Writing For The Web - 10 minute tutorial/refresher

Writing for the WebWriting for the Web

Introduction & Agenda

• Intro

R l 1 5• Rules 1-5

• Tea break (10 minutes)

• Rules 6-10

• Next Steps

© Job Crunch Pty Ltd 2009 Commercial in Confidence

Writing for the web - Traditional

Writing for the Web is not the same as writing for printWriting for the Web is not the same as writing for print. People read differently on the Web. They scan read—jumping quickly from one piece of content to the next. People are much more action-orientated on the Web. pThey get online to get something done. Words should always be driving actions.

Writing for the Web requires careful planning. Your content needs to fit well within the context of your website. When a reader finds your content, they need to y ybe able to scan it quickly. In order for your website to be found, you need to write for how people search.


Writing for the web – Why Optimise?

• Eye mapping research shows online viewer behavior on the left.• Cornell University research suggests that users spend less than 6 seconds browsing forseconds browsing for content.• Users click on the 1st

thing that looks like thething that looks like the right answer.Courtesy of http://www.mikemoran.com

I t f E i


Image courtesy of Enquiro

Writing for the web - Optimised

Writing for the Web is not the same as writing forWriting for the Web is not the same as writing for print.• People read differently on the Web, scanning content.• People are much more action orientated• People are much more action-orientated. • They are online to get something done. • Words should be driving actions. • Writing for the Web requires careful planning. • Content needs to fit well within the context of your site.• Readers need to be able to scan it quickly. q y• You need to write for how people search so your site can be found.


The 10 Rules

10 rules for writing effective web content:10 rules for writing effective web content:1. Know your reader 2. Take a publishing approach 3 K t t h t d i l3. Keep content short and simple 4. Write active content 5. Put content in context 6. Write for how people search 7. Write cut-through headings 8. Write great summaries8. Write great summaries 9. Write relevant metadata 10. Edit. Edit. Edit.


Rule 1

1. Know your reader1. Know your readerAll effective writing begins with knowing your reader. Write for your reader, not your ego. Your reader is not everybody. The most effective writing is keenly focused y y g yon the specific needs of a clearly defined reader type. Is your reader a middle class, female Australian, with two kids, who lives in the suburbs?

Think like your reader. Get to meet you reader. Talk to your reader. Read what they reads. Is there a common t l d t b i d t h th ?style and tone being used to reach them?

Use it. Put a picture of your readers up on your wall. You shouldn't have more than 3-5 core reader types.


Rule 2

2. Take a publishing approach2. Take a publishing approachPublishing is about getting the right content to the right person at the right time. It's about getting and keeping attention with content. It's about driving actions. gPublishing is about selling with content.

Back around 1997, if you went to many airline websites, you found a big picture of an aeroplane on the homepage. Now, you will find a booking process and special offers. Killer content. The first thing publishers

t t i ht i th i kill t t Wh t t t dmust get right is their killer content. What content do you have that will really drive actions? Put that on your homepage.


Rule 3

3. Keep content short and simple3. Keep content short and simpleLess is nearly always more. Remember, the one word that describes the scan reader is impatient. Here are some guidelines for the length of your content:g g y• Headings: 8 words or less • Sentences: 15-20 words • Paragraphs: 40 70 words• Paragraphs: 40-70 words • Documents: 500 words or less Get rid of all your fancy words. Get rid of your ego. W iti ff ti l i t b t h i ff It' b tWriting effectively is not about showing off. It's about communicating. It's about driving actions. Write simply. Get to the point. Then stop.


Rule 4

4. Write active content4. Write active contentThe reader has come to your website to do something. Your content should be written in an action-orientated style. Every sentence should be moving them towards a y y gpurchase, a subscription, a solution, a download.


Rule 5

5. Put content in context5. Put content in contextThe Web is about links and connections. Web content is classified and linked content. Never leave your reader at a dead-end on your website. y

A dead-end would entail no action or direction. It would not provide the reader a link to another piece ofnot provide the reader a link to another piece of information or a conversion point.

The nature of the internet is non linear and dead endsThe nature of the internet is non-linear and dead-ends lead to disengagement.


Tea Break (10 minutes)


Rule 6

6. Write for how people search6. Write for how people searchWrite to be found when people are searching. That means using the words your target audience are using. Make sure that every element of your page includes y y p gyour keyword at least once, and in the copy of the web page itself, the keyword should have between a 3% to 5% keyword density. This will aid you in your Google ranking via effective Search Engine Optimisation (SEO).

SEO: What is it?Getting a better Google rank via SEO involves strategically optimising the elements of your website and your web campaign in such a way that your site y p g y ybecomes popular in the major search engines. © Job Crunch Pty Ltd 2009 Commercial in Confidence

SEO: What is it?

