Tips For Writers
Write Meaningful Headers
Headers allow readers to navigate content. Use the header to clearly describe the content in each paragraph.
Headers should:
- Be short and direct
- Be able to stand on their own and understood out of context
- Avoid jargon, abbreviations, cleverness, and technical terms
- Be search engine friendly – see “SEO Writing” below
Use Common Language
For SEO (Search Engine Optimization) use the same words and phrases your readers do. When creating page titles, headers, list items, and links, choose keywords carefully and use them consistently. This practice reinforces keywords relevancy for search engines.
Tone
Readers expect a personal, upbeat tone in web writing. They find bureaucratic writing offensive and out-of-place and ignore the message it's trying to convey.
To avoid bureaucratic language, turn the tone down a notch. Search out and destroy jargon. Use active voice. Always try to write in first or second person.
Keep it Short
Web writing needs to be much shorter than other kinds of writing. Research shows that people scan web text, rather than read every word. Make it easy for your users to scan for information quickly. A paragraph should consist of 70 words or less.
Remember
Writing for the web is NOT the same as writing for a print publication. A page on the web should be half the length of a similar print document.
300-700 words is a reasonable average length for any web content.
What if you have more than 700 words? Break your content into sections, leading readers to specific portions of the text as much as possible. It’s your job as a web author to guide your audience to the content you want them to consume.
Don’t waste space welcoming people to your page. There is no need – most users ignore welcome text as filler. Get to the meat – that’s what they came for.
Subheadlines, Lists, and Scanning
On average, users read about 20 percent of your content per page.
What should you do? Be concise. Be relevant. Use short sentences and action verbs, and cut inessential text without sacrificing your identity.
Along with short, easy-to-read blocks of text, you also should make good use of font size, lists, and subheadlines. These elements help guide readers' eyes toward the most important content, and make it easier to absorb large content.
Use a bulleted list to break up content. Write a short sentence and support it with bullet points. Do not end sentences in a bulleted list with a period – periods stop the eye from scanning.
Use Links Effectively
Link, link, and link to relevant information.
If you mention the UM shuttle, link to it. If you want to include someone’s email address, link their name. If you mention a faculty member, link to their bio page.
Don’t make people go and search for something you mention if it already has a page somewhere.
The average time new visitors spend on any one page is around 30 seconds. Take advantage of that short attention span by providing lots of relevant links to explore.
Web usability experts discourage the use of the phrase "click here" for links. Make your links contextual. Use part of your sentence or phrase as the link. Research shows that users like them to be 4-8 words in length.
- Yes: For more information, view the Print Policy at UMB.
- No: To find out more about the Print Policy at UMB, click here.