Writing for the Web

Writing for the Web

www.businesstrainingmadesimple.co.uk/coursesContent Marketing incl. Blogging and Newsletters

www.businesstrainingmadesimple.co.ukwww.businesstrainingmadesimple.co.uk

www.businesstrainingmadesimple.co.uk 0207 6085525

part of The Made Simple Group

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40 trillion pages on the internet and rising

Why does writing on the web matter?

Every minute:•571 new websites•27,778 new Tumblr blog posts•204 million emails are sent•Six million Facebook pages are viewed •100,000 tweets sent

Q: Who is doing all that writing?


“Writing, when properly managed…is but a different name for conversation.” Laurence Sterne, Tristram Shandy 1759

A: Everyone.


1. Planning your content.

2. How people read online.

3. What is good writing?

4. Bringing it together – good online writing.

5. Writing for Search Engine Optimisation (SEO).

6. Questions.

What we’ll cover in this Writing for the Web webinar…


1. Planning your content

Who are you writing for?


Identify your reader

•Demographics•Values and Beliefs•Get to know them •Why are they on your website, reading your blog/newsletter?•Give them a face and a name

Reader profiles


Reader profiles

Websites are often even more specific


- Business objective

- Theme

- Who is it for?

- Keywords to include

- How does it fit with your other content?

- Call to action

- What do you want the reader to do and feel?

Why are you writing this webpage/blog/newsletter?


2. How people read online

• 80% of time above the fold, 69% on left half of page

• Text attracts attention before graphics

• Numbers scan better as numbers than words

• Smaller type is better for scanning and focus

F-pattern


How people read online

Main conclusion: THEY DON’T!

They scan for:

•Easy-to-spot keywords in bold or hyperlink form

•Text that is aligned to the left side

•Bulleted or numbered lists

•Short bursts of text (and one idea per paragraph)

•Important content above the fold

Jakob Nielsen - “Web users are busy; they want to get the straight facts.”


Readers:

•Scan•Are promiscuous•Are impatient•Keep moving•Look for clues•Make their own path•Suspicious

and most of all are Task Orientated

Reader behaviour


George Orwell’s five rules for good writing:

1.Never use a metaphor, simile, or other figure of speech which you are used to seeing in print.

2.Never use a long word where a short one will do.

3.If it is possible to cut a word out, always cut it out.

4.Never use the passive where you can use the active.

5.Never use a foreign phrase, a scientific word, or a jargon word if you can think of an everyday English equivalent.

He also had a sixth rule: “Break any of these rules sooner than say anything outright barbarous”.

3. What is good writing?

Big Brother is watching you. Or maybe he’s checking what you’ve written.


1. Short sentences (max 20 words and mix up sentence length)

2. Active not passive. “We have helped thousands of clients.” not “Thousands of clients have been helped by our services.”

3. Simple words “Start” not “commence”, “find out” not “ascertain” “while” not “whilst”

4. One idea per sentence.

5. Use “you” and “we” not “the organisation”, “the department”

6. Use lists where appropriate.

www.plainenglish.co.uk/files/howto.pdf

Plain English

“A unique factor of the NHS Cheshire Warrington and Wirral Commissioning support organisation is its systematised methodology for project and programme management of small, medium, large service re-design and implementation.”


http://www.plainenglish.co.uk/files/howto.pdf

3 tips for writing in plain English:

1.Read it out loud.

2.Imagine you are talking to the reader.

3.Edit, edit, edit.

“Edit your manuscript until your fingers bleed and you have memorized every last word. Then, when you are certain you are on the verge of insanity...edit one more time!” - C.K. Webb

And then check it for spelling and grammar.

Plain English


Use readability statistics

Features and Benefits

“What’s in it for me?”

Feature•These boots have rubber outsole with traction ribbing. Sealed seams renders them waterproof.

•This accounting software has an online reporting feature.

•This car has 6 side-impact bags.

Benefit•Your feet won’t get wet if you wear these boots.

•Managers have instant, real-time information at the click of a button.

•You and your family will be protected from side impact accidents.


Features and Benefits

“So what?”

Bad: “We offer a broad range of kitchens and are well placed to guide home buyers through the process of buying their new kitchen.”

Good: “It is only by getting to know you, your wants, needs, and desires that Magnet can create kitchens that are as individual as you are.”

The 2.7/1 “You”/”We” ratio


Show don’t tell

“We’re passionate about …

•…customer care”•…print solutions”•…data entry”•…your plumbing”

REALLY? “Don’t say it was “delightful”; make us say “delightful” when we’ve read the description.” C.S. Lewis


Write like a journalist

• The inverted pyramid• Headlines• Standfirsts• Sub headings• Picture captions


Headlines

5 tips for writing great headlines

1. Use keywords: Good: Wimbledon 2013: Murray beats Djokovic in thrilling final. Bad: Murray does it. 2. Don’t tell the whole story (but tell enough): Good: Chelsea sign German star Bad: Chelsea sign German star Michael Ballack for a fee of £15m. 3. Write for your audience. For a football website that regularly covers West Ham, a good headline might be: Joe Smith become first Premier League player to admit he is gay. But an overseas website may just say First Premier League star comes out as gay 4 Keep It short. In terms of SEO, Google prefers short headlines with keywords, and they are easier to read anyway. 5. Don’t try to be clever. No puns, or word play, no “Gotcha” or “Harry the Nazi”. This isn’t a newspaper.


4. Bringing it together – good online writing.

1. Easy to scan

2. Plain English, edited and readable

3. Use of bold, bullet points and lists

4. Written for reader - “you”

5. Features and Benefits

6. Headlines, standfirsts, captions

7. Links

8. Call to action


Home page

Strong headline in bold

Clear standfirst

Call to action

The words “you” and “your” used 5 times and Mint only used once

Easy to read. Flesch Reading Ease score of 74


Landing page

Headlines and short paragraphs

Lots of benefits

Bullet points/lists

Clear call to action


Blog

Good headline – numbers work well in headlines

Lots of links

Numbered points, clear sub heads in bold, page is not crowded

Short sentences and paragraphs, one idea per sentence

Easy to read. Flesch score of 60.


Email

Newsletter

Clear call to action in the header

Lots of links

Good headline

Short sentences and paragraphs

Reader focused, “you”, “your”


Webpage

Headline and cross head break up text

Pull quote and testimonial

Links

Talks to concerns of the reader

Pull quote


Why SEO matters

5. Writing for SEO (search engine optimisation)


A web page that is the most relevant to what the user is looking for determined by:

What are search engines are looking for?

Content Performance AuthorityUser Experience

Keyword stuffing Purchased Links Poor User Experience

What search engines are NOT looking for:


“Modern SEO is all about crafting content so compelling that other people want to promote it by linking to it or sharing it, which increases your trust and authority and helps the pages you want to rank well for certain keywords.”

Content is still king…

Copyblogger, content marketing company


What I haven’t covered…

• How to come up with content ideas• Content calendars• Detailed look at different types of webpages – landing pages, case

studies, product pages• Style and voice• Calls to action


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