Contents

by Fiona Robertson

The web is a curious beast …  Unlike other forms of written information, material on the web is not read in the conventional sense; it is scanned.  Perhaps it’s the fact that it’s harder to read from a VDU or maybe it’s because the reader is absorbing information and searching new hyperlinks simultaneously?  What we do know that, either way, surfers rarely pore over an article which appears online. 

Instead, they cast an eye over the page, trying to pick out key pieces of information or significant words and hyperlinks.  This being the case, web pages and the material they contain are organised to facilitate scanning. 

This toolkit explains what that means in practical terms, covering how to set about structuring and styling your material for online publication as well as looking at the language usage, tone, references and links that deliver best practice web design.

Web Usability

• In a study by Jakob Neilsen : 
  • 79% of users scanned pages; only 16% read word by word.
  • Users read from computer screens 25% more slowly than from a printed page.
• So, before you create an online article, first consider how the end product will be used, and how you can make it more user-friendly:
  • Make your page layout conducive to scanning
  • Make your text easy to read
  • Organise ideas or subjects into separate paragraphs
  • Highlight key words, topics and links to related pages
  • Make sentences short and to-the-point
  • Use simple, clear language.

Page Layout

• Structure your page like a newspaper column, restricting the number of words in a line to no more than 12.  This has been shown to yield maximum readability : a viewer can take in a whole line at a glance.
• Use a Sans Serif typeface, with plain legible characters.
• Make your text stand out by contrasting the colour of your type with a background.  The default is always black text on a white background; if you decide to change these colours, make sure the result is easy to read because some colour combinations make text virtually illegible.
• Give meaning to your content through the use of titles, headings and subheadings.
• Use line and character spacing intelligently to separate articles, headings and paragraphs and give them obvious definition.

Content Structuring

Use the inverted pyramid approach adopted by journalists :

• Let your headline encapsulate your story or theme;
• Give a brief explanation of your headline in the opening paragraph, using one or two sentences;
• Discuss the most important aspects of your article first;
• Expand on the subject a little more in each paragraph that follows;
• Reserve details and background information for the end of a piece.

• This way, readers will get the gist of your article immediately; those that are interested will drill down into the details upto the point that their curiosity is answered.
• Organise your material into one topic per paragraph; it allows readers to skip through a subject quickly and efficiently, dipping into the areas that interest them and ignoring the rest.

Writing Style

• Again, follow a journalistic approach to get straight to the heart of a subject.  Answer the fundamental questions : 

who, what, when, where, why & how

to give top-line information, whatever the subject. 

• Make both sentences and paragraphs short and crisp, avoiding lengthy or convoluted subclauses. 
• If a subject requires more detail, cover it in as many short sentences as are needed; alternatively, use bulleted lists to summarise a series of points.
• Use active verbs rather than passive ones – they suggest immediacy and action, and their tone is more direct.
• Use only as many modifiers as are necessary – so no flowery prose; no unnecessary adjectives; no wordy descriptors.
• In keeping with briefer sentences, sparer language and shorter verbs, also avoid jargon, foreign expressions and hackneyed sayings.  They’ll lead to clumsy phrasing and prevent you from saying what you actually mean.

Presentation Tips

• For titles and headings to be efficient, always make them succinct and literal.  Puns and wordplay may be ambiguous or misleading so always make your titles explicit.
• Use headings to label subject matter so that readers can identify the sections they want at a glance.
• As headings can be identified by search engines, they will be used to direct readers to your content.  It's therefore vital that the titles you give to a piece are an accurate reflection of their content.
• Headings also appear in indexes and teasers from other pages so spend some time crafting them until they're just right.
• A parallel was drawn (above) between a web page and a newspaper column; the use of headings and titles is where the two media diverge. 
  • Newspaper titles can afford to capture the imagination with figurative or oblique statements because they're usually presented with imagery to give context. 
  • The web, however, relies solely on language : material is sourced using precise, literal word searches. 
  • Given the way the web is used, it's important to input information in line with this functionality; hence the crucial importance of using the correct wording online.

Best Practice Web Design

• The information given so far could apply to most forms of written communication; however, writing for the web is unique because it contains embedded links to other areas of an article, to other web pages or to other sites altogether. 
• This means an article is not a stand-alone document; it is yet another piece within a huge mirrored mosaic that reflects, and is reflected by, an infinite number of the other elements around it.
• As with titling and headings, linking is an important element of writing for the web.
• Best practice as regards hyperlinks requires the following actions :
  • Embedding links at appropriate places in your text, ideally highlighting words that are significant or relevant to a link's destination;
  • Labelling links correctly so that a reader understands where they are likely to be taken;
  • Stating whether a link will take you to a different file type (eg from a document file to a PDF);
  • Programming links to open in a new window so that, if a link isn't required, the reader can return to the original article immediately.
• Don't standardise your links; make each one individual.  For example, don't create a hyperlink using meaningless or repeated text like, 'Click Here'; it tells your users nothing and can be misleading.
• Create metadata for each article you post online, which means processing the relevant words and phrases that readers are likely to use in their searches.  That way, you can steer other web users to your piece.
• By placing links strategically, you can help readers to scan your material since key words will be highlighted.
• Links that are appropriate (in terms of both related subject matter and placement within a piece) can prompt action : you can help to direct a reader's navigation of your site.
• Finally, links allow you to provide additional information on your pages without reinventing the wheel each time; you can simply harness the resources that already exist online.

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