Writing for the WebPR Writing

We read differently on the web

Numerous studies have shown most we read web content in an ‘F’ pattern.

What does this mean?• We skim content• Our main attention goes to the

start of the text • We read the most important

headlines and subheadlines, but only selectively read the larger parts of the text1

1 conversionxl.com

Users will leave a web page in 10-20 seconds1

1 Neilson Norman Group

What does this mean?

• Identify your objectives• What do you want people do on your page?• What do you want them to do after visiting?

• Understand your target audience• Who is your audience?• What is your audience looking for?

Homepages

• Design the site with the audience in mind• Graphically appealing• Update content as needed• Consider user experience

Guidelines for Creating Web Content

✔ Clear and concise writing

✔ Organized structure

✔ Relevant graphics / assets

Clear & Concise Writing

• Make content scannable• Include most important information in first 2

paragraphs• Limit each page to a single topic• Include hyperlinks to relevant content• Use appropriate language• Write simply

Organized & Intuitive Structure

• Use headings and subheadings• Use bullets or lists where

possible• Use short, skimmable

paragraphs• Use bolding or italics sparingly• Avoid clutter• Consider how content will look

on desktops, mobile and tablet devices

Relevant Graphics / Assets

• Use relevant photos or videos where possible

• Avoid using too many graphics on one page

• Include an appropriate caption for images or videos

• Avoid using text in graphics• Reduce file size

Attracting Visitors to Your Site

✔ Hyperlinks (external)

✔ Search engines

✔ Social media

✔ Create blog

✔ Distribute an e-newsletter

Hyperlinks (external links)

• A hyperlink is a word(s) or image that takes you to another location on the web. This can be a web page, file (e.g., PDF) or an image. Hyperlinks can be internal or external.

• External hyperlinks (links from another web site directing people to your site) can increase traffic to your site

• Quality is more important than quantity• Leverage existing relationships• Focus on your audience• What types of sites content are they viewing online?

Search Engines

Search Engines

SEO stands for “search engine optimization.” It is the process of getting traffic from the “organic” or “natural” listings on search engines. All major search engines have such results, where web pages and other content such as videos or local listings are shown and ranked based on what the search engine considers most relevant to users. Payment isn’t involved, as it is with paid search ads.1

1 searchengineland.com

Search Engines

• Most of our online research starts here• Organic Search• Only 2% of go past the 1st page of search results• There are several things to focus on to increase how high you

rank, but quality content is the most important aspect• Paid Search• You can pay to appear on the search results• Typically, you pay for each click you get

Other Ways to Increase Traffic

Create a Blog

Social Media

eNewsletter

Tracking Site Visitors

• Tracking visitors is essential to measuring whether you are:• Achieving your objective• Achieving your target ROI• Reaching your audience• Providing good content

• What terms you need to know• Visits• Pageviews• Unique pageviews• Average time on page• Bounce rate