Transcript Writing for the Web

Writing for the Web
AGCAS Training Warwick
December 2014
Steve James
careerservicecommunications.co.uk
TODAY’S PROGRAMME
09.30 Welcome and Introduction
09.45 Writing for the web. Basic principles
11.00 Refreshments
11.15 Writing for the web (continued)/Content other than
advice
12.30 Planning your campaign - exercise
13.00 Lunch
14.00 Principles of good web design
14.30: Group discussion: feedback from exercise
15.00 Refreshments
15.15 Theory into practice (our own sites)
15.45 Summary and questions
Writing for the Web
Basic principles
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Why and how students read web pages
Why and how you write web pages
Good writing – some ground rules
Some examples
But first…. whatever happened to print?
PRINT IS ALIVE! THE PSYCHOLOGY OF PRINT
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Encourages sequential reading and has a scale
that is great for lavish layouts or
in-depth
use of text
 For
R&R
 For escape
 For analysis
 To spend time in the front seat on the top floor of a
double-decker bus or in the armchair at home
THE PSYCHOLOGY OF WEBSITES
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Why do people read websites?
 You
answer this one…
WHY DO PEOPLE READ WEBSITES?
To find things out quickly and with minimum
effort
 Because they want to take action
 Because they want a solution to a problem
 Because they’re browsing
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WHY YOU WRITE WEB PAGES
To promote your products and services
 To inform students/graduates
 To keep them on the site and keep them
coming back because they don’t have to…
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How well do you galvanise them into action?
PAPER VS WEB
Linear
v non-linear
Storytelling v Actionable content
Anecdotes v data
Sentences v fragments
WORDS OF WISDOM FROM NORMAN NIELSEN
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Nielsen's description of the online reader: “Users are
selfish, lazy, and ruthless."
You, my dear user, pluck the low-hanging fruit. When
you arrive on a page, you don't actually deign to read
it. You scan. If you don't see what you need, you're
gone.
80% scan the page before reading it
Will read about 25% of a page - increases if
there are fewer words on the page
Dip in and browse…
MORE RESEARCH FINDINGS: THE DIGITAL FOCUS
Transaction or objective is all
 User decides which pages are key
 “I want to specific stuff, and that’s all”
 Strict preconceptions about what is readable
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85%
Desire to investigate beyond the transaction and access
detailed information now
15%
SCANNABILITY – THE FUZZY F
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Studies show that when users read web pages their eyes
move….
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First, along the top of the page, left to right, where the main navigation
often is, then
Down the left-hand margin, where you’ll often find secondary navigation,
then
Half-way across the page, looking at sub-heads and the beginnings of
sentences, then
Information further down the page is even more likely to be skimmed
Hence the eyes move down the page in a fuzzy ‘F’.
FUZZY F HEAT SCANS
HOT TIP
Map a fuzzy F on your pages and see what it
shows you.
RESEARCH: ONE TOPIC WRITTEN 5 WAYS.
WHICH WAS DEEMED MOST USABLE?
Each piece of copy was published online an put
to a focus group and tested for its usability.
THE ‘CONTROL’ – PROMOTIONAL COPY
Nebraska is filled with internationally recognized
attractions that draw large crowds of people every year,
without fail.
In 1996, some of the most popular places were Fort Robinson State Park
(355,000 visitors), Scotts Bluff National Monument (132,166), Arbor Lodge
State Historical Park & Museum (100,000), Carhenge
(86,598), Stuhr Museum of the Prairie Pioneer
(60,002), and Buffalo Bill Ranch State Historical Park
(28,446).
CONCISE TEXT (58% MORE USABLE THAN CONTROL
EXAMPLE)
In 1996, six of the best-attended attractions in
Nebraska were Fort Robinson State Park,
Scotts Bluff National Monument, Arbor Lodge
State Historical Park & Museum, Carhenge,
Stuhr Museum of the Prairie Pioneer, and
Buffalo Bill Ranch State Historical Park.
SCANNABLE LAYOUT (47% MORE)
Nebraska is filled with internationally recognized attractions that draw large
crowds of people every year, without fail.
In 1996, some of the most popular places were:
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Fort Robinson State Park (355,000 visitors)
Scotts Bluff National Monument (132,166)
Arbor Lodge State Historical Park & Museum (100,000)
Carhenge (86,598)
Stuhr Museum of the Prairie Pioneer (60,002)
Buffalo Bill Ranch State Historical Park (28,446).
OBJECTIVE LANGUAGE (27% MORE)
Nebraska has several attractions.
In 1996, some of the most-visited places were Fort
Robinson State Park (355,000 visitors), Scotts Bluff
National Monument (132,166), Arbor Lodge State
Historical Park & Museum (100,000), Carhenge
(86,598), Stuhr Museum of the Prairie Pioneer
(60,002), and Buffalo Bill Ranch State Historical Park
(28,446).
COMBINED VERSION (124% MORE)
In 1996, six of the most-visited places in
Nebraska were:
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Fort Robinson State Park
Scotts Bluff National Monument
Arbor Lodge State Historical Park & Museum
Carhenge
Stuhr Museum of the Prairie Pioneer
Buffalo Bill Ranch State Historical Park
The combined version uses all three improvements in writing style together:
concise, scannable, and objective.
FIRST RULE OF WRITING FOR THE WEB
Use scannable formats
TIPS FOR WRITING SCANNABLE COPY
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Main points first
Meaningful sub-heads
Bulleted lists
One idea per paragraph
Cut words savagely and carry on cutting
Use links – internal and external
Headlines, subheads, summaries, captions, hypertext
links, and bulleted lists. So these are great places to
use key SEO words and phrases
KEY!!!! BEGINNINGS OF SENTENCES
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Don’t underestimate the overwhelming importance of
getting the first 2/3 words right, since that's often all
users see when they scan Web pages.
Selecting the first 2/3 words for your page
titles/bullets/sub-heads is probably the highestimpact ROI-boosting design decision you’ll make.
SECOND RULE OF WRITING FOR THE WEB
Less is more
WRITE INTERESTING THINGS WITH SIMPLICITY
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You are careers writers.
You are web careers writers.
With respect, it is not your task to delight with clever phrases,
to charm with the mellifluous flow of language or to transport
from the real world to an imaginary one.
Whatever other values your writing may have, it is bad writing
if it is not immediately clear.
But it’s great if your ideas are neat and clever!!!!
WHAT GETS IN THE WAY OF SIMPLICITY?
1.
2.
How we’re trained to write essays
Our status as experts
HOW WE’RE TRAINED TO WRITE ESSAYS (1)
A typical essay contains:
 An intro that explains the themes and purpose
of the work
 An assertion
 The evidence for
 The evidence against
 On balance, your conclusions
HOW WE’RE TRAINED TO WRITE ESSAYS (2)
All of that mustering of the facts and preparing the debate leads
to:
 Hesitation
 Qualification
 Subordination of clauses
 Verbs which occur three miles into the story
ie a style that jams up communication
Popular writing is driven by incident: who, why, where
and when?
Here’s a story and some themes relating to a man with an inner
conflict who strolls through a meadow:
“The man in sunglasses looks happy enough as he walks through
the meadow – but he’s hiding tears of rage.
Care in the community is the last idea John would recognise.
Discharged last August from Priory Woking….”
The structure is very simple, the verbs are present tense and
occur near the start of short sentences.
And now the same story in essay form. Watch those late, continuous verbs
and clauses; the assertion and building of evidence:
“Take, for example, the evidence of a man who, walking through a meadow
while wearing sunglasses, seems happy enough. On the contrary, the mask
is a projection of the “Culturally acceptable totems” identified by Albert
Cruickshank in Identity And The Mirror (1). The fact that he hides his tears
behind the sunglasses is a metonym for “our [my italics] refusal to accept
that, as a concept, the care in the community model has failed.” (2)
1. Identity And The Mirror, Routledge, 1978.
2. Op cit.
THE PROBLEM WITH EXPERTS
They know LOTS and want to impart ALL
 They’re producers not consumers
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HOT TIP
Write for a busy person with a short attention
span
A simple style also works better for international
audiences
THE COMPASSIONATE PRECIS
Cutting text always results in a more readable
web page.
