Download - Writing Web Content that Works
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Writing Web Content that Works
Janice (Ginny) Redish, Ph.D.
Redish & Associates, Inc.
Bethesda, Maryland, USA
+1 301−229−3039
www.redish.net
May 2012@GinnyRedish
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Redish & Associates, Inc.
© 2012, Janice (Ginny) Redish Writing Web Content that Works Slide 2
Topics for this morning
Setting the context
Planning successful conversations
Answering site visitors’ questions
Organizing the conversation
Writing the conversation
Checking for success
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Setting the context
© iStockphoto
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Redish & Associates, Inc.
© 2012, Janice (Ginny) Redish Writing Web Content that Works Slide 4
Sharing stories
You use web sites that others have developed.
When did you last go to the web?
Why did you go to the web?
What were you trying to do or what were you looking for?
Flickr cc photo by theworldcafe
Share your story with your neighbor.
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Redish & Associates, Inc.
© 2012, Janice (Ginny) Redish Writing Web Content that Works Slide 5
What do people want from web sites?
© iStockphoto
To satisfy their goals
Content
Information
To do a task
People just want to
get an answer
do a task
solve a problem
engage in a social conversation
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Redish & Associates, Inc.
© 2012, Janice (Ginny) Redish Writing Web Content that Works Slide 6
Navigation and search are critical
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Redish & Associates, Inc.
© 2012, Janice (Ginny) Redish Writing Web Content that Works Slide 7
Good, clear design is critical
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Redish & Associates, Inc.
© 2012, Janice (Ginny) Redish Writing Web Content that Works Slide 8
Technology that works is critical
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Redish & Associates, Inc.
© 2012, Janice (Ginny) Redish Writing Web Content that Works Slide 9
But they all support the content
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Redish & Associates, Inc.
© 2012, Janice (Ginny) Redish Writing Web Content that Works Slide 10
Every use of your web site is a conversation started by the site visitor
How well does your site converse with your site visitors?
trails© iStockphoto
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Redish & Associates, Inc.
© 2012, Janice (Ginny) Redish Writing Web Content that Works Slide 11
You site converses well only if…
Your site visitors can
find what they need
understand what they find
act appropriately on that understanding
in the time and effort that they think it is worth
Find Understand Act
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Redish & Associates, Inc.
© 2012, Janice (Ginny) Redish Writing Web Content that Works Slide 12
Successful web contentand conversations
Your web content must meet both...
If you don't design for your site visitors' realities, you are not likely to meet your goals!
Your site visitors' goals (and their reality)
Your goals
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Planning successful conversations
Flickr cc photo by Polandeze
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Redish & Associates, Inc.
© 2012, Janice (Ginny) Redish Writing Web Content that Works Slide 14
Plan before you write
Think first.
Write second.
Why? (your purposes)
Who? (your site visitors, personas)
When and why? (your site visitors’ goals, tasks, conversations)
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Redish & Associates, Inc.
© 2012, Janice (Ginny) Redish Writing Web Content that Works Slide 15
Why? (your purposes)
Align with the business' overall strategy and goals
Be specific
Be measurable
Focus on your site visitors / readers
€
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Redish & Associates, Inc.
© 2012, Janice (Ginny) Redish Writing Web Content that Works Slide 16
Be specific
http://www.manageyourwriting.com/
Kenneth W. Davis
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Redish & Associates, Inc.
© 2012, Janice (Ginny) Redish Writing Web Content that Works Slide 17
Be measurable
When you write this type of content
what do you want to happen?
Proposal
Email to get funding to go to a conference
Report with recommendations
Instructions
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Redish & Associates, Inc.
© 2012, Janice (Ginny) Redish Writing Web Content that Works Slide 18
Focus on your site visitors
sell products
have people buy our products
inform people about ...
answer people's questions about …
tell people how to do [this task]
have people do the task correctly
We want to
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Redish & Associates, Inc.
© 2012, Janice (Ginny) Redish Writing Web Content that Works Slide 19
Who? (Your personas)
Whom are you conversing with?
Name each group.
Travelers
frequent
occasional
Hip, young professionals
SeniorsAlways name people.
