Writing and

Organizing Content

for the Web

Before you get started…

Who is your audience?

What are the key tasks when they

visit your site?

How users read on the Web

Users SCAN the web (79%)

Looking for information and want to get things done

Users detest promotional writing style

Almost always have a goal in mind

Scan to find relevant keywords and phrases / info

Eyes land on what they need and they skip the rest

Only read about 20-30% of words on the page!

“Solution hunting”

Web content should be:

Clear

Concise

Scannable

Some say to use only half the number of words in a similar

printed piece!

Clear

Conversational and informal

One topic per page – keep users’ goals in mind

No jargon or technical terms (or define them quickly up

front)

Easy to search / keywords

“Speak the user’s language” (Nielsen)

Concise

Get to the point!

Short words, short sentences, short paragraphs, short

pages

Don’t repeat content within the page or on other pages

(link to those other pages instead)

Keep top-level pages (like home pages or topic indexes)

lean

Place “legalese” and long descriptions or narratives on

lower-level pages

Scannable

Most important information in first paragraph

Conclusions at the top (not the end)

Immediately available goals

One idea per paragraph

Short, informative headers to break up topics / text

Bulleted lists (instead of long narrative paragraphs)

Page titles and headings

Short and scannable

Clearly summarize content

“Content-carrying words” (or keywords) up front

Unique name for each page or section

Use HTML tags (H1 for page title, H2 under that, etc.)

All About eGrades, the New Electronic Grading System at UCSD

Better page title: Using eGrades

Best: eGrades

Accessibility

A concise, well-organized page is also best for: Blind / vision-impaired users

Screen-reading devices need properly formatted page titles and headers to function properly

Mobile devices / smaller screens

Brainstorming/Pre-writing

Purpose

Audience

Duration

Content

10

Principles - 1

Write

short

Notice each

section on the

page at the right

is very short.

That’s good.

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Principles - 2Don’t clutter

Too many people want to put way too much on a

page, especially their home page.

Here’s one that didn’t. A successful company:

12

Principles - 3“Chunking”

-- another way of saying “writing short”

Write small bits of succinct copy.

Why?

Because readers scan web copy.

And because it takes longer to read words on a screen.

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1. Short. Succinct. (14 words per sentence

maximum, according to American Press

Institute)

2. One uninterrupted idea.

3. No transitions from one idea to the next.

Principles - 4

Subheads… remember, readers will scan

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This is part of the

AARP home page…

Notice the chunks

and subheads on the

left and on the

bottom…

www.aarp.org

1. Read your headline out loud.

2. Get pumped up before you write

3. Get to the point. Keep it

simple.

4. Write a bunch of headlines.

5. Examine your subject.

6. Write in one or two syllable words.

Principles - 5

Links:

Create links rather

than more copy

whenever possible

Remember, readers

will scan…

The UIS home page is

mostly hyperlinks.

Easy to navigate.

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Principles - 6Is longer copy EVER OK

on the web?

Yes.

But usually not on the first page.

Because readers scan web copy.

Readers will go to long stuff if they

really want it.

It’s better to start with something short.

Then create a link to the longer piece.

That’s what newspapers and CNN do.

You get to longer stuff with chunks and

links and subheads.

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Principles - 7 Home Page

Subheads

List of related links

Possibly images

Other Pages

Introductory topical paragraph (95% of readers read)

List of related links

LOTS of subheads

Possibly images

17

Principles – 8

Style/Tone

Use actions verbs

Write to your readers – use “you”

Write about your reader

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Revise content with an eye for your audience and to

keep content up to date

Edit for grammar and punctuation errors

Proofread for typos

Principles – 9

Principles – 10

Organization

Bullet and number lists

One or two lines

5-9 items per list

Spacing

Space between paragraphs or sentences

Use heading styles to separate subhead categories

Use columns to separate navigation and main text

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Worst Practices

Cluttering a page with too many key words and long

paragraphs.

Taking something you’ve written for print and just

putting it onto a web site and calling that your good

web site. Instead, use the principles above and rework

your material for web readability.

Technical references – internet, world wide web,

computers or servers, files, etc.

Underlining text that is not a hyperlink

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Marketing Strategies for engaging

the digital generation

Going Digital – The evolution of Marketing

Strategic Thinking

Your Window to the digital World

The search for success

Website Intelligence and ROI

E-Mail Marketing

Social Media and Online Consumer engagement

A lot to look forward to…

Content Marketing Features

Strategy Development

Ideation

Content Creation

Optimization

Content Promotion

Distribution

Lead Nurture

Measurement

Strategy Development Without a strategy, your content can’t go far. Explore

the different ways to plan your content by asking the

right questions before you even get started. Who is my

audience? Who am I? What content can I create? And

most importantly: what should be different a year from

now?

Ideation

You have a plan, now you need the ideas to implement

it with. Discover hundreds of ways to come up with

topic ideas through online tools, polls and

brainstorming, and other research-based methods. No

business is too boring for content; you just need to

know where to look.

Content Creation

There are many ways to create content, but what’s

right for your business? Get schooled on the types of

formats that are available to you: blogs, webinars, free

guides, infographics, videos, etc. Walk away with an

understanding of all the available possibilities and

which may work best for you.

Optimization

You can’t just press Publish and expect the traffic to

start flowing in. You need to optimize your content to

be found, by both humans and the search bots. Learn

how to set up your content properly for success and be

found for the search terms and phrases people are

looking for.

Content Promotion

Give your content legs by understanding the

promotional landscape today and how a little money or

a little networking goes a long way. Go in depth into

which platforms and techniques are most effective, and

how to get more eyes on your content.

Distribution

There are channels out there that can help increase the visibility of your content more than you could on your own. House your content on platforms like YouTube, Pinterest, Slideshare and more. Learn what platforms are most effective for what and how to utilize them to fulfill your content marketing goals.

