Writing for the Web

1. Writing for the Web Leslie Hilbert Department of Web Communications Chair, University Web Committee

2. Why does writing matter? It’s all about the users • What you want them to do • What they want to do • What they will do

3. Why is it different online? “Users are selfish, lazy, and ruthless.” - Jakob Nielsen • Becoming more selfish, focused • Task oriented • Don’t want to “think”

4. How do you engage these rogues? Create pages that are easy to scan. Users scan because: • They are in a hurry • They don’t need to read everything • They don’t want to read everything • They are good at it

6. Where do you start? • Be prepared to rewrite & restructure • Avoid just “throwing it up on the web”

7. Tips for rewriting • Short & simple • Use plain English (“walk”… not “ambulate”) • Eliminate needless words • Consistent • Chunked • Carewords • Prompt to action

9. Try to write about the experience… - Bob Johnson Consulting, LLC “Rolls-Royce has an obsession with quality appreciated by discerning customers” - Rolls-Royce campaign before David Ogilvy “At 60 miles an hour the loudest noise in this new Rolls-Royce comes from the electric clock” - Rolls-Royce campaign after David Ogilvy

11. Why short & simple? • People are impatient • People are in a hurry • They skim, scan, select, or search • They want to move on • And they do

12. Keys to simple & short • Eliminate words • Write short, straightforward, concise sentences • Reduce instructions (click here, scroll down, browse) • Imbed links to other useful information and resources • Use plain language • Use words your audience cares about • Focus micro-content elements

13. Users are looking for “care” words • Write for your audience • Know and focus on the tasks or goals of the user • Use headlines/subheads that catch attention

15. Focus on micro-content • Main idea • Headline & title • Deck, summary • Major points • Subheads • Minor points • Bold-faced lead-ins • Links • Series • Bullets • Lists

16. Frontload content • Key messages first • First sentence can stand alone • Start with the known • Link to details, resources and help

17. Use tables for data The City Museum, the premier place to see modern art, is located in Reed Park, next to the zoo, at 235 Park Drive, Big City, ST, 55667. The City Museum is open Tuesday through Friday from 10:00 am to 4:30 pm, Saturday from noon to 6:00 pm, and Sunday from noon to 6:00 pm, . Admission is $10 for each adult, $5 for seniors (that's anyone 65 or older), $5 for students (6 to 18 or with student ID), free under 6. Call 456-555-8899 for more information. Location Hours Admission City Museum Mon. Closed Regular $10.00 235 Park Drive Tues.-Fri. 10:00 - 4:30 65 and older 5.00 Big City, ST 55667 Sat. 10:00 - 4:30 Student 5.00 Sun. 10:00 - 4:30 (6 to 18 or with student ID) Under 6 free For more information, call 456-555-8899

18. Works for all sorts of pages • Stories • News releases • Blogs • Instructions • Policies / procedures • Documentation

20. Consistency helps users navigate • Establishes a visual hierarchy • The main topics are the biggest • The links are always green • Callouts will contain tools • PDFs will be indicated

21. PDFs • PDFs work on the web • Best format for items to be printed (5+ pages) • Long documentation that won’t be read online • Preserve formatting and intent • PDFs don’t work on the web • Primary content delivery or shortcut to delivery • Showoff beautiful brochure • Not as bad as monitor size increases

23. Making PDFs Work Online • Provide an intro • What’s in it for me • Make it searchable • Consider layout • Booklet vs tri-fold • Designs span pages • Cursor behavior • Consider size • Design for online delivery • Use large font size • Make it easy to scan

24. Writing and SEO • Titles • File names • Keywords • Links

25. Gurus • Jakob Nielsen – http://useit.com • Gerry McGovern – http://gerrymcgovern.com • Bob Johnson - http://bobjohnsonconsulting.com • Ginny Redish - http://www.redish.net • Steve Krug - http://www.sensible.com • Jared Spool – http://www.uie.com