✗ Travel agencies Travel agents
© iStockphoto
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Redish & Associates, Inc.
© 2012, Janice (Ginny) Redish Writing Web Content that Works Slide 20
What should you keep in mind about these people?
Add adjectives or phrases that describe them.
Examples:
time constraints (busy? multi-tasking?)
attitudes (worried? curious?)
subject matter knowledge
primary language
reading ability
computer and web experience
Not what content they are looking for. We'll get to that later.
No time. Don’t want to read. Just give me the information.
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Redish & Associates, Inc.
© 2012, Janice (Ginny) Redish Writing Web Content that Works Slide 21
Create personas to converse with
Epcor Utilities, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, used with permission
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Redish & Associates, Inc.
© 2012, Janice (Ginny) Redish Writing Web Content that Works Slide 22
When and why? (Site visitor’s conversations)
Flickr photo by rogerfer
© iStockphoto
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Answeringsite visitors’questions
© iStockphoto
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Redish & Associates, Inc.
© 2012, Janice (Ginny) Redish Writing Web Content that Works Slide 24
What types of pages does a typical site have?
Navigation
Destination – place to do the task
Multi-purpose
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Redish & Associates, Inc.
© 2012, Janice (Ginny) Redish Writing Web Content that Works Slide 25
www.napaanesthesia.com
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Redish & Associates, Inc.
© 2012, Janice (Ginny) Redish Writing Web Content that Works Slide 26
© iStockphoto
www.vizergy.com
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Redish & Associates, Inc.
© 2012, Janice (Ginny) Redish Writing Web Content that Works Slide 27
© iStockphoto
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Redish & Associates, Inc.
© 2012, Janice (Ginny) Redish Writing Web Content that Works Slide 28
www.ebags.com
© iStockphoto
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Redish & Associates, Inc.
© 2012, Janice (Ginny) Redish Writing Web Content that Works Slide 29
Flickr cc photo by Mr.Thomas
www.mint.com
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Redish & Associates, Inc.
© 2012, Janice (Ginny) Redish Writing Web Content that Works Slide 30
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Redish & Associates, Inc.
© 2012, Janice (Ginny) Redish Writing Web Content that Works Slide 31
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Redish & Associates, Inc.
© 2012, Janice (Ginny) Redish Writing Web Content that Works Slide 32
Summarizing so far Content = conversation.
Site visitors start the conversation.
Know your purposes, your personas, their conversations.
Converse with your personas.
“Hear” what they are asking and answer their questions.
Don’t hog the conversation – keep it short.
Make it personal.
Make it visual.
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Redish & Associates, Inc.
© 2012, Janice (Ginny) Redish Writing Web Content that Works Slide 33
After the break
Organizing – headlines, headings,key message first, bite / snack / meal
Writing the conversation – sentences and words
Checking for success
Break
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Organizing the conversation
Flickr cc photo by MoonpirFlickr cc photo by russelljsmith
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www.cdc.gov (old article)
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www.netdoctor.co.uk/diseases/facts/asthmachildren.htm
Don’t lecture.
Don’t hog the conversation.
Take turns.
“Hear” the site visitor’snext question.
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Break your contentinto pieces with headings.
Verbs – calls to actionmake good headings.
Notice the differencein headlines:
Physical Exercise
Physical Exercise:Getting Started
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Redish & Associates, Inc.
© 2012, Janice (Ginny) Redish Writing Web Content that Works Slide 39
For articles, use a medium length headline
Study by Outbrain.com, reported by Kelly Reeves, June 3, 2011 http://www.contentmarketinginstitute.com/2011/06/headline-click-through-rate/
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Redish & Associates, Inc.
© 2012, Janice (Ginny) Redish Writing Web Content that Works Slide 40
Include informative headings Headings help by
breaking up the information
making the information manageable
creating visual separation on the web page
drawing the eyes
providing context so people can make sense of what follows
Thinking about headings helps authors analyze the information.
If you write page titles, headlines, and headings using site visitors' key words, your pages will come up high in search engine results.
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Redish & Associates, Inc.
© 2012, Janice (Ginny) Redish Writing Web Content that Works Slide 41
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Redish & Associates, Inc.
