Managing Content

Writing for the Web

  • Subheads should descriptive, clear, short subheads to make your content scanable. Don’t make someone read a whole page when they only need one sentence!
  • Sentences should be short, to the point, and clear – 15 words or less ideal for maximum comprehension.
  • Bullet points are your best friends – often you can break a paragraph up into a few quick points, making it easier for your readers to get the information they need.
  • Links should be clear and easy to understand – click here doesn’t really tell a user much! A good rule of thumb, you should be able to guess where you’re going even without surrounding text.
  • Images should serve a purpose – images are the #1 thing that slows websites down, and slow websites are the #1 reason people give up. Don’t use pictures just to ‘have a photo on every page’ – your users have a goal in mind, and rarely does that goal include looking at stock photography.

Navigation

  • Page titles should be short and descriptive – 1-3 words is best
  • Menus should list each page once – no repeats! Try to keep your overall menu to 5-7 items, the simpler the choices, the easier it will be for your visitors to find the right place.
  • Links should be reviewed and make sure they are linking to the intended target and not 404 pages.

Final Review

  • Conduct an external review with 1-3 people who have not worked on the site to take a look before you publish, they will catch things you have missed.
  • Make sure your homepage is clear and that users can understand the purpose of the site and quickly and easily find ways to explore your site content.
  • Have contact information in your footer and possibly as a separate page to make it easy for users to request additional information.