Writing for Web

By Anna YoungWriting for the Web

Why do People go online?

How do you check web-sites?

Why are things always in the last place you look for them?

Because you stop looking when you find them.Childrens riddle

Web sites are about solving your customers problems. Vincentflanders.com

People visit web-sites because:They need:- Information-Entertainment-Connect with others- Commerce

The difference between how we see people visiting our website\blog and how they really do that.

What are your favorite web-sites? What makes them your favorite? WHY?

The Best websites fulfill the users expectations with the least stress. - We dont want to read pages we want to scan them.- We dont make optimal choice. We satisfy. - We dont figure out how things work we muddle through.

Content is everythingThe thing that most web-sites can offer and that can make them valuable for their audience is CONTENT

The F Style reading audience useF - FAST. You have less than 90 seconds to convince your audience that your web-site\ your piece has some valuable information.

Users often read Web pages in an F-shaped pattern: two horizontal stripes followed by a vertical stripe

Interpreting the heatmapsan article in the"about us" sectionof a corporate website (far left);

aproduct pageon an e-commerce site (center);

a search engine results page (SERP; far right).

Writing for the WebUsers won't read your text thoroughlyin a word-by-word manner.

The first two paragraphs must state the most important information.

Start subheads, paragraphs, and bullet points with information-carrying wordsthat users will notice when scanning down the left side of your content in the final stem of their F-behavior.

Dont Make Me ThinkBe as obvious as possibleConsistency uniform layoutKey words

Because people focus on words that match:- task-personal interest- words in our nervous system

Visual Headlines The WEB is a visual Media with Headlines.- short-rich in information- understandable- predictable

1.Make sure the headline works out of context.New times call for new decisions2.Tell readers something useful.This headline is too broad:Make better, faster decisions with data visualizationContrast it with:Data visualization helps you detect and prevent fraud faster3.Dont succumb to cute or faddish vocabulary.Get the most bang for your buck with XYZIncrease productivity by 24% with XYZ4.Omit nonessential words.Caster, a technology company, buys Mitchell, with assistance from Jon & Smith, for $1.2BCaster buys Mitchell for $1.2 billionor Jon & Smith orchestrates $1.2 billion deal for top technology firms5.Front-load headings with strong keywords.(1)Behold the new technologies for creating 3-D imageryand(2)Creating 3-D imagery gets easier with new technologies

Visual FunctionalityOn a Web page successful communication is influenced by

- Text on the screen- Page layout-Images: graphics and photo- Color

Satisfaction or irritation?If visitors find webpage confusing and difficult to use, many will click away, feeling irritated and unfulfilled.

If audience feels like they have a sense of mastery over a web site, they will achieve their goals and find satisfaction with the experience.

Web habitsConsumers stick with one web-site as long as it delivers the information they want. Rarely do web users start and finish the web session in one place. Scanning and searching

Reading on the computer is tiresome

People arent readingThey are scanningProvide visual hierarchy on a web page with text size, color and emphasis.

Prominence The more important something is the more prominent it is. For instance, the most important headings are eitherLarger or bold or in a distinctive color

Set off by more white space

Steve Krug, Dont Make Me Think

Eyecatching source:http://www.useit.com/alertbox/reading_pattern.html

How to write?Inverted Pyramid is the Best

Five Ws of journalism:

Who, What, When, Where, and Why.

The Inverted Pyramidhttp://journalism-education.cubreporters.org/2010/08/journalism-story-structure.html

The Martini GlassThe Kabob

Get to the PointOnly 16% of web-users read everything word by word79% scan for words or sentences

A MustHeadlines less than 8 wordsSentences less than 20 wordsParagraphs les than 70 wordsPages less than 400 words

WEB ReadabilityDivide information into logical segmentsOne idea per paragraphHighlighted key wordsSubheads

Dont ComplicateThe computer screen provides only limited viewThe consumer would have to remember what theyve readChunking information help to orientate the reader

HyperlinkingNever say for more information click here Instead link the words that best describe additional content

Headlines and Search EnginesHeadlines should include obvious words that people would use when searching

Try to be differentDont be afraid to be different. In fact, being different is the advantage on the market place where there are fifty thousand (sources) on the topic you have chosen.

Manolo. B

Be ActiveActive Verbs

Active Voice

Know Your readersKeep in mind who you are writing for- while-before- afterYou wrote a story.

Constantly ask Why should the reader care?How can I make this information useful for my readers? How can I make this content more interactive?

How to writeWriteReadCutSet asideCut moreProofreadPost

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