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Essential Web Writing Techniques for Effective Communication

Discover the fundamentals of web writing that enhance user experience and communication effectiveness. This guide covers the do's and don'ts of web content, emphasizing the importance of structure, readability, language, and audience engagement. Learn to create scannable content, employing headings, lists, and clear summaries to accommodate how users read online. Understand the significance of usability studies and best practices for presenting information effectively, ensuring your web writing stands out and serves your audience's needs.

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Essential Web Writing Techniques for Effective Communication

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  1. WWW: Writing for the Wired World International Association of Business Communicators November 28, 2001 Darlene Fichter www.lights.com

  2. Overview • Web Writing - Do’s & Don’ts • Format • Scanning • Style • Language • Jargon

  3. Hearsay or Research? Usability Studies • Observed and tested thousands of people using the web www.usability.gov www.useit.com Stephen Krug, Don’t Make Me Think

  4. Reading & Writing • Goal is to communicate • Strategy • Key messages • Your audience There is nothing more important than the strategy phase. If you don’t spend time on it, it’s like being on a dark road without your headlights on. Drue Miller, Webmistress Vivid Studios

  5. How Users Read on Screens • How do people read on the screen? • Top to bottom • Left to right • Focus first on the micro-content • Scroll to the bottom • Only after failing - side menu - top menu

  6. Reading • 25% slower on the screen • Arial or Times Roman fonts at 12 pt are the most legible

  7. Users Don’t Read • People who are looking for information on the web, they don't READ, they SCAN. • Most people WILL NOT read instructions or HELP.

  8. What if they need to read? Tips: • Provide a good headline and summary. • Make it easy to print the 20 page report or pieces of a 100 page report. • Make sure that longer documents are indexed!

  9. Long HTML Documents • Chunk it • Present a “model” that the users grasp • Offer internal navigation • page to page • back to section • back to table of contents

  10. “Scanability” • Create headings and subheadings • Be consistent • use font and/or color to offset headings

  11. Which is easiest to read? Anatomy Biology Biotechnology Chemistry Microbiology Physics Zoology • Anatomy • Biology • Biotechnology • Chemistry • Microbiology • Physics • Zoology Anatomy Biology Biotechnology Chemistry Microbiology Physics Zoology Research says: List with bullets

  12. Tabular Content Books 20th Century Journals Electronic Books Modernism Impressionism Art Format 20th Century Books Modernism Journals Impressionism Electronic Research says: Use Categories

  13. Scanning for Links How to Find Information • Search the catalogue • Browse by subject • For e-books, click here • Visit our list of web links

  14. Scan for Links • Make the links in your text meaningful. • Make visited and unvisited links contrast with the base font color and with each other. • Designing for scent – Jared Spool 4-9 words

  15. Style • Concise • Pyramid style (newspaper) • Scanning – lists, lists and more lists • Looks a lot like PowerPoint

  16. Language • Use the language of your users • Ambiguity is a problem • Provide context

  17. Classic Mistakes • Web sites are full of jargon • Organized by internal departments and use internal names

  18. Other Important Writing Tasks 404 Document Not Found • Errors • Should stand out from other text • Should be comprehensible

  19. Things to Avoid • “Marketese” • Anything that sounds like “advertising” is a complete turn off … the best, the biggest …

  20. What works? Have you ever been at a web development meeting where people debated the size of an image or the color of link or a label for hours?

  21. “Cookie” Test • Preference or “cookie” testing • My Account • Your Account Status • Chequing Account • Login

  22. Paper Mockups • Test pages and ask where would you click to do X, Y and Z?

  23. Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery • Test someone else’s page or site

  24. Task Based Testing • Real users doing typical tasks • Observers • Analysis

  25. Secret to Writing for the Wired World • Observe, test, and learn • Test some more

  26. Thank you! • Questions? • Darlene Fichter Northern Lights Internet Solutions Ltd. • Web Sites Usability & Writing • http://www.lights.com/talks/

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