Our Web Services
Our Writing Services
The ABC's of Design
Construction vs. Design
Developing a Plan
Design Guidelines
Graphics Tips
Site Maintenance

ARTICLE:
Preparing Content for your Site
©OUT THERE PRODUCTIONS. All Rights Reserved.

People don't read web pages the same way they do paper pages. They tend to scan and browse more often than with books or papers. As a result, you need to prepare the content of your site differently than you would a brochure or other paper literature. The following are guidelines OUT THERE PRODUCTIONS suggests you follow when writing web content. If you get stuck, please contact us for more information about how we can help prepare your web content — it's our specialty!

Prepare Headers with Impact

Create impact with headers that entice your audience to read further. An effective header will appeal to the reader that found the page. Draw them to the page first with an equally effective button title or link.

Brevity is Key!

Use short sentences that are clear and concise. Avoid complex, run-on sentences. Make your point, and don't deviate from it. If you need to provide details or further explanation, provide a link within the text to lower level page.

Stick with your Plan

Remember to focus your contenton the web site's objectives. Anything that's not relevant should be eliminated. For more information on developing a theme for your web site, review our A-to-Z's of Web Site Development page. For more information on preparing a web site plan, click HERE.

The First Screen is the Most Important

One page on your site require that your audience scroll down several times to view everything: when this occurs, make sure that the most important information is contained in the first few paragraphs so your visitor won't need to scroll down to locate it. What's important? Any text that describes the primary message. Order all paragraphs from the most important to the least significant.

Link, Rather than Include

Instead of including lengthy explanations or detailed information, provide a link to a lower level page. People who have no need for specifics won't be forced to scan through extensive, unnecessary paragraphs. Bookmarks can also be used within the same page for this purpose: summarize at the top, and use the bookmarks to point to areas located further down. (When bookmarks are used, include 'return to top of page' links for easy navigation.)

Avoid 'As Shown Above'

Or 'below,' for that matter. You have no idea what's above or below - that's dependent on the person's monitor. Provide a link or bookmark to the referenced location if it adds value.

Font Styles

Regarding text style (bold, italics, color, etc.):

• Italic type is difficult to read in sizes less than 12 points, so avoid it if possible.
• Underlined text might be confused with a hyperlink, so use it sparingly.
• Don't use font sizes smaller than 10 points; they're virtually impossible to read on with average monitor resolution.
• Colored text helps differentiate important areas for emphasis, but remember that each monitor displays colors differently, so use contrasting colors and limit their use for emphasis.
• If possible, consider dark colors for text. Readability studies still recommend the standard of dark type on white backgrounds, so larger articles (such as the ones you find at out site) are read better when presented in this manner.
• If you're using a colored or textured background on your pages, colored text may get lost or be difficult to read.
• Blue text should be avoided at all costs — it's the default color for designating links, and seasoned web users have intuitively learned this default usage. If you choose to use blue for headers or within the text for emphasis, consider changing the default hyperlink color.
• Boldfacing should be used sparingly. Bold text directs the reader's eye to major items or key phrases. Too much bold will cause confusion.

Consistency

You'll see this word a lot within our guidelines for site development! Make sure that verbiage is consistent on all pages in your site. Stay with one common phrase that links to the same page (for example, 'contact us'). If portions of text are repeated on more than one page, make sure they're the same. Product names, prices and model numbers should be checked on all pages to ensure that they're consistent.

Use your Company Name Often

Make sure your company's name appears in the first paragraph of every page, and regularly throughout all others. This reminds the visitor of who you are and associates you with the product or service you're describing. Furthermore, if they print the page, you'll want to be sure your name remains with the information.

Avoid Industry Terms and Jargon

If possible, don't use terminology familiar only to a small portion of your audience. Several types of visitors will be viewing your site, and you won't want to lose a potential customer because they don't understand what you're saying. If you need to use technical jargon, consider providing a glossary on a linked page.

Check (and Recheck) Spelling and Grammar

Misspellings are prevalent on the web. Use a spellchecker on all pages, then double-check the text yourself, and then have someone else carefully read all pages (it's nearly impossible to proof your own work!). Appearances of 'work' won't be flagged by a spellchecker, but you might have meant to use 'word.' Review each page carefully for any grammar problems.

If you don't have another team member to proof your work, wait a few days after you've written the text before you proofread; this allows you to see things with a fresh eye, and you'll more likely be reading what's actually there, as opposed to what you think is there.

Review Text for Readability and Accuracy

Review all text extensively to ensure readability, flow and accuracy. Your hard work won't be worth much if the reader hasn't a clue about what you're try to say. Assign a team in your organization to examine the accuracy of the information presented and to check the flow of paragraphs. Review your wording very carefully: expressions such as 'complementary products' and 'complimentary products' have very different meanings, so watch out! Terms like 'non-profit' and 'nonprofit' are both correct, so just make sure the term is presented consistently throughout your site's content.

Don't Leave them Hanging!

Make sure that each page on the site contains a paragraph that wraps up the general theme. The last thought you leave the visitor with should be what they can do if they need more information.

Provide Credit Where it's Due

Make sure that any product or corporate name or term that's not owned by your organization is accompanied by an appropriate disclaimer. Product names are corporate property, and credit must be legally provided. If several exist, provide a blanket disclaimer (see ours on the bottom of our home page). Disclaimers for your own trademarks should appear separately and placed above it all others.

And by the way, copyright your work for protection!

To learn more about the exciting possibilities of doing business on the web or how OUT THERE PRODUCTIONS can help with your Internet presence, click HERE to read about our web services, HERE to read about our writing services, or simply contact us.