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Here are some brief notes from my talk at the NCVO PR Forum.

How do you get the most from your website? Buy lots of expensive features? Spend ages making it look beautiful? The reality is that most visitors to your website are there for one thing only: the written content.

In this workshop I will provide an introduction to writing for the web. In particular, I will talk about how to enhance the persuasive power of what you publish online.

1 Impact depends on credibility

The impact of what you have to say online hinges on the credibility of your website. Every web page must support the image of your organisation as professional, trustworthy and reliable. Research has uncovered the four C’s and one R of credibility.

• Correct: obviously, ensure facts on the website must be correct. The lesson is not to publish what you can’t manage.
• Consistent: create and follow a website style guide covering variations in spelling, what typefaces to use etc. Investment in a style guide will pay off in the long run. (Email me for an example)
• Current: even if you don’t publish new content very frequently, sticking to a regular publishing schedule establishes a relationship with regular visitors and reassures new visitors that the website is well-managed.
• Careful: check your links frequently (especially links to government websites). No automatic link-checker is 100% effective.
• Relevant: make sure that your page titles and link text really do convey what the page is about. This is a common cause of complaint.

2 Groundwork

An effective website needs a solid foundation. Preparation and research is the only way of achieving it.

• Know your audience: invest time identifying different groups of visitors, and the tasks they come to your website to achieve.
• Know your key messages: what are the key objectives of your website? This section? This page?
• Create a structure that is shallow, simple, consistent and multi-faceted: there should be plenty if entry points into the main content areas of the website.
• Provide content for different appetites. Visitors with varying levels of interest need different levels of detail, timelines, latest news, glossary etc.

3 Impact writing

Research shows just how vital it is to compose concise, punchy text that is relevant to your audience. Ultimately, quality of writing determines the effectiveness of your website.

• Use web page hot-spots, for example the bottom of the page
  (More information in a previous post on Eyetracker research).
• Spend time writing informative microcontent (titles, descriptions/précis/introductions/summaries, subheadings) that visitors can scan easily and makes sense out of context.
• Write effective link text that describes what the user can achieve by following the link and includes a call to action where appropriate.
• Be concise without being ambiguous: concentrate on your key messages, use bullets and lists, chop noun clumps…
• Think AIDA: attention, interest, desire, action. Don’t forget the call to action. What do you want your visitor to do next? Not just buying but also follow a link, send an email, post on discussion board… A lot depends on asking.
• Provide context and relevant links: don’t just depend on site navigation to organise information or lead your visitors through multiple pages. Encourage visitors to follow the route you want them to take.
• Highlight important phrases: using bold is a quick way of making quite dense text easy to scan.