© 2012, Janice (Ginny) Redish Writing Web Content that Works Slide 42
“Hear” your site visitor’s question after each sentence you write.
Start with your key message
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Redish & Associates, Inc.
© 2012, Janice (Ginny) Redish Writing Web Content that Works Slide 43
Nielsen and Pernice, Eye-Tracking Web Usability Also, see Redish, Letting Go of the Words, 102 – 106
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Redish & Associates, Inc.
© 2012, Janice (Ginny) Redish Writing Web Content that Works Slide 44
Layer information (bite, snack, meal)
Snack: quick summary;key message first
Bite: headline
Meal: details
Concept from Leslie O'Flahavan www.ewriteonline.com
Even the whole meal should be easy to digest.
NSF news example
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Writing the conversation
✔✗
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Redish & Associates, Inc.
© 2012, Janice (Ginny) Redish Writing Web Content that Works Slide 46
Keep it short and easy to scan
Flickr cc photo by pedrosimeos7
I make jewelry. If I want to sell through Etsy, how does it work?
Find Understand Act
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Redish & Associates, Inc.
© 2012, Janice (Ginny) Redish Writing Web Content that Works Slide 47
Converse with your site visitor
Caroline JarrettGerry Gaffney
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Redish & Associates, Inc.
© 2012, Janice (Ginny) Redish Writing Web Content that Works Slide 48
Use pronouns
Our prices depend on how much help you need and what we do for you.
Pricing of our services is dependent on the level of assistance and service chosen.
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Redish & Associates, Inc.
© 2012, Janice (Ginny) Redish Writing Web Content that Works Slide 49
Focus on action − verbs, not nouns
When you finish renewing online, you can print your
membership card.
Upon successful completion of the online renewal
transaction, printing the membership card will be an
option.
Renew online. Then, print your membership card.
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Redish & Associates, Inc.
© 2012, Janice (Ginny) Redish Writing Web Content that Works Slide 50
Use the shortest, simplest wordwith the right meaning We all read the short, simple, common words faster.
People inside an organization overestimate the words people outside know by about 30 percent.
"dumbing down"✗
✔ respecting your busy site visitors' time
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Redish & Associates, Inc.
© 2012, Janice (Ginny) Redish Writing Web Content that Works Slide 51
Helping low-literacy users helps everyone
Summers, K. and Summers, M., 2005, Reading and Navigational Strategies of Web Users with Lower Literacy Skills, ASSIST 2005, available from http://iat.ubalt.edu/summers/
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Redish & Associates, Inc.
© 2012, Janice (Ginny) Redish Writing Web Content that Works Slide 52
What's wrong with this sentence?
Interested persons, on or before June 14,
2013, may submit to the Hearing Clerk, 1000
Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Washington, DC
20000, written comments regarding this
proposal. Faxed comments will be accepted at
202-555-1234. To submit comments
electronically, go to this site:
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Redish & Associates, Inc.
© 2012, Janice (Ginny) Redish Writing Web Content that Works Slide 53
Always, think “conversation”
Try it.
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Checking for success
Flickr cc photo by Per Ola Wiberg (Powi)..away
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Redish & Associates, Inc.
© 2012, Janice (Ginny) Redish Writing Web Content that Works Slide 55
Read, edit, revise, collaborate
First draft ≠ final draft
Read your work out loud.
Ask someone else to read it out loud.
Don’t ask if they liked it.
Ask what message they got from it.
Listen! Then revise.
Work together.
Flickr cc photo by wakacheeka
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Redish & Associates, Inc.
© 2012, Janice (Ginny) Redish Writing Web Content that Works Slide 56
Do usability testing
www.usability.gov
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Redish & Associates, Inc.
© 2012, Janice (Ginny) Redish Writing Web Content that Works Slide 57
Walk your personas through their conversations
✔
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Redish & Associates, Inc.
© 2012, Janice (Ginny) Redish Writing Web Content that Works Slide 58
Janice (Ginny) RedishRedish & Associates, Inc.
Bethesda, MD, USA
www.redish.net
+1 301 229 3039
@GinnyRedish
Ginny Redish
Thank youObrigada