Writing for the Web

Writing for the Web

Who’s it for?

Who’s it for?

• Prospective Undergraduate Students

• Their Parents

• Current Students, Alumni, Community, Everyone Else

Prospective Undergrads

• Busy• Multitasking• Scanning• Finding us on other sites• External

• 88 percent of respondents said they would drop a school from their search or be disappointed with a school if that institution’s Web site did not have the content they needed.

“Scrolling Toward Enrollment: Web Site Content and the E-Expectations of College-Bound Seniors” Noel-Levitz and James Tower Research << http://www.jamestower.com/PDF/9_ScrollTowardEnrollment.pdf >>

“Websites fail when they focus on the content or the technology. We must instead focus relentlessly on our customers’ top tasks. We must measure success based on our customers’ ability to quickly and easily complete these top tasks.”

--Gerry McGovern

Why are they here?

• Find the information they are looking for, quickly and easily– How will I fit in here– What will it get me– How much does it cost– What do I have to do

• If we’re lucky, they’ll be able to do what they need to do– Contact– Apply

10-Second Test

What did you remember?

Example College

• Degree?• Certificate?• Required courses?• What jobs/careers can I get by

studying here?• Who can I contact for more info?

Clear, Concise, Apt

• Include the core: what THEY need to know -- what will answer their question of Why do I care?

• Leave out the “welcome to our page”, jargon, internal politics

• Prune excess verbiage

Location, location…

Content that’s easy to scan uses:

• Headings

• Bullets

• Keywords/Carewords with emphasis

• As few words as possible

Headings

Think of labeling your content, the way you might label jars in a kitchen.

Very pretty jars – but how do you know what’s inside?

For example…• Virginia's Business One Stop system is a service provided by the Virginia Department of

Business Assistance. The purpose of the service is to accelerate business formation in the Commonwealth and thereby contribute to our economic prosperity. This service provides specific licensing, permitting and registration requirements for the user's business situation and assists with partial completion of the necessary forms.

While our ultimate vision of the Business One Stop system is to include business formation requirements for all new business types and to be the channel through which existing businesses communicate with the state, the implementation of the Business One Stop system will be in phases. The scope of phase one will help with the creation of NEW Virginia businesses only. Further, Phase One is designed to help with relatively simple business types and in broad industry sectors. Entrepreneurs interested in starting a Professional Corporation (P.C.) or a Professional Limited Liability Corporation (P.L.L.C.) should not use this system. Companies with unique formation requirements like banks, insurance companies, utilities etc. should not use this system. In addition, Phase One of Virginia's Business One Stop system is not designed to assist with registration for foreign business entities seeking to operate in Virginia, or with nonprofit organization and/or charity formation. For questions about using this system to start your business or other feedback, please email the Virginia Department of Business Assistance at [email protected].

• NOTICE: This is a new service that will be enhanced frequently. If you encounter unexpected issues, you can help by reporting them to the Virginia Business Information Center at: [email protected].

These two sets of jars both have labels.

Why is one preferable to the other?

Some tips for writing helpful headings:

1) Label with words anyone can understand and that accurately describes the content

2 ) When possible, use concrete, specific labels instead of vague or general terms. For example:

• “Successful Student Stories” vs. “Features”• “In-Depth Study Materials” vs. “Resources”• “Research Academic Publications:” vs. “Related Links”

3) Ask questions – IE, “How Do I Apply?” or “What’s My Next Step?”

4) Use action verbs – IE, “Calculate Your Academic Scholarship”

The Beauty of Bullets

Key Words

• Carewords

• What are they searching for?

• Not internal jargon

Scannable Care Words

• Bolding – sparingly• Underlines – no• Hyperlinks – link the key words

• When scanning, the eye only picks up 2-3 words at a time

Student Organization and Leadership Awards

sponsored by the Division of Student Development

The 2007-2008 Student Organization and Leadership Awards Program honors East Central University's finest student leaders.

The annual awards ceremony will be April 24, 2008 at 7:00 p.m. in the Estep Center.

Please read the criteria for each award carefully (click here), and submit your nomination by the deadline, March 28, 2008.

All nominees must have no formal discipline record with East Central University and must be in good academic standing as defined by the ECU Catalog. This is in addition to the criteria associated with each individual award. Individual awards are by nomination. To be considered, nominations should relate directly to the criteria listed for each award.

If you have any questions, please contact:Bonita CobleStudent Development OfficeRoom 103, Administration Building580/559-5208





Please read the criteria for each award carefully (click here), and submit your nomination by the deadline, March 28, 2008.







Please read the criteria for each award carefully and submit your nomination by the deadline, March 28, 2008.





The Student Organization and Leadership Awards Program honors East Central University's finest student leaders.

The 2007-08 awards ceremony will be April 24, 2008 at 7:00 p.m. in the Estep Center.

Nomination forms due March 28, 2008.

In addition to individual award criteria, all nominees must have no formal discipline record with East Central University and must be in good academic standing as defined by the ECU Catalog.



Join us for the 2007-08 awards ceremony April 24, 2008 at 7:00 p.m. in the Estep Center honoring our finest student leaders.

Do You Know an Amazing Student Leader?

You can nominate any student who:• Meets the award criteria• Lacks a formal discipline record with the university• Resides in in good academic standing as defined by the ECU Catalog

Nomination forms due March 28, 2008.

Questions? Contact:

Bonita Coble

Student Development Office

Room 103, Administration Building

580/559-5208

Sponsored by the Division of Student Development

Another Example

Example

• Nebraska is filled with internationally recognized attractions that draw large crowds of people every year, without fail. In 1996, some of the most popular places were Fort Robinson State Park (355,000 visitors), Scotts Bluff National Monument (132,166), Arbor Lodge State Historical Park & Museum (100,000), Carhenge (86,598), Stuhr Museum of the Prairie Pioneer (60,002), and Buffalo Bill Ranch State Historical Park (28,446).

124% better

In 1996, six of the most-visited places in Nebraska were:

• Fort Robinson State Park• Scotts Bluff National Monument• Arbor Lodge State Historical Park &

Museum• Carhenge• Stuhr Museum of the Prairie Pioneer• Buffalo Bill Ranch State Historical Park

Ask Them

• Put yourself in their shoes

• Go to the source

Summary

• “Task” focus• Concise• Scannable • Their words• Objective language• Test it

Exercise

Writing for the Web

Self Improvement

new business types

example virginias business

simple business types

stop system

users business situation

foreign business entities

student organization

web site content