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.The website visitor path 2.Search engine optimization (SEO) 3.Your website audience 4.Writing for the web 5.Building web credibility 6.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 Another site Offline Direct Finds out about your site. Search engine 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 Another site Offline Direct Finds out about your site. Search engine 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.* *

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 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

Search engine optimization: page titles Find out more:

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:

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: attern.html attern.html

Writing for the web: copy structure Headline (One-second message) Kill the welcome mat and cut to the chase. - Jakob Nielson Body (Two-minute message): 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. 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?  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 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. 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.

Conclusion: Can be used to help site visitors find more information. 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?”

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 One topic, one page One idea, one paragraph 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. 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. Write clear page titles. Does the title of the page make sense if it is the only thing you see?

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. 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. Examples: Good link: undergraduate programs Bad link: this page Good link: RSVP for Discovery Days. Bad link: Click here to RSVP.

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 (  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:

Interested in becoming an expert web writer, or just simply learning more about the craft? Check out these resources for more information. Learn more: related resources Books  Crawford Killian’s Writing for the Web  William Strunk’s The Elements of Style Websites  A List Apart:  copyblogger: