Web Writing & Design

As someone who creates web content, it's important for me to study how users interact with the content to answer their questions and reach their goals. To keep my knowledge current I attend webinars and read articles from leaders in usability, accessibility, plain language, and SEO like the Nielson Norman Group NNG, Ginny Redish, Bureau of Internet Accessibility, Loren Baker (Search Engine Journal), and Neil Patel (Ubersuggest).

What is plain language?

Plain language refers to communication that is easy to understand. It's readable, usable, and accessible. These elements overlap and help improve the user's experience overall. 

This is the basis of web writing. It's user-centered, so audience awareness is key.

Here's an example using specialist content from the Cooperative Extension Service :

Before: The tool of Biosecurity needs to be fully implemented and in place to assist in preventing infections in flocks. A few simple biosecurity procedures that can be used by the flock owner are as follows:

After re-writing: Use biosecurity best practices to prevent flock infections. Best practices include: (Then include a bulleted list.)

So, what happens when the audience varies greatly?

As a technical writer for the University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service, I work with specialists to edit research-based information to make it user-friendly in a digital format. You can't generalize our audience because they vary greatly across the state and even the world! There are best practices that still apply to make the information more user-friendly.

Readability

First of all, your writing needs to be clear and concise. It also needs to flow in a logical order with transitions. It's critical to add structure with headings not only for visual cues but for accessibility purposes. Adding HTML tags for header structure allows screen readers to navigate the content structure to make sense of a webpage at a "glance."

Headers also help sighted people scan the entire webpage quickly. They can also be used to help the flow and keep the web copy conversational.

There are also some design elements that tie into readability like font styling, content alignment, and white space.

Usability

The content needs to be engaging, easy to understand, easy to use, so it can help the user complete their goal. When creating a webpage I ask myself these questions: 

• What goal is the user trying to accomplish on this webpage?

• What question is this content answering?

• What action does the user need to take? How can I make that clear while avoiding heavy CTAs (calls to action)?

Once I understand these questions, I'm able to shape the content to make it more usable. That could be done by adding a CTA button with clear action-oriented language, using colors and alignment to emphasize certain information, and making the content more intuitive by placing myself in the users' shoes. Writing plays a huge role in the usability of a web page. 

Oftentimes, we need to cut the words. Hence Ginny Redish's book, "Letting Go of the Words." Let them go! There should always be an editing pass for conciseness. I know because when I'm composing my writing is WORDY! That's part of my process.

It helps to take a step back to see the big picture and remove yourself. For instance, changing the labels on navigation elements to be clear to the "un-initiated audience" instead of using an internal jargon term or something whimsical.

Accessibility

Accessibility is critical and is not something I take lightly, even in my own web writing outside of UAEX. Accessibility on the web can change someone's life! It might not be that dramatic, but it can mean the difference between someone gaining knowledge and not, or someone getting annoyed or not. At the very least it could mean less web traffic since accessibility and usability affect SEO.

More Than Meets the Eye: Writing and Designing is a Process!

Writing is a process that requires care and time. Transforming content into something that is user-friendly requires truly understanding the content and how users interact with it.