A story about content on the web

Recently I have written about content for various clients and I thought it would be nice to share what I've been writing. Although I've tried to keep it short - this blog will take some time to read. But I think it'll be worth it.

Your audience

You'll need to know who your talking to. Its quite different if you're talking to decision makers or a visitor who just want to read about your product or service. You need to know who your audience is so you can decide on a tone-of-voice. Are you going to be open and friendly or maybe very strict and corporate?

Content goals

Write down your content goals, so you will develop your content with the right mindset or focus if you will. If your goal is to inspire - make sure your content inspires. Anything that takes you away from this goal will clutter the website. It also helps in making choices for your designers. If I need to inspire I will not choose a font such as Arial for instance.

Responsibility

It is important to give people responsibility, especially when working on a big website. If you're not making people responsible your website will become a mess. As soon as someone is made responsible he or she will make sure to follow your content goals and keep track of the audience. You can also decide to give responsibility to multiple people, but then do make sure everyone is responsible for one part of the website.

Consistency

Try to be consistent in your content. If you aren't consistent it is asking a lot from the audience, because they would have to digest the information differently. You want people to be able to quickly find the information they need - consistency helps guiding the audience to quickly find the information.

Webcopy

There's a clear difference between content for the web and offline. Unfortunately I still often see businesses directly putting their brochure text on the web. That won't do. Online people are more targeted to find information and they want to consume it faster. Don't make paragraphs longer than 5 or maybe 6 lines (depending on the width of your textield). Use bullet lists of 3 or 5 items. This makes it easier for the audience to read.

I will always recommend a web-copywriter when you're writing text for the web. Do make sure your copywriter knows the web isn't an online brochure. A copywriter will add value for you.

Design Principles

I've written about Design Principles before and think they are a vital part of the content plan. Design Principles are short, powerful statements which define the essence of the user experience. They guide the design process and offer a handhold when decisions have to be made. Your content should fit into your Design Principles.

Tips

Now we've quickly gone through the theory I'd like to provide some clear tips when working on content. I will dive into textual content, photography and video.

Text on the web

• Keep it short
  Using too many words takes up space. Be short and clear and don't use vague words or jargon. Don't use introductions or welcome messages. A visitor knows he is visiting your website, no need to tell him again.
  
  
• One subject per paragraph
  Don't try to put too much information into one paragraph. Make sure your core sentence is at the beginning of the paragraph. People are scanning for relevant information - so putting the core at the front helps people scan your text. When you've got another subject, make another paragraph and follow the same rule.
  
  
• Headings and subheadings
  Headings need to be informative and clear. Don't be cryptic in your heading - be as clear as you can. That's a real service for your audience. Don't provide space for the user to doubt what he is going to read in the paragraph below the heading.
  
  
• Create lists
  A bullet list or numeral list often reads better than scrolling through a paragraph. You are more convincing and it takes less words. For lists it is also important to put the imporant words first, just like it did for a paragraph. When using bullet points or numbers, make sure to go for 3 or 5 items - this is most manageable for your audience to read.
  
  
• Write actively
  Involve your audience with words that are emotionally charged. Words such as success, free and discount aren't original - but they still have a great value. Don't hesitate to use these words. They get your audience activated. Don't write text like "This can be achieved by..." but write "You can achieve this by...". The latter is more actively written as it adresses the audience.
  
  

Photography on the web

• Focus
  Use depth of field, motion blur or perspective to focus on what the photo is all about. It creates a point of focus in the image and enhances the copy. Your visual content won't compete with the copy.
  
  
• Rule of thirds
  Symmetry has long been associated with beauty. It brings balance, harmony and stability to your images. The disadvantage is that is creates stature and a bit of boredom. Shift your focus on one third of the image, which makes it a stronger image and more dynamic. Another benefit is that it creates space for other elements, such as a field for text.
  
  
• Looking at the call-to-action
  Research has shown that your audience' eyes will automatically look at other eyes. So when you've got a person on your photo - have this person looking at the call-to-action. This will help guide your audience to the call-to-action, or other information you want people to read.
  
  
• Looking inside the website
  When you're using a photo of a person have him look to the center of the website. When a person is looking away from the center of your website your message will be supported less. A look to the left implies the past and a look to the right the future. Use this to your advantage.
  
  
• Use the corporate styleguide
  One thing that immediately shows 'stockphoto!' is the color of your photos. Make sure the photos follow the corporate styleguide. Use the colors from the styleguide - complimentary colors to the styleguide will work too. One thing to note: make sure your call-to-action remains visually strong, it shouldn't have to compete with the photography.
  
  
• Use gradients
  Using slight and subtle gradients over your photos softens the experience. It kills the boxes we often see on websites and creates a feel of depth. Vignetting also creates more depth in the images.
  
  
• Context
  A product or service shows better in its natural habitat. Make sure to show your product in an environment where it makes sense. Got a painting to show? Show it in a frame. Shower gel to show? Show it on some water or with drops of water on it.
  
  
• Show the USP's
  Every product should have Unique Selling Points (USP's). Make sure to show them in the photography. Showing them in combination to a bulleted list is distinctive.
  
  
• Be consistent
  Make sure to photograph your products the same way, with the same lighting. When showing many products, and they are all from the same angle and same setup, makes your pages tranquil and clear. I think it also shows your professionalism.
  
  
• Show the size
  The size of your product isn't always clear for the audience. Make sure it becomes clear. Showing a person, or perhaps just the hand of a person, gives your audience some insight in the size of your product.
  
  
• Unity
  Make sure the photography is the same on all channels, offline and online (incl. social media). Same colors, same angles, returning objects or logo's, same type of person, same lighting, etc. This creates unity and people will recognize you as the sender.
  
  

Video on the web

These tips are an addition to those for photography. The tips for photography also apply to video.

• Size
  Make sure video's follow standard formats, so you can use them on multiple channels. Use a common ratio such as 16:9 or 4:3. The 16:9 ratio is the most common to use as it is a widescreen format - when watching on a desktop format people are often wachting this ratio.
  
  
• Tension
  Your audience has an arc of attention. This mostly means that you have to time it correctly. Your video should capture the attention of your audience for the whole video, they should stop watching after half a minute. Provide tension towards the statements you need the audience to remember.
  
  
• Length of the video
  Depending on the content your audience will be able to cope with a certain length of video or animation. Make sure your video's follow the same rules we had for copy: short and clear. Make sure not to bore your audience. I would advise to show it to a test panel (not your stakeholders, but your real audience).
  
• Audio
  Video often contains audio to support the message and give it more emotion. Big fan of audio myself. But be sure to know that your audience may have disabled sound. Watch your video or animation without the sound and see if the message is still clear.
  
  
• Text over video
  It is very common these days to have video as a background. Not every video will be perfect as a background. Text isn't always very readable over an animation or video. You can always use a colored background underneath the text - but then people won't see the whole video. Its also an option to edit the video for the contract.
  
  
• Play / pause
  From a UX perspective it is advised to give your audience the option to start, pause or stop the video or animation. Starting a video, without the user asking for it, is often experienced as disturbing. I dislike the new ads on websites very much. They open automatically and the video (with audio) just starts playing. Often you have to find where the bloody thing is to make it stop.
  
  

And that concludes my blog on content. I could go on for many more pages - but I tried to keep it short. I hope my tips will help you in creating a great original experience for your audience.

All the best,
Corné