Let’s step back before
we move forward.
People visit websites to DO something. What
we’ll talk about today will focus on how we can
make that experience better.
Overview
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
The website visitor path
Search engine optimization (SEO)
Your website audience
Writing for the web
Building web credibility
Key accessibility standards for writing
Glossary
Content Management System (CMS) – Software that makes it possible for non-technical people
to update website content and images with no programming knowledge required. Content
management systems also separate the copy and images on a website from the design.
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) – This presentation will cover writing copy that is easy to
find with external searches (Yahoo!, Google) and the site’s own search. Tactics used include
incorporating keywords, descriptions, and following the basic tenets of writing for the web.
Keywords – Selecting significant words and phrases that someone would type into a search
engine or be looking for on a page and incorporating them prominently, yet naturally, in copy.
Keywords is also the name of a field in the CMS where you can list words and phrases in order to
influence your internal site search results.
Descriptions – A sentence or two of text distinct from the body of the page that displays as the
blurb in search results in the site’s own search, and may also be displayed on Google, Yahoo!
and other web search engines.
Hyperlinks – The official word for links. Links are clickable text or graphics on a web page that
take the visitor from one page to another.
Internal Link – A link between pages within the same website.
External Link – A link connecting pages from two different websites.
What do visitors want
to do on your site?
Read. Watch. Listen. Download. Share.
Visitors are in constant motion to get to the next
thing.
Web Visitor Path
Finds out about
your site.
• Search engine
• E-mail
• Another site
• Offline
• Direct
Visits Your Site
Leaves your site
Satisfied
Unsatisfied
Web Visitor Path: Today’s Focus
Finds out about
your site.
• Search engine ✔
• E-mail
• Another site
• Offline
• Direct
Visits Your Site ✔
Leaves your site
Satisfied
Unsatisfied
The importance of being visible in search.
UW handles more than 2000 search queries per
day. Worldwide, Google processes more than
one billion search requests per day.*
*http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Google
Search engine optimization
What is SEO?
Making your site’s content easy to find through
external search engines (Google, Yahoo!) and your
site’s own internal search by using keywords and
descriptions. But, always focus on the user first,
and search engines second.
Where keywords matter:
 Page title
 Navigation title
 First paragraph of text on the page (called
opening text or introduction)
 Links
 Keywords and description fields in the CMS
About Keywords and
Descriptions
Keywords: Keywords can help
search engines find information
on your site. If you decide to
write keywords, provide no
more than 5 specific keywords
that pertain to your page.
Descriptions: Describe what
the user can expect to find on
the page. Generally, the
description should be fewer
than 140 characters and
spaces.
Search engine optimization: page titles
Find out more: http://www.google.com/support/webmasters/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=35264#1
Search engine optimization: page titles
How to write a page title
1. Start with your target keyword – what people would search for
2. End with “University of Wyoming” + college, department or unit name
3. Target a max of 70 characters
Example:
You have a page about “Business Degree Programs”
Title:
“Business Degree Programs - University of Wyoming College of Business”
Search engine optimization: page descriptions
Find out More: http://www.google.com/support/webmasters/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=35264#1
Search engine optimization: page descriptions
How to write a page description
1. Include your target keyword – what people would search for
2. Provide additional context
3. Target a max of 140 characters
Example:
You have a page about “Business Degree Programs”
Description:
“The University of Wyoming College of business offers 14 fully accredited
graduate and undergraduate business degree programs.”
Excuse me, have we met?
The first question to answer before building any
website is “Who is my audience?”
Your Website Audience
Know who you’re writing for.
External Audiences
 Include prospective students, incoming first-year students, parents,
guidance counselors, alumni, community members, corporate partners.
 Won’t understand internal lingo, acronyms, department names, and may
have little or no background information. Examples (SEO, IT, OIA, COB)
 More inclined to use search vs. browse
Internal Audiences
 Include current students, faculty, staff.
 Have better knowledge of the school, and content may be written with a
higher level of assumed knowledge.
 More inclined to browse vs. search
Your Website Audience
Keep a clear path and section for primary audience groups
 Certain information may be universal – events, news, faculty profiles
 New visitors – how to apply, about us
 Repeat visitors – advising schedules
Quick. You have three seconds
to keep me here.
People don’t read web pages, they scan. Better get to
the point.
Writing for the web is different.
Web visitors want quick results---they scan in order to
find what they need, and then decide if they want to read
it. They also use search results to find what they want.
Web visitors scan.
 Visitor is hunting for specific information
 Scans the page in an F-shaped pattern
 Looks at headlines, links
Help them find what they want.
 Focus on your true audience, not search engines or
your internal organization
 Provide relevant, targeted information.
 Keep it short
 Include calls to action
Image source:
http://www.useit.com/alertbox/reading_p
attern.html
Writing for the web: copy structure
Take inspiration from a pyramid for your web copy. The most important information is at the top of the page, front
and center where the visitor will look first. The body copy follows through with additional information, and is
followed by a quick wrap-up or any other related information.