There are 3 strategies you should follow to improveThere are 3 strategies you should follow to improveyour Google rank:• Include the most popular keywords in your

website copy even though you may not rank wellwebsite copy, even though you may not rank well for them. Your visitors will expect to see these keywords, and search engines will take note of them By including them you lay a foundation forthem. By including them, you lay a foundation for the long term - slowly but surely as you add more content, your rankings will rise.


SEO: What is it? Cont.

• Use the most popular keywords along withUse the most popular keywords along with 'qualifiers', either geographic or sector specific. So while it might be difficult to rank well for 'chocolate gifts', it is not such a challenge to rank well for g , g'chocolate gifts Manly' targeting a geographic area or 'corporate chocolate gifts' targeting the business sector.

• Look for niche keywords or markets that others haven't yet found. Such keywords have the magic combination of being relatively popular searches, but having little competition.


Rule 7

7. Write cut-through headings7. Write cut through headingsHeadings are the most important piece of content you will write because: • People scan read and the first piece of content theyPeople scan read and the first piece of content they often read is the heading. If it's not interesting, they're gone.• The heading is often used as title metadata This isThe heading is often used as title metadata. This is what the search engines use on the search results page.• The heading may be placed on a homepage as a linkThe heading may be placed on a homepage as a link to the content.


Rule 7 cont

When writing headings:When writing headings: • Keep them to 8 words or less • Make sure you include the most important keywords

C t t dj ti d iti• Cut out as many adjectives and prepositions as possible (and, the, a, of) • Be clear and precise. Avoid Shakespearean

f A id b i lreferences. Avoid being clever.


Rule 8

8. Write great summaries, sentences, paragraphs8. Write great summaries, sentences, paragraphsThe summary is the: who, what, where, when, how. It's about getting the facts across in 50 words or less. An objective of a summary is to make people want to read j y p pon. Keep them punchy and factual.

Sentences should be between 15-20 words. Paragraphs should be between 40-70 words. Remember, people scan read. If the first sentence in the paragraph is not interesting, they'll move on. So, always l d ff h ith f t l tlead off a paragraph with a factual sentence.


Rule 9

9. Write relevant metadata9. Write relevant metadataMetadata: What is it?Just as a library has a card index to catalogue the millions of books metadata was created to assist inmillions of books, metadata was created to assist in creating the same thing for web pages, it helps people find your catalogued content and web pages.

Metadata gives web content context and also aids in the Google search activities that your users will undertake to find the site.to find the site.


Rule 9 cont

Classification (categorisation) is metadata Focus onClassification (categorisation) is metadata. Focus on what classification terms are used on your website. Focus on how your content is classified. It is your responsibility to ensure that your content is properly p y y p p yclassified and segmented. Misclassified web content becomes hard to find.

Headings and summaries are metadata. Date of publication and author information are metadata. If there's one piece of metadata that every webpage must have, it’s title metadata. Every webpage should have a unique title that precisely describes the content on that page.


Rule 10

10. Edit. Edit. Edit.10. Edit. Edit. Edit.If at all possible, get someone else to edit your content. If you are editing someone else's content:• Take your time Good editing can take anything fromTake your time. Good editing can take anything from 30-50% of the time it took to write the original content. • Aim to do about 3 edits. • Edit first for style and tone Ask these questions: Is it• Edit first for style and tone. Ask these questions: Is it clear? Is it necessary? Is there a shorter way to say this? Is there a simpler way to say this? • Leave the checking of grammar and spelling until last• Leave the checking of grammar and spelling until last. For a thorough edit, print out the content. Get a ruler. Place the ruler at the end of the content and read backwards.backwards.


Bonus Tip: Make Content Authentic

Slick marketing tag lines don’t cut it onlineSlick marketing tag lines don t cut it online. Make content personable and targeted.• Make it relevant

U i d th ti t t t d t• Unique and authentic content stand outs• Make it personable and engaging• Create value


Good Web Copy Example 01 Content

“We have a strict ethical policy, which means your money stays squeaky clean. We do work to help the environment such as sourcing 98% of our electricity from renewable sources And we work in our local communities We don’tsources. And, we work in our local communities. We don t do this at the expense of our rates though, so you can enjoy a warm feeling inside as we take care of your heart and your wallet.”

It’s chatty (’squeaky clean’) but not chummy. Informative (’98% of our electricity…’) but not overloaded. The paragraph is short and to the pointparagraph is short and to the point.


Good Web Copy Example 02 Formatting

Users spent aUsers spent a longer amount of time (about one minute) viewing the original version oforiginal version of the content (left) but remembered 34 percent lessthan those whothan those who received the reformatted story (right).

(Nielsen/Norman Group images, used with permission)


permission)

Next Steps

• Compile your story structure in bullet pointsCompile your story structure in bullet points• Come up with key article section headings• Find 1-2 accompanying images

Fl h t d t b d• Flesh out your document body• Edit. Edit. Edit• Proof read and finalise• Submit to Job Crunch


Self Improvement

Writing For The Web - 10 minute tutorial/refresher