Writing for the web
Introduction •Writing and editing for the web are not the same as for print •Online you need to apply different skills and techniques to attract and retain your readers, get your message across effectively •The Web is a fluid medium and content has a sell-by date.
This guide will help you to:
•Understand how people read websites •Plan your web content more effectively •Improve the readability of your online text •Highlight the need for you to regularly update your text
Why is writing for the web different? •Reading from a computer screen is about 25% slower than reading from paper •Studies have shown that people are less likely to read long pieces of text on a web page than in printed format •Users prefer text to be short and to the point •Users do not read from left to right and top to bottom of a page; they scan.
Q. How do people read websites? • A: they don’t, instead, they: •Skim, scan, and select, picking out key words, phrases and fragments •Read a little at a time, mostly in short bursts •Are guided by headings, links and bullet points For these reasons, it is rarely appropriate to cut and paste from a printed document to produce an identical web version.
How people read websites
Implications of the ‘F Pattern’ •Users won't read your text thoroughly (79% of users scan the page instead of reading word-for-word) •The first two paragraphs must state the most important information •Start subheads, paragraphs, and bullet points with information-carrying words
How users find your page People can arrive at any of your web pages from any reference source e.g. search engines, links on other websites etc. Considerations: •They have probably not read all your content in sequence, so each page must be self explanatory •It is not necessary to link to all pages in the same section if this is already apparent from the navigation, for example.
1. Consider your reader •Why are users coming to your site? •What tasks are they trying to complete on your site? •Which pages are likely to be the most important for them? If you don’t know – ask some of your users! Understanding this will help you structure your site in a logical, user friendly way.
2. Creating a sitemap •The content is the essence for any site •Knowing your content helps you decide how to best display that information •Deciding how your content will appear to your reader is the next step in the development process •Draw up an outline or sitemap of how your information will be displayed. Contd..
3. Your page organisation • Group your information into categories that are easily understandable to your audience •Put information with less priority on lower level pages •The audience shouldn't have to scour your pages to find the relevant information •Your page organisation should be as planned as your selected audience and displayed in a equally thoughtful manner.
Know your audience •Corporate websites: efficient, informative, but approachable •Intranet: less formal, community-focused (us not you), inclusive Make your content USER FOCUSED
Structure your content Inverted pyramid
Inverted pyramid •Catch your readers’ attention in the first few words •Start with the conclusion and follow with the details (instead of leading up to the main point, as is typical in a paragraph) •Focus on key facts: who, what, where, when, why and how •Layer the information - readers rarely read whole passages online, unless their goal is to get extended information Contd..
Inverted pyramid contd.. •Only one idea per paragraph •Put brief summaries at a high level on your site, linking to detail at a deeper level •Use half the word count of traditional writing •Your web content should emphasise the benefits and not just the features of the King’s proposition.
Layout and formatting •Small chunks •Subheadings •Use bullet points whenever possible •Use bold intelligently and sparingly •Avoid italics
Keep it short Less is more: find the essence of what you need to say, and cut everything else. •Headlines: 8 words or less •Sentences: 15 to 20 words → keep sentences to one or two points and get key points across first •Paragraphs: 40 to 70 words → don’t write in long paragraphs •Break long articles/documents into several pages
Language •As simple as possible – everyday words •Never use a long word when a short one will do •Exercise care with acronyms; use only where it can reasonably be expected that readers will understand them •Use keywords where possible in all text, page titles, headings, image descriptions, link text and document / image names
Show, don’t tell! •Photographs on your website can support your message •Instead of writing long paragraphs to describe what something looks or feels like, try and capture it with an image •Do not to use an excessive number of photographs.
Dos:•Identify your key messages -what do you want the user to do with/find out from this page? •Put the most important information first. Then tell them the rest. •Write in clear, plain English. Avoid complicated sentence constructions, long words etc •Keep the text on your pages short and concise (average sentence length about 15-20 words) •Use keywords where possible – these are considered by search engines when ranking your page
Dos contd.. •Edit text written for print (web content should have 50% of the word count of its paper equivalent) •Try to make the pages ‘scannable’ by:→ breaking the text into chunks and providing meaningful sub-headings → using bullet points; these make it easier for your skim reading user to pick out key facts/messages •Remember that publishing is a two way process – content must be taken down as well as uploaded
Don'ts
•Don’t expect your visitors to read everything •Don’t use the same text you used on your old website or last year •Don’t use a PDF or WORD document because you can't be bothered making a new web page •Don’t use the same text you used in your printed material •Don’t state the obvious but do explain
Don'ts contd.. •Don’t repeat what someone else has said (better) elsewhere - link out to secondary information •Don’t assume that all readers are familiar with your working practices and terminology •Don’t USE FULL CAPS FOR TEXT OR TITLES. It is the electronic equivalent of shouting •Don’t forget about your pages - make sure you regularly read through them removing/updating any information that is out of date or no longer relevant or accurate.
References and further reading •http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/school_report/reso urces_for_teachers/9600548.stm •http://www.webteam.bham.ac.uk/documents/ Web_writing_guidelines.pdf •Leeds University (www.leeds.ac.uk) •Edinburgh Napier University (www.napier.ac.uk) •Hans Poldoja. Writing for the Web. http://www.slideshare.net