Writing for the Web The mechanics of writing a winning website Presented by: Amy Painter, Communications Specialist, National Sea Grant College Program (NOAA Research) Silver Spring, MD

Overview  Web writing versus writing for print. What are the differences? Strategies to keep in mind.  10 guidelines for writing terrific web pages: the “nuts and bolts”  Additional considerations: attracting users

Web Writing Vs. Print  Users read 25% more slowly from screens.  Web Writing Strategy: Write 50% less text (than you would for print).

Web Writing Vs. Print  No beginning, middle or end to a web site  Visitors may enter on any page  Web Writing Strategy: Each page must act as a stand-alone communications vehicle. Include links for each major page on your home page; include links to your home page on every page of your site.

Web Writing Vs. Print  Pages often continue below the screen, so visitors cannot view the entire page at once.  Web Writing Strategy: Get to the point quickly on each page and have something of value to offer early on each page. Put the most important information at the top so viewers don’t have to scroll.

Web Writing Vs. Print  Staring at a screen can cause eye fatigue.  Web Writing Strategy: Use short blocks of large type (minimum 12-point type). Also, use a sans serif for your text; a serif typeface is fine for headlines and headings. Choose eye- friendly backgrounds, background colors and font colors. amyp: Serif typefaces (such as Times New Roman) contain tails and flags which provide visual clues to the letters they represent. Sans serif typefaces (e.g., Arial) tend to homogenize individual letters. They’re best left for larger type uses (headlines and headings) where flags and tails can be a bit much. (This is good advice for your printed pages as well.) (E.g., white type on a light blue background is too much effort for your visitors, and most will give up trying.) amyp: Serif typefaces (such as Times New Roman) contain tails and flags which provide visual clues to the letters they represent. Sans serif typefaces (e.g., Arial) tend to homogenize individual letters. They’re best left for larger type uses (headlines and headings) where flags and tails can be a bit much. (This is good advice for your printed pages as well.) (E.g., white type on a light blue background is too much effort for your visitors, and most will give up trying.)

Web Writing Vs. Print  Monitors vary in size.  Web Writing Strategy: Test your web pages on smaller monitors or by resetting your own screen size and printing your page before you post it. Don’t make the user scroll right to see your entire page.

Web Writing Vs. Print  The web turns every surfer into a “Type A” (with a short attention span).  Web Writing Strategy: Give your visitors what they want, and make it easy for them to find. Break up your text into manageable chunks, and use headings and subheads. Get to the point quickly. Source: aboutpr.com (Yvonne Buchanan, Real-World PR)

How Users Read on the Web  They don't.  People rarely read web pages word by word.  They scan the page, picking out individual words and sentences.  A recent study found that 79 percent of viewers scanned any new page they came across; only 16 percent read word-by-word. Source: useit.com by John Morkes and Jacob Nielson

10 Guidelines for Writing Terrific Web Pages The “nuts and bolts”

1. Know Your Audience  Write to your audience. You’ll need to know the answers to questions such as: Who are they? What are they looking for?  Play detective.  Look at your hits to see which pages are downloaded most often.  See what they type in their search engine boxes. What keywords/subjects are they looking for? amyp: When structuring the site and working out navigation, remember the audience’s viewpoint. Design around their needs, not your own infrastructure. amyp: When structuring the site and working out navigation, remember the audience’s viewpoint. Design around their needs, not your own infrastructure. ScientistsEducatorsStudents MediaLegislatorsUser Groups

2. Engage Your Audience  Write a strong introduction.  Variety is Intersperse long sentences with short.  Use a simple, informal writing style and lay terminology when possible. (Formal science writing is not appropriate in most instances.)

2. Engage Your Audience  As you write, consider: F L O W CLARITY brevity e*n*e*r*g*y! engagement InTeReSt Readability

2. Engage Your Audience Ocean Explorer  Summary of key information with link to story. Writing is active, clear, engaging, informative, brief, interesting, energetic…Use of short introductions & simple prose.

3. Emphasize Your Impacts  Show readers what you’re doing for them & how it’s making a difference. Present information that’s relevant. For example:  Sea Grant research and outreach on Manila clams and blue mussels have resulted in new industries worth $19 million annually. These industries have created 5,000 jobs in the Pacific Northwest.

4. Utilize Graphics  Use graphics (tables, illustrations, charts, photos) that work with your text to entice readers and tell your story — not those that simply provide “flash.”  When using photos, remember captions. Boy eaten by horseshoe crab. Anchovies swim in circles.

5. Keep it Short & Scannable To improve readability, use:  Highlighted keywords (hypertext links serve as one form of highlighting; typeface variations and color are others).  Meaningful HEADLINES and sub- heads to GRAB attention. Avoid "clever" headings.  Web-friendly, legible fonts (min. 12 point) and colors.

5. Keep it Short & Scannable  Bulleted lists.  One idea per paragraph.  The inverted pyramid style, starting with the conclusion.  Half the word count (or less) than conventional writing.

5. Keep it Short & Scannable  Good Site Utilizes lists and links, one idea per paragraph, concise text.  Bad Site

6. Improve Page Navigation  Use links to guide your reader through the document.  State conclusions and link to supporting details.  Enumerate categories and link to lists.  Summarize and link to full-length documents.  Position them wisely to help the reader take advantage of them.  Don’t use too many.

7. Terms to Avoid  Good writing does not call attention to the web.  “Click here,” “follow this link,” and “this web site,” are self-referential terms to avoid.  To check for web-term overuse, print out your pages and ask yourself if they make as much sense on paper as on screen.  When telling users how to download information, write instructions for both browsers.

8. Polish Your Prose  Use the active voice, avoiding passive construction.  Match the tone of your writing to the ears of your audience.  Use a dictionary. Check spelling.  Develop a style guide for your site so that words are used and spelled consistently throughout.  Have someone else read your work.

9. Proofread & Seek Editorial Review An editor can:  Review copy for grammar, punctuation, content (accuracy) and consistency. Bartleby.com offers an excellent grammatical reference guide.

9. Proofread & Seek Editorial Review  Serve as a usability tester, providing feedback on your content and design. Note: Give your editor a checklist of what kind of feedback you’re looking for. Print out a hard copy for review and to make sure pages print correctly.

10. Consider Credibility Credibility is important for web users since it is unclear who is behind information on the web and whether a page can be trusted.  Use: high-quality graphics (in addition to your logo and identifying information) good writing outbound hypertext links Links to other sites show that you have done your homework and are not afraid to let readers visit other sites.  Make sure readers know who you are and credit sources of info. when appropriate.

Guide Users to You  More than half of web users use search engines to navigate pages  Users should know how your page relates to their query.  Again, highlight keywords, start your page with a summary and follow the guidelines under “Keep It Short & Scannable.”  Include in each page all possible query terms that can be used to search for the topic of the page.  List the most important terms in a keyword meta-tag together with common synonyms (even those not included in the body text).  Create a list of common terms for each subject area and make sure each is added to the keywords meta-tag.

Guide Users to You (cont.)  Create a title tag (no more than 60 characters) that makes sense when viewed out of context.  The first word is the most important descriptor on the page, so don’t begin with “Welcome to,” or “The.”  Give different titles to different pages.  Titles should have no highlighting or markup.  Titles should be written in mixed case.

Conclusion The bottom line is that Internet users are curious, information-driven people. If you can give them content that's written with energy, passion, and vitality... they’ll come back.

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