 Cutting text makes pages more attractive (and
more likely to be read).
 Think about the CV advice you give to
students…
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HOW TO CHOP YOUR WORDS DOWN
Be economical with words
 Your best friends are present tense verbs
 Kill the clause
 Treat adjectives and adverbs with suspicion –
and ration them
 Avoid jargon and hype like the plague
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Clear language often has a shorter character
count as well as well as fewer words
“Whilst every trainee solicitor wants as much
contact with clients as possible, the ultimate
client exposure is undoubtedly a secondment.”
(19 words, 121 characters)
“Trainee solicitors want contact with clients – the
best way to get this is a secondment.”
(13 words, 72 characters)
B is has more punch and saves 49 characters –
enough to up the size of those all-important
headings!!
THE LONG…
AND THE SHORT
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Behind schedule
Is of the opinion that
Commencement
During the course of
Gathered together
In attendance
In the direction of
In the region of
Owing to the fact that
Paid tribute to
At the present time
Give consideration to
Joined together
Different from
The whole of
Majority of
Non-attendance
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Local authority
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Late
Thinks
Start
During
Gathered
Attends
Towards
Near, almost
Because
Praised
Now
Consider
Joined
Unlike
The entire, the
Most
Absence
Council
THE COMMANDMENTS
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A good verb is worth a thousand adjectives
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Make the verb active
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In this day and age, a meandering policy towards…
Today, a company that meanders between..
The careers service launches a new programme NOT
A new programme has been launched by the careers service
Place the verb near the beginning of the sentence
THE COMMANDMENTS
Avoid negatives
Don’t say what isn’t happening, say what is. You can often get
round this by using words like refused, turned down, denied or
opposed
 POOR “No one hurt in car fire”
 GOOD “Family escapes flaming death”
THE COMMANDMENTS
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To be or not to be, that is the question
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There’s a lot to be done
There’s a lot to do
Must have, have to-itis
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There are many things you have to do in this job
In this job, there’s a lot to do
A good leader must inspire confidence
A good leader inspires confidence
THE COMMANDMENTS
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Don’t start sentences with subordinate clauses
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Judging by the number of cards on his desk, Mr Smith was a popular
man
The best sentences are short
‘You’ is almost always best
Speak the words out loud
BUT do not patronise by over use of empathy
Choose (mostly) familiar words
THE COMMANDMENTS
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Beware of repetition at all times
Vary the length and structure of sentences
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Rewrite if too many sentences 20+ words
The best construction of all is subject-verb-object
Dog bites man
And the best story is…
 Man bites dog
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THIRD RULE OF WRITING FOR THE WEB
Do it with impact
Answer your readers prayers
Answer the big questions
Say something new
Be contemporary and timely
Challenge your reader
Get them talking… and spreading the word
Be definite and strong
Answer your readers prayers
 Help! I want a job but I’ve got a 2.2
 How to sell yourself if you’re a shy job-hunter
Answer the big questions
They ask: “why do you want to work for us?” What do I say?
Say something new (to them). Questions they’ve yet to consider
 Apply the skills that get you through taking exams to getting a job
Be contemporary and timely
 Is it smart to use a smartphone in your interview?
 Remember, remember, the first half of November for consulting deadlines
Challenge your reader
 Think about what employers want… it can earn you extra £1000s
Get them talking… and spreading the word
 Check out the personal statements on your CV and those of your friends. Are
they as boring as this?
Be definite and strong
 Ru ne gd @ applying for jobs via email?
In an age of fast-talking, high-tech communication, it’s still a sin to be
casual when emailing an employer. It’s a note to a potential boss
not a txt to a M8!
And use humour if you can
WHO ACTUALLY READS YOUR PAGES??
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True answer is you never can tell so don’t make
too many assumptions
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Some users will know when the applications deadlines are
for summer internships, others won’t and may actually think
about applying after the deadlines have expired
Reader A is reassured that assessment centres aren’t about
cut-throat behaviour, Reader B thinks “What if others in the
room haven’t got that message?”
FOURTH RULE OF WRITING FOR THE WEB
Treat the masses as a group
of individuals
Give each a short piece of advice.