Lead Nurture

You’ve done all the work to generate traffic and

conversions from your content marketing, but now

what? Don’t let your leads sit there untouched. Walk

away with the knowledge of how automation and email

nurturing works to move your leads closer to a sale.

Measurement

Measurement is a consistent process that should be

happening all along the content marketing journey. Get

acquainted with the tools to use to understand your

successes and failures. Learn how to adjust your

content strategy to get the most optimal performance

in the future.

DEFINITION OF CONTENT

MARKETING

Content Marketing Is a Strategic Marketing

Approach Focused On Creating and Distributing

Valuable, Relevant and Consistent To Attract and

Retain a Clearly-Defined Audience – And Ultimately

Drive Profitable Customer Action.

MARKETERS PUTTING $$ INTO

CONTENT, VISIBILITY

THE ELEMENTS OF CONTENT

MARKETING STRATEGY

Marketers Must

Create Excellent Content

Select Platforms to Distribute Content

Optimize Platforms

Repurpose Content as Necessary

Create Visibility to Attract Audience

Analyze Results, Improve Strategy

Content Quality

Developing The Brand Story Through Content

Creating Quality Content That Engages Viewers

The Goal is Not the MOST; It is the BEST!

Content Formats

TYPES OF CONTENT “THAT

GOOGLE WILL EAT UP”

Interviews

Lists

Resource Centers

Social Content

Polls and Surveys

And 12 more—not necessarily in rank order

Search Engines Demand “Quality” Content.

QUALITY—GOOGLE’S

DEFINITION

“Make pages primarily for users, not search engines

Don’t deceive your users

Avoid tricks intended to improve search engine rankings. A

good rule of thumb is whether you'd feel comfortable

explaining what you've done to a website that competes with

you, or to a Google employee. Another useful test is to ask,

"Does this help my users? Would I do this if search engines

didn't exist?"

Think about what makes your website unique, valuable, or

engaging. Make your website stand out from others in your

field. “

Followed by Specific “Don’ts”

STORYTELLING IS A VITAL PART OF

CONTENT MARKETING

Where Do Stories Come From?

Tell Why Your Business History Makes You What You Are

What Makes Your Brand Special

What’s Special About Your Business Locations/Stores

A Look Behind the Scenes at Your Company

Who Are the People That Make Your Brand Great

Employees and Customers

HOW TO TELL GOOD STORIES

Make Your Stories Unique and Compelling

Use a Variety of Content Formats

A ‘Transmedia’ Strategy

Be Sure Your Story is Worth Sharing—And Make it Easy to

Share!

USE OF CONTENT MARKETING

CHANNELS

B2B

Social Media, except

blogs

Articles on Website

eNewsletters

In-Person Events and

many more

B2C

Social Media, except

blogs

Articles on Website

eNewsletters

Videos and many

more

OPTIMIZED STRATEGY

OPTIMIZED STRATEGY = CONTENT + SEO +

SOCIAL

Define Business Goals

Research the Nature, Wants, Social Media Use of Target

Audience

Create a Content Marketing Plan/Workflow/Calendar

Publish Content on Selected Platforms

Promote the Content in Social Media

Analyze with Relevant Analytics, KPIs

Developing Visibility To

Acquire New Customers

And Create Loyalty In

Existing Customers

SEARCH REMAINS MOST IMPORTANT

CHANNEL FOR

CUSTOMER ACQUISITION

What do we currently know & why is it

important?

What do we currently know? Social media has become part of our everyday lives

There are nearly 850 millions users on Facebook

23% of Facebook users check their account 5+ times a day

80% of social users prefer to connect with brands through Facebook

In 2012, there were 175 million tweets sent every day

32% of all Internet users are using Twitter

11 new accounts are created every second on Twitter

Social is (and will continue to be) visual-dependent:

250 million photos are uploaded to Facebook every day

5 million photos are uploaded to Instagram every day

5 Vines are shared every second

Why is it important?

The influence of social recommendations (specifically amongst

Millennials: who fall between the ages of 16 – 29)

Why is it important?

The ability to inspire travel through social content

Why is it important?

The Big Question:

Social ROI to the $$ with destination marketing?

We can influence & inspire travel through visual & resourceful content

We can stimulate exchange and interaction between brand & community

1. Goals & Objectives

• What is it that you’re trying to accomplish?

Foster relationships?

Generate awareness?

Drive traffic to your website?

Inspire travel to your destination?

Create a social presence as a customer service outlet?

2. Content Strategy

• What is it that you’re going to say?

• How do you plan to say it?

3. Resources & Process

• What’s available content & resource-wise?

• Do you have the bandwidth? Full-time commitment

How do you get started?

How to maximize your efforts?

What to publish

When to publish

How to publish

How to maximize your efforts?

What to publish

When to publish

How to publish

Content Buckets:

3-4 content subjects/topics that are relevant to your brand/destination

What content is already available?

What types of content can you develop?

What content can you regularly curate?

How to maximize your efforts?

What to publish

When to publish

How to publish

Determine when your audience wants to hear from you:

AM/PM, daily vs. weekly, frequency & volume

“When would you like to see this post?”

Trial, error & optimization

Starting point:

Post: Monday, Wednesday, Friday

Pre-10AM, 2-3PM, Post-8PM

How to maximize your efforts?

What to publish

When to publish

How to publish

The weight of content:

Facebook’s EdgeRank

• Affinity

• Weight

• Time

• Photos = More Engagement.• Plain Text = Greater Reach.

A last word

This is just the tip of the iceberg.

Search marketing is at its infancy and is advancing by leaps

and bounds.

So stay tuned… and stay ahead of your competitor.