Kill the welcome mat
and cut to the chase.
Headline
(One-second message)
- Jakob Nielson
First paragraph
(Ten-second message):
 Introductory text contains keyword-rich description.
 Short—just a couple sentences.
 Answers 2 questions: What will users find on this page?
Why should they care?
Body
(Two-minute message):
 Informative links that highlight keywords
 Half the word count than conventional writing
 One idea per paragraph
 Subheadings
 Bulleted lists
 Conclusion & related info
One-second message
Ten-second message
Two-minute message
Writing for the web: headlines
Repeat your target keyword from your page title.
Writing for the web: body text
Heavy word count:
Each paragraph is
around 500 words.
Reduced word count:
The first paragraph is
200 words. Next, there
is a bulleted list, and
then a shorter
paragraph at the end.
So how much should I write?
Research shows that cutting your web copy in half can double the
amount of information users retain.
How to do it:
• Chunk your paragraphs so they are between 150 and 300 words.
• Use bulleted lists.
• Cut the fluff and get rid of empty words and phrases.
• Short pages may be 400 words or less. If you have less than 200
words, you might not have a page.
• Keep longer pages around 600 words.
Writing for the web: body text examples
First paragraph: Encouraging,
keyword-rich description that answers
the questions “What is this page
about? Why should I care?”
Conclusion: Can be used to help site
visitors find more information.
Writing for the web: body text examples
Body: This example makes excellent use of
headings and bulleted lists to make the copy
readable.
Writing for the web: page elements
Write clear page titles.
Does the title of the page make sense if it is the
only thing you see?
One topic, one page
One idea, one paragraph
Sample description
Page Title: Prospective Undergraduate Students
Blurb: Learn how to apply to SCHOOL and what
it takes to get in, whether you are a prospective
first-year, transfer, or international student.
This aids scanning and makes it easier for search
engines to find.
Break it up with lists and headings.
Bulleted and numbered lists make information easy to
scan and quick to understand.
Separate thoughts with smart headlines. Be
descriptive—not clever. If you need to, punch it up
with question words or numbers.
Craft solid descriptions.
Be concise and clear. Explain what the page is about in terms
that relate to the user. Use plain language—no teasers.
Writing for the web: other considerations
Use “old” words.
Use clear, concrete words in navigation and page titles. Avoid internal words, acronyms
and marketing lingo.
Every page is a landing page.
You can’t predict what path a user will take to enter your website. You’re not turning a page
in a book; each page must be self-contained.
Writing for the web: hyperlinks
Why you should link often:
 To guide site visitors to related information.
 Make the linked text stand out---this is great for calls to action.
 Links rank. To search engines, the importance given to a link is
credited to the linked page, not the page where the link appears.
This is why it is good to encourage other sites to link to your
website.
Examples:
Good link: undergraduate programs
Bad link: this page
Good link: RSVP for Discovery Days.
Bad link: Click here to RSVP.
How to make links that visitors want to click:
Link descriptive words and content, not dead words like “click here” or “this,” etc. Do include
calls to action, if applicable.
Can I see some ID?
Gain credibility with your website audience by
proper use of images and copy.
Building web credibility
 Design integrity: Avoid clip art or overuse of imagery in your content
areas. It makes the page look amateur when used inappropriately. Use
the UW Photo database to select primary images
(http://www.uwyo.edu/publicrelations/photodatabase/).
 Reliable content: Visitors respect content that’s comprehensive, current,
accurate and relevant to the audience. A good reason to put update dates
next to each one of your pages.
 Link to other great sites: Link outside of your site if someone has better
information than you or does a better job explaining it.
Universal design.
Better for everyone.
Simple design and copy techniques can ensure
that your site is accessible to all audiences.
Writing for accessibility
What you can do to help those using assistive technologies:
 The style of writing you are learning helps with accessibility. Breaking it up with
bullets, headings, and keeping pages on-topic will benefit the visitor who uses
assistive technologies.
 Graphics – Use with moderation. When adding graphics, sound or video, provide
equivalent alternatives if they don’t display, or if the visitor cannot see them.
Provide a line of text that explains what the visitor would be seeing or hearing.
 Contrast – use high contrast between text and background to maximize
readability.
 Avoid using text within graphics. If cases where it is necessary, provide a text
equivalent.
 EXAMPLES: http://www.webaim.org/resources/
Learn more: related resources
Interested in becoming an expert web writer, or just simply learning more about the craft? Check out these
resources for more information.
Books
 Crawford Killian’s Writing for the Web
 William Strunk’s The Elements of Style
Websites
 A List Apart: http://www.alistapart.com/topics/content/writing/
 copyblogger: http://www.copyblogger.com/copywriting-101/