Vary your voice
CREATING A VARIED VOICE (1)
How many student voices are there? Attitudes,
emotions?
 How many learning styles are there? What
voice do you use as advisor or informer –
instructional, conversational, challenging?
 What are the user-advisor voice combinations?
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CREATING A VARIED VOICE (2)
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A CV touched for the very first time
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All presentation skills and correct
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Expert leading novice - suggestive
An expert’s dos and don’ts – for those with some knowledge
and willingness to try
Lightly grill your interviewers; they won’t fry you
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Challenging the reluctant to ask questions at interview
CREATING A VARIED VOICE (3)
Once you’ve using the rules of plain English…
sprinkle on those juicy expressions:
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Top of the heap
Business-savvy
Pivotal
Sound more interesting than
 First
 Is aware of business issues
 Vital
KEEPING GOING AND SEEKING INSPIRATION (1)
Think on the move – walk and write
 Mindmaps, doodles, ponder on pictures
 Seek the company of colleagues
 Seek the elephant in the room
 In your mind, edit a careers website with a
different flavour
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KEEPING GOING AND SEEKING INSPIRATION (2)
What careers articles would you get on these
websites?
AFTER THEY GRADUATE: A new title that gives parents an
insight into graduate careers
GLITTER: Neat careers, personality tests, Hello-style
gossip, true stories and careers advice
KEEPING GOING AND SEEKING INSPIRATION (3)
Use career development theory as a starting
point. What article topics does the following
suggest?
Holland’s theory: John Holland’s Theory of Career Choice (RIASEC) maintains
that in choosing a career, people prefer jobs where they can be around others
who are like them. They search for environments that will let them use their
skills and abilities, and express their attitudes and values, while taking on
enjoyable problems and roles.
WEB CREDIBILITY: IT’S ALL ABOUT REPUTATION
Loosely set by the standards of Google and its
various algorithms, which are driven by what users
want
 Google (and users) do not care who owns the site
(unlike a newspaper and its proprietor)
 It likes links, recommendations and referrals to
your site from trusted sources
 It interprets bland, samey, “all-purpose” content as
unlikeable, spammy, marketing behaviour
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WHAT CREATES AUTHORITY?
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Original copy
Copy with a point that needs making
Simple, snappy, writing that’s expert
but free of jargon
Clear paths between content
Keeping your user on site for as long as relevant
Useful (calls to) actions including links
A good balance between pictures and words
FIFTH RULE OF WRITING FOR THE WEB
Release your inner guru
But what is a guru and who are
today’s gurus?
You need to be an expert in one sentence in
the age of Twitter
Messages were new,
inspirational,
educational, slogans,
easy to remember…
 And delivered by new
media!
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Prophets have their tablets
 You have short sentences with active verbs
near their beginnings
 You need to be an expert in one sentence in
the age of Twitter
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SIXTH RULE OF WRITING FOR THE WEB
Good writing starts with
good ideas
WRITING NEWS
Who?
 Why?
 What?
 When?
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NEWS WRITING (1)
• Main points first
• Summarise the content up
front
What’s the first question
journalists are trained to ask at
the scene of an accident?
EMAIL SUBJECT LINES
Don’t be afraid to write in a style that sounds
ungrammatical, eg “IBM careers talk Friday. All
welcome – not just IT students”
 A sense of urgency can be effective, eg “Last
CV clinic this year – Monday 20th at Mansion
House”
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THE KEY TO BEING DIGITAL IS BEING HUMAN
The more digital your service becomes the
more your communications should give
students power over their lives
 Technology is not an arms race
 Promote your people services
 Identify your students' concerns and engage
them by giving them voices, plans and
messages that move them to happier places
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THE KEY TO BEING DIGITAL IS BEING HUMAN
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This is key to social media: writing about what
people care about increases the number of
shares
Information
 Informs your users
 Brings your users to you
 Inspires them to action
RESOURCES
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http://www.useit.com/papers/webwriting/ - Jacob Neilson’s site, also has
bibliography
http://www.useit.com/alertbox/9703b.html - more from him
http://econsultancy.com/uk/blog/6771-how-to-write-for-the-web-23-usefulrules - no nonsense advice
http://usability.coi.gov.uk/theme/writing-content/writing-for-web.aspx advice from COI
http://webdesign.about.com/od/writing/a/aa031405.htm
http://www.fatdux.com/blog/2009/08/07/20-tips-for-writing-for-the-web/
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Don’t make me think. Steve Krug. 2005. New Riders
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YOUR CONTENT STRATEGY
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What are the main objectives of your digital content?
