomers can view their purchasing history with us online. To do
so, simply sign in to our online account system. Customers who have never used the system must complete a new account request in order to gain access to the system.
Sentence fragments are o.k.
Complete sentences are not always necessary
Avoid telegraphic writing Leaving out words like “the” or “a” May be appropriate for navigation, but not
in the page body
Sentence fragments are o.k.
Examples:
Fragment:Free gift with purchase!
Telegraphic writing:Customer receives free item with purchase of
book.
Use longer, more descriptive links
Your users should know what to expect when clicking a link.
When providing links in your content (contextual links), choose 7-11 words that are informative.
You may also choose to provide brief descriptions with a shorter link to inform your audiences.
Use longer, more descriptive links
Vague link:Directory
Descriptive link:Find a person in the employee directory
OrSearch employee directory
Contact information for employees, including email and telephone numbers
Introduction text: good or bad?
Most readers skip the introductory text on web pages. Intro text is usually meaningless (“Welcome to our
website”) Intro text is usually too long
It can be useful and improve the readability of a page if it is: A summary of what is to be found on the page
(Focused on: What? Why?) Kept to 1-2 sentences
Headlines and Headings
The headline should identify the content of the page immediately.
Headlines and sub-headings within the page break up the content, make it easy to scan.
Should provide visual cues
Should be useful
Headlines and Headings
Ways to write headings
Questions: user guides, policies, procedures Phrased as our readers would ask them
Phrases & sentences: good for subheadings in a long page of content
Nouns as headings: not as action oriented, so should be used only when it clearly identifies a user need
Headlines & Headings
Question: How do I apply for membership?
Verb phrase: Applying for membership
Imperative: Apply for membership
Sentence: There are three steps to the membership application.
Noun: Application for membership
Highlight keywords in your text
Bold, italics, color, font, and links are all forms of highlighting Should be used sparingly– once or twice per
paragraph
Cautions: Be aware of colors in your stylesheets. Don’t confuse
links and headlines with your highlights. Avoid underlines as highlights No wild colors, no flashing text– the point is to aid
scanning, not grab attention.
Use bulleted or numbered lists
Lists create chunks of content that facilitates scanning. They can separate ideas and allow for counting.
Use lists for:OptionsStepsItems
Use bulleted or numbered lists
For steps in a process, use numbered lists and action oriented imperatives (“open this” or “click on” or “do this”)
Example:
Register for a username
Log-in to the portal
Download the application
Use numerals
When writing numbers, use numerals instead of words
This is especially helpful when the numbers represent facts
Numbers tend to jump out when scanning text
Example: 5 instead of Five
Word Count: Rules of Thumb
To limit your word count when writing for the web, use the following general rules:
Headings: 8-10 words or lessSentences: 15-20 wordsParagraphs: 40-70 wordsPages: 500 words or less
