writing for the web: the right strategy
DESCRIPTION
All too often content is overlooked when designing and building a website. The problem is that users rarely come for the design or experience — they come for the content! Shay Howe will talk about developing the right strategy for web writing, the qualities of great web content, and how to bring that content to life with design.TRANSCRIPT
ONLINE CONTENT IS BAD. REAL BAD.
• Missing opportunities.• Lacking quality content.
• Falling short.
CONTENT IS LOW PRIORITY.
• Identify pages not content. • We get too caught up.
CONTENT IS LAST MINUTE.
• Never assign it.• We forget.
• Rush to complete.
USERS NOTICE BAD CONTENT.
• Bad content sticks out.• Good content goes unnoticed.
MAKE YOUR CONTENT WORK.
• Put in the time.• Start on day one.
• Create a content strategy.
DEVELOPING A STRATEGY
• Create.• Plan.
• Publish.• Govern.
THINK “LIFECYCLE” NOT “LAUNCH”.
• Focus on the “lifecycle”.• Break the “launch” mindset.
• Plan for content updates.
STOP THE SEPARATION.
STOP THE SEPARATION.
STOP USING LOREM IPSUM.
• Doesn’t resemble real content.• It’s not real content.
• Plan for real content situations.
ANSWER MORE THAN “WHAT”.
• Answer “what”, “why”, “when”, “where”, “how”, and “who”.
• Don’t stop at “what”.
SET GOALS.
• Identifies achievements.• Helps measure success.
• Provides motivation.
DETERMINE ACCOMPLISHMENTS.
• Work towards them.• Define accomplishments.
RECOGNIZE RISK.
• Acknowledge pressure points.• Too edgy, too dull?
OUTLINE CONTENT STRUCTURE.
• Narrative, tense, and flow.• Headings, body text, cross linking.
IDENTIFY ROADBLOCKS.
• Plan accordingly.• User research, marketing, legal?
DETERMINE OVERALL MESSAGING.
• Get recommendations.• Character and tone.
ASSIGN LAUNCH PRIORITIES.
• What is needed now?• Projects are time sensitive.
• What can be added?
DECIDE CONTENT HIERARCHY.
• Guide users through content.• Most important messaging first.
PREPARE SUB PAGE RECOMMENDATIONS.
• Cross linking.• Specific templates.
• Top level messaging.
WRITING QUALITY CONTENT.
• Get to the point quickly.• Give users a summary.
• Use small sentences.• Limit one though per paragraph.
QUALITIES OF GREAT CONTENT.
• Use sub headings.• Use bullet points.
• Do not over use exclamations!!!• Drive emphasis with repetition.
CONTENT CONSIDERATIONS.
• Use details, be specific.• Drop unnecessary adjectives.
• Use hyperlinks.• Be unique.
FORGET THE SALES PITCH.
• Present the facts.• Users recognize sales talk.
KEEP CONTENT UNDERSTANDABLE.
• Hassle free experience.• Easy to comprehend.
COMMUNICATE CONVERSATIONALLY.
• Write friendly content.• Use a casual tone and voice.
• Make reading easy.
DO NOT BRAG.
• Earn users trust.• No one likes a showoff.
AVOID INDUSTRY SLANG.
• Use terms everyone understands.• What did you say?
APPLY YOUR HIERARCHY.
• Show users around.• Headings, text sizes, and typefaces.
MAKE CONTENT SCANNABLE.
• Easy to take in.• Break content up.
STYLIZE YOUR TEXT.
• A little goes a long way.• Bold, italics, shadows, etc.
PLAY WITH DIFFERENT FONTS.
• Aesthetically pleasing.• Adds content distinction.
USE CONTRASTING COLORS.
• Draw attention.• Make it legible.
APPLY CLEAN RAGS.
• Watch for hanging text.• Keep lines balanced.
CLEAN RAGS APPLIED.This text is even across every single line with out any text hanging at the bottom.
This text is uneven at the end of each line with text hanging off of thelast line.
EXERCISE WHITE SPACE.
• Can build a grid.• Allows content to breath.
• May help content rhythm.
MAKE GRAPHICS AND TEXT COINCIDE.
• Makes a stronger impact.• Graphics should support text.
TAKE ADVANTAGE OF CSS
• Sets stands, ensures consistency.• Easily adds style.
IN REVIEW.
• Write quality content.• Develop a content strategy.
• Bring content to life.
THANK YOU!Any questions?
www.shayhowe.com@[email protected] online at www.shayhowe.com/web-design/web-content-strategy/