| The Basics - Writing for the web.
Website Readers Scan: Most books are written to be read word-by-word. Websites are different. Most websites are scanned until pertinent information is found. Only then does a reader focus their reading.
First Impressions Matter: A recent Canadian study found that website viewers make their first impression of a website in .05 seconds, 1/20th of a second. After the first impression, viewers will seek to confirm a good impression, or quickly leave a site if the impression was bad. A professional look to your website is critical to getting past the first micro-look. After the initial impression, a successful website has lots of good content and makes it easy to find that content.
Scannability: Finding content easily is a result of two factors
1. Navigation
2. Page Layout
Navigation: Make sure when you create your menu and your pages, they are placed so readers can easily find the content they’re looking for. Look at websites that you visit and you’ll soon see some websites are easier to navigate than others. Learn from both the good and the bad examples.
To see how easy it is to create and edit your site navigation, you can view the Site Menu Video or Site Menu Text Instructions.
Page Layout: After you’ve added your content, update your page and take a critical look at it. What are the major points you’re making on this page. Do theses highlights stand out clearly? Notice in this email how a few careful boldings allow a reader to quickly find the material they seek.
To learn more about layout, you may want to view the Formatting Text Video or the Formatting Text Printable Instructions. You’ll see that the overuse of format tools makes everything confusing. When you’re visiting websites, notice which websites make it easy to find what you’re looking for. Emulate these good examples.
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