Digital Content Best Practices

TL;DR

• Quick Tips: 7 Questions to Ask About Your Web Content 

• Principles of Writing for the Web

• Web-Writing Myths 

• Print vs. Web

• Team Collaboration Exercises for Content

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Quick Tips: 7 Questions to Ask About Your Web Content 

1. Is the purpose clear?

   1. Identify what you expect the user to do or understand after reading

   2. Make the user’s next step clear and easy to understand

2. Is the content providing value?

   1. Are we helping readers to accomplish a goal or just giving them more to read?

   2. Is the content what we want to say, or what the users need to read?

3. Is it easy to scan?

   1. Put the most important content first 

   2. Break up “text walls”

   3. Group content together with subheadings

4. Is the content enjoyable? 

   1. Language should be friendly and human, not textbook language 

   2. Focus on high-frequency words and noun/verb construction: “Plain English”

5. Can it be shorter without losing meaning?

   1. Text can be long, but no longer than necessary 

   2. Cut unnecessary modifiers 

   3. Aim for 15-20 word sentences to increase comprehension

6. Is it focused and precise? 

   1. Sections and paragraphs should have a clear focus 

   2. Keyword-rich headings, subheadings, and links 

   3. No “vague” links like “click here”

7. Will this content be easy to read on the device my user is on? 

   1. Over 70% of our readers are on a mobile device; meet them where they are 

   2. Try adjusting the margins on Word to simulate their experience

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Principles of Writing for the Web

Push vs Pull Content 

• A goal of writing for the web is turning push content (what you want to say) into pull content (what your audience wants to read) 

• This means considering what your users need more than what you want to say 

• “Give them the exact information they need, along with opportunities to learn more.” (Mailchimp)

• Self-serve content: Allow users to find what they need vs pushing info. Trust them. 

Brevity 

• Online, people ready about 20-28% of the page. Cognitive load increases 11% for every 100 words added to the page

• Readers scan; they do not read every word. The typical reading pattern on a webpage falls into an “F-shaped” pattern: 

Another Example:

Top: Sarah Richards, “Content Design” Bottom: Steve Krug, “Don’t Make Me Think, Revisited”

Write in Plain English 

Using plain English is respectful to the audience. It’s about reading speed and comprehension--not the intelligence of the audience.

Plain English ensures our content is accessible to people with: 

• learning disabilities, dyslexia or visual impairments

• poor internet connections 

• small devices

• poor internet connection 

• busy lives 

“People who are well-read (aka not dumb) read a lot. They don’t have time to wade through the jargon. They want the information quickly and easily – just like everyone else. Wanting to understand quickly has little to do with intelligence. It has a lot to do with time and respect...It’s not dumbing down--it’s ”opening up” (Richards p 151)

• Use high-frequency words, nouns, and verbs 

• Remove all non-essential adverbs and adjectives to make writing easier to read on the web. “Avoid hyperboles, upsells, fluffy metaphors” (Mailchimp)

• In print, you can spice up a linear narrative with anecdotes and individual examples that support a storytelling approach to exposition. On the web, such content often feels like filler; it slows down users and stands in the way of their getting to the point.” (NN Group)

Reduce “Visual Noise”

• Prioritize Content. When everything is important, there is no visual hierarchy to help users understand what is important. 

• Organize content. Group things together that are related and use subheadings to guide users through sections. 

• Reduce clutter. Include only content that helps users complete the action they need to take. Remove “everything that is not part of the solution.” (Krug p 52)

Consider Mobile Devices 

• Users can only read one thing at a time on mobile. There is no “sidebar” content. 

• Anything on the “right rail” will end up below all other content

• Read the text on a mobile device, or adjust your margins in Word 

Break Up Text Walls

Subheadings 

• Readers use these to remember where they are and see what is coming next 

• Search engines rank subhead text as more important 

• General rule: Users should see a subheading within every section they scroll through. Don’t abandon them with no navigation/anchor points. 

Lists 

• Use bulleted lists to make text quicker to read. 

• Any items separated by commas or semicolons can be listed to improve readability 

• Stick to 3-5 items 

• Start with verbs to make lists action-oriented

• Use numbered lists if your items can be broken into steps 

Front-load Text

Lead with the main point or most important content, in sentences, paragraphs, sections and pages. (Mailchimp)

• The earlier the most important words appear, the better. 

• “The first 3 words should have information-carrying content...users often scan down the left part of a list of items. They never see the last words in a link unless the first few words attract their attention.” (NN Group)

Richards (p. 140)

Shorten Paragraphs

“Long paragraphs confront the reader with what Caroline Jarrett and Ginny Redish call a “wall of words.” They’re daunting, they make it harder for readers to keep their place, and they’re harder to scan than a series of shorter paragraphs. You may have been taught that each paragraph has to have a topic sentence, detail sentences, and a conclusion, but reading online is different. Even single-sentence paragraphs are fine.” (Krug p 54)

Avoid “Happy Talk” 

“We all know happy talk when we see it: It’s the introductory text that’s supposed to welcome us to the site and tell us how great it is or to tell us what we’re about to see in the section we’ve just entered...Happy talk is like small talk—content-free, basically just a way to be sociable. But most Web users don’t have time for small talk; they want to get right to the point. You can—and should—eliminate as much happy talk as possible.” (Krug p 62)

Avoid Instructions 

“The main thing you need to know about instructions is that no one is going to read them—at least not until after repeated attempts at “muddling through” have failed. And even then, if the instructions are wordy, the odds of users finding the information they need are pretty low. Your objective should always be to eliminate instructions entirely by making everything self explanatory, or as close to it as possible. When instructions are absolutely necessary, cut them back to the bare minimum.” (Krug p. 63)

Web-Writing Myths 

Myth: The Three-click Rule

Older research on writing for the web said that users should not have to click more than three times to find what they are looking for, but that research is outdated. New research shows that “users will go as far as they need to, and click as many times as they need to, as long as the ‘scent of information’ is strong.” (Richards p. 143)

Summary: Don’t overwhelm readers by putting all of the information upfront to avoid clicks/going to new pages. Instead, make it easy for the reader to always find their next step. 

Myth: Put Important Info “Above the Fold” 

This is a print writing term that does not work on the web. With 50-70% of traffic on mobile devices, key information needs to be visible above a mobile scroll, meaning we need to get to the point much quicker. 

Myth: Writing for the Web is Mainly About SEO

Tricks like “keyword stuffing” used to be a major part of writing for the web. Today, those tricks don’t work. Writing for web means improving usability and providing clear, concise content, not focusing on keywords. 

Myth: Content Should be Developed After Design and UX 

Content IS the user experience. Without good content, there won’t be a good user experience. “Don’t focus on a fancy design, theme or platform before first considering your website content. That’s like designing a house without knowing what you’ll do in each room!...You don’t create your website and then ‘squeeze’ in the content.” (Flowji.com)

Myth: Content Means Text 

Content is everything! Forms, images, blog posts, multimedia...all of the pieces that make up your website. 

Myth: You should use the same messaging across your print and web channels

“True, elements of your Core Message should be consistent throughout your marketing. But messaging should vary depending on the application, the audience (market segment), the buyer’s stage of readiness, the environment in which the message is consumed (e.g. mobile ads vs. standard website copy), whether the message appears in a highly competitive environment, etc.” (5 Myths about Marketing Copy)

Print vs. Web

Headers

• Use proper structure. Heading “styles” are not just visual; used to communicate information hierarchy

• Page should contain only one H1: Usually the page title 

• Headings H2-H6 can be used multiple times, but must be in order, ie must be in sequential order. Don’t skip ranks and go from H2 to H4; must be an H3 in between.