RISKVUE ARCHIVE | WRITING TIPS

Writing for the Web, Part 1:
Content and Organization

The key to writing for the Web is to know what information your audience needs and how to present that information in a clear and easy-to-use format.

Content

Most users come to the Web with a specific goal or task or question. They want only the information they need to accomplish the goal, do the task, or answer the question. They aren't there to read; they are there to gather information.

The right content is the information that users want and need. If no one wants or needs the information, don't put it on your Web site.

For every piece of the content, ask:

• Is this relevant to users of the Web site (not just to me)?
• Do users really want or need this information?

Organization

Here are six keys to organizing logically within a page of content:

• Break the text into manageable pieces.
• Put in many headings.
• Write useful headings.
• Make the headings into a table of contents.
• If the information is sequential, put it in that order.
• For non-sequential information, put what users need most first.

Break the text into manageable pieces

This is sometimes called "chunking" the text. Chunking operates on many levels. All of the following contribute to chunking and making text manageable:

• short sections
• short paragraphs
• short sentences
• lists
• tables
• pictures
• examples

If the text seems dense to people, they may not even try to read it.

Put in many headings

Headings help to break up the text. They also facilitate skimming and scanning. Because headings are usually in bold or color, they make the page more interesting.

Each short section should have its own heading, and should be only one or two short paragraphs. A short section might be just a list or a table. For example, look at how we use headings on this page.

Useful headings include:

Make the headings into a table of contents

Headings help users in two ways:

1. By scanning the headings, users should get a summary or big picture of the content.

2. By finding the heading that relates to what they want, users should be able to jump to the right place in the information.

In a printed book, you make the headings work in both these ways by turning the headings into a table of contents. Online, you do the same thing by gathering each group of headings into an introductory list of hyperlinks. Look at the sets of hyperlinks (sometimes called anchor links) at the top of this page as an example.

If the information is sequential, put it in that order

Once you have the information chunked and have a useful heading for each chunk, you must decide what order is most appropriate for the chunks. In many cases, the right order is obvious because the information is sequential.

For non-sequential information, put what users need most first

If there is no obvious chronological or sequential order, put what users want or need most first.

Sources: www.plainlanguage.gov and www.usability.gov

riskVue | The webzine for risk management professionals
June 2007

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