Writing for the Web

“ Good writing…must capture the reader immediately and force him to keep reading.” - William Zinsser, On Writing Well.

Your Presenter
Aidan Crawford
Short Circuit Media
www.shortcircuitmedia.com

A Bit of History
2001 - 2004 Canada Life
2004 - 2005 BMO Mutual Fund
2005 - 2007 Critical Mass
2007 - 2010 The Clemmer Group
2010 - present Short Circuit Media

Synopsis
Keep it short
Keep it simple
Keep it keyword rich

Nature of the Web
Interactive
-Web users expect something more active than reading
-Content, design and navigation interact

Function of Content
Content serves four primary functions online
Communicate
Educate
Navigate
Initiate
Action/sale
Relationship

Content Managers
Know the purpose of the website
Understand why the audience visits
Create content to appeal to the audience

Create a Keyword List
Google Keywords tool
Add your site to the tool
Focus on words and terms that are low competition but highly searched.

Write for your reader (and Google)
Use a casual style – speak to the user as though one-on-one.
Be concise and clear.
Minimize scrolling on navigation pages.
Update information on a regular basis.
Use an RSS feed display on your home page to show the latest blogs.

Less is more
Web users have a very short attention span
Keep your text to a bare minimum
If you can find a shorter word that has the same meaning, go short.
Minimize use of cliches, superlatives.

Be Concise
Rule of thumb - 1/2 as many words as print but sometimes even less
Don’t be too short - brevity can affect clarity
Avoid vague references - be specific

“ Don’t write about the thing you’re selling. Write about the people to whom you’re selling it.” - Nick Usborne

Writing to Brand
A brand is a promise
Establishes expectations
Is an expression of what a company is
Writing for a brochure or writing for the web should reinforce what the brand is.

“ Helping people achieve more.” Canada Life branding message. You’d find it sprinkled through all sorts of communications online and off. Didn't speak to product, but promise. What is your promise?

Links
Too many hyperlinks interrupt text flow
Hyperlink to more detailed information from keywords to minimize scrolling - deep links
Don’t add links that will lead the user to another terrain of thought
Place links to other websites or resources at the end of the page/article
Open external links in separate window

Don’t Click Here!!
Write about your subject, not the medium
Avoid references to Web actions
Bad
“ For a list of resources about how to create an acceptable PowerPoint presentation, click here .”
Good
“ Use our PowerPoint resources to create stronger presentations.”

Addressing the Audience
Address the audience in the first person and they will:
identify with a company
increased confidence in its products and services.
Examples:
We pride ourselves in providing excellent customer service.
Our customers are our priority.

Tone
Talk to web users the same way you would talk to a friend – in a simple conversational manner.
Avoid lecturing or listing information.

To convey a customer service message, ensure the tone is:
positive,
enthusiastic,
believable,
appropriate,
human,
customer-centric.

Lists
Lists are an effective way to:
unite unrelated information,
draw attention to key information,
move the reader through the material efficiently,
improve the appearance of dense text.

When creating lists: keep them short; use ordered lists when sequential order is important (e.g. to indicate steps in a plan); use unordered lists to present items of equal status or value. Bullet points make the contents of an unordered list easily scannable.

The Active Voice
Eliminates unnecessary words in a sentence
Strengthens the impact of what you are communicating.
An active voice:
emphasizes the subject;
shortens the message;
clarifies meaning;
conveys a sense of action.

Minimize use of lingo and jargon
If you can find any other way to describe an technical term, do it.
If you must include an acronym, please reference what it stands for.

Layout and Spacing
Keep text line length to about 40—60 characters per line.
Do not use indentations.
Use one full line space between paragraphs or between heading and body text.
Use one space after periods.

Paragraphs
A paragraph contains a single idea.This idea must be clear in the opening sentence – the rest of the paragraph supports or illustrates this idea. Paragraphs should be kept reasonably short; break long paragraphs if possible.

When creating text:
keep bolding to a minimum and do not italicize
AVOID USING ALL UPPERCASE HEADLINES.

Creating titles and Descriptions
Be concise –
Titles: 80 characters max.
Abstracts: 256 character max. (which includes French, so we only get 70% of that).
Key words are important (ie. online writing, estate planning, investments, etc…).

Spelling and Abbreviations
Use American spellings and abbreviations if your clients are American.

“ Online, your brand is only as good as your customer’s last experience.” - Tony Russell

Writing for the Web

by Aidan Crawford on Dec 02, 2011

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Writing for the Web — Presentation Transcript