Writing for the webWriting for the web

Linda Magee, Australian Consumers Association

www.choice.com.au

ReadingReading

People don’t read, they scanReading from a monitor is 25% slower30% less comprehension78% of eye fixations drawn to text, 22% to

graphicsTypically hunt for info and ignore details

WritingWriting

Cut the fluff – be clear and conciseInfo is shorter and chunkedThere is no sequenceInverse pyramidBullet points/listsMore conversational tone – one to oneInfo through visuals – tables, graphs, pics

Writing cont.Writing cont.

No cryptic headings Words have to work harder Short sentences - 15 words Use questions Active voice New thought, new para Hooks – top ten, most emailed, expert tips, quotes

Plain English/tonePlain English/tone

From this… There are a number of

important steps you need to take before commencing your business. This site provides information that you can read on-line or down-load that will assist you to start your business.

To this… Before you start your

business there’s some important steps you need to take. Here’s some information that’ll help – read it online, or download it to read later.

What’s scannable?What’s scannable?

Blurbs Headings and subheadings Bulleted/numbered lists, or steps Large type Short words Simple sentences – full stop is your friend Short paras TOCs Captions Graphics

Never use a long word when a Never use a long word when a short one will doshort one will do

Select Choose Locate Find Assist Help Demonstrate Show Utilise Use To ensure that So that Is best placed to Can You can find information on Find out

PersonalisePersonalise

What do they want to find out, not what do you want to say

Show personality – own your site‘You’, ‘we/us’, ‘your’Apostrophes – there’s, you’re, isn’t, can’t,

you’ve, you’d

Cereals for kids Cereals for kids The cereals aimed at kids, as well as the popular staples of rice bubbles/pops

and cornflakes, don’t fare too well. All the kids’ cereals except one have too much sugar and/or too little fibre to be

recommended for every day. The exception SANITARIUM Honey Weets: a moderate source of fibre and not too high in sugar. It’s worth giving this one a try if you’re having no luck with wheat biscuits or porridge, for instance.

Kids need less fibre than adults because it can make a small stomach full before it’s had a chance to get enough energy and other nutrients. Too much can also cause children to get stomach upsets and diarrhoea. As for sugar, 10 out of the 20 kids’ cereals have three or more teaspoons in a serve; another seven have two or more (see the table for details).

About the best that can be said of most kids’ cereals is that they’re better than no breakfast at all, and the vitamins and minerals as well as calcium from the milk are a bonus.

Apart from cereals for kids, most brands of cornflakes and rice bubbles are low in fibre and high in salt — not the best choice as anyone’s staple.

ACA’s go-live checklistACA’s go-live checklist

Do page titles make sense?Is page layout clean and simple?Are paras too long?Is there appropriate X marketing?Does the page stand alone?Date on every page?Quality graphics?

contcont

Quality graphics?Appropriate metatags?Does the intro work hard?Are there hooks into the report?Is there some rich content/interactivity?