(Web/social media/emails)
Who are its audiences? What are their learning styles?
How will it achieve those objectives and satisfy its audiences?
What are the implications for content in terms of tone and
style? 3 ideas for content that will grab students’ attention
3 messages that will make students think, and how you will get
those across
2 news stories that raise the profile of your work among
students
Writing for the Web
3. Principles of web design
Information architecture is the
structural design of
shared information
environments; the art and
science of organizing and
labelling websites, intranet and
digital communities to support
usability and findability
DESIGN DOESN’T MEAN ARTISTIC
Simplicity is better than complexity
 Logic is better than the wow factor
 Usability is better than beautiful
 Careful colour is better than in-your-face colour
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If it doesn’t enable the user to find things
quickly, it’s bad design.
What are the information channels in your
website?
 How do they convert behaviour?
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CONTEXT IS ALL
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Context is not always as clear online as it can be in print. For
example, reading an article in a print magazine, you will be
aware of the magazine itself and therefore the overall subject
that it covers.
Online, a user can find themselves in a deep content page of a
website with no idea what the website is or what it contains.
Make sure to help your users understand context using
breadcrumbs, clear and consistent navigation, and so on.
MAKE IT EASY FOR YOUR USERS
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Don’t put long streams of text over background images or patterns.
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Don’t use colour combinations that make text difficult to read.
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Useful website for both of the above points: “The world’s worst website” –
http://www.angelfire.com/super/badwebs/
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Remember that your design can be viewed with an almost infinite number of
devices and browser windows. Don’t assume that everybody is viewing the
website under the same conditions that you are. Design with that in mind –
different browser windows, different screen resolutions, different devices
and so on
CONSISTENCY AND USABILITY
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Consistency is key – across all aspects of a website including
stylesheets, navigation, image sizing, link colouring, etc.
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Usability and accessibility are hot topics in online design
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Useful websites: Jakob Nielsen on usable information
technology – http://www.useit.com/, W3C policies relating to
web accessibility – http://www.w3.org/WAI/Policy/
DON’T OBSESS OVER THE FOLD
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‘The fold’ is not a thing to be worried about –
although obviously your most important information
(eg logo, website name, heading) should be placed
first on the page.
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Useful article: “Myth #3: People don’t scroll” –
http://uxmyths.com/post/654047943/myth-peopledont-scroll
FEEDBACK AND REDESIGNS
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Your design can evolve based on constant, live user feedback. Use what’s
available – Google Analytics, user testing, on-site feedback, etc – but make
sure you’re prepared to act on what feedback tells you.
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Useful article: “Ten ways to gather feedback from users” –
http://idratherbewriting.com/2008/10/17/10-ways-to-gather-feedbackfrom-users/
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There is no need for a cycle of redesigns – it can be better to incrementally
evolve. An overall redesign should only be necessary in the case of a
branding change or substantial change of intent for a website.
GOOD WORKING PRACTICES
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Plan everything in advance – web design is, basically, software engineering,
and will benefit from a structured process.
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Useful article: “Successful web development methodologies” –
http://www.sitepoint.com/successful-development/
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Define your web team. It’s likely that at least several distinct groups will
contribute to a website and so they should all work within agreed limits and
liaise with each other to ensure that no single change to a website causes
unexpected knock-on problems.
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Document everything and never make assumptions!
CONTENT MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS
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There are hundreds of systems, or you could build
your own – analyse your requirements very carefully
and if possible choose the best system for you
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Useful article: “How to choose the right CMS” –
http://www.webdesignerdepot.com/2009/01/how-tochoose-the-right-cms/
Writing for the Web
5. Any questions?
Thanks for participating!
www.linkedin.com/in/stevejamesconsulting