Say less

This is the most important thing. Because web users are generally scanning and not reading your text, the more concise the content, the better. A good approach is to write concisely, then cut, edit, boil down, paraphrase and finally trim.

Put important information first

Put essential information first. A quick overview helps the reader get the purpose of a page instantly, letting them make a quick judgement whether to read on for more detail.

Front-loading content

Put your most important content first. Doing so gets it above the “fold” and viewed without scrolling. It also aids scanning and helps the user to quickly decide whether to read on.

Front-loading also applies to paragraphs and sentences. Start paragraphs with the most relevant words, to work like a header to the paragraph.

Short and succinct

Remove any paragraphs, sentences and words that don’t directly help get your point across.

Use headlines and headings

A strong, attractive headline at the top of a page can make the difference between the page being read or not. So they attract the eye, headlines and lower-order headings benefit from being large and high-contrast. It needs a hook to catch your reader’s attention

Use headings within a document makes it easy to scan the document’s meaning. Good headings read like a bullet-point summary of the document’s contents, so a reader can scan down the page, get a quick idea of what’s there and decide whether to read on.

Web Link: 8 Examples of compelling headlines from Sitepoint.com.

Consider the user’s goals

The imperative voice (commanding) is attention-grabbing, so it should go at the front of a phrase. “Register for our event ” “Subscribe to our listserv” “Place order”.

Be factual, not cryptic

Use an appropriate tone. Your tone of voice should be immediately appropriate to the audience, and their relationship with your web site.

Don’t be cryptic. Don’t assume you have your audience’s attention. You really have to work to grab someone’s attention online.

Be factual. Being factual means avoiding starting with questions. Bottom line – TELL THEM QUICK, before they go!

Establish trust

Remember you’re operating in an environment of low trust and you only have a short opportunity to get your message across. Be enthusiastic, but not pushy.

Use active voice

English grammar uses two ‘voices’: active and passive.

• Active voice – is when something does something.
• Passive voice – is when something is done to something.

Active good, Passive bad. This is because passive voice uses slightly more words than Active, and takes slightly more decoding.

Source: www.webdesignfromscratch.com/writing_for_the_web.cfm

Website Communication Elements

So you may ask yourself how does a website communicate to its visitors. Text is, of course, the most obvious form, whether in main body of a page or page title. The approach taken or tone used will depend on the purpose of the website. For example, sales copy on an e-commerce website will differ from an article on an informational website.

Page titling and subtitling breaks down the amount of text on a page into readable “chucks of information”. Online, your visitors like to skim content and focus on the areas that pertain specifically to their interests.

Images can also effectively get your message across. The right image can make your message captivating and compelling, invoking a desired call to action.

Other things like the overall design style, use of known icons, color and video also play a part in website communication.

Effective Communication Tips

Providing the right amount of content is a critical success factor. Of course, having a lot of quality information is a good thing on a number of fronts. At the same time,  excess information can make it difficult to clearly get your message across.

By trying to fit too much content onto a page, the page becomes cluttered and confuse visitors. Primary messages are often overpowered by the busyness of a page.

Remembering that each site visitor is different and they will not respond differently. Things like demographics, purpose, level of knowledge and how they are referred to your site, make your visitors unique. Therefore, keep your target audience in mind.

Getting and keeping your visitors attention is a challenge. Bottom line – you have a short amount of time to speak to your visitor. Avoid the noise, or clutter. Make sure that your point is brief, clear, consise and most importantly, compelling.

Your website should have personality. Make sure that the website adequately reflects who you are as an organization. It should be a virtual representation of the practice, organization or the person behind it.

What Should be Communicated

Don’t confuse and disappoint your visitors. When they visit your site, quickly and accurately identify what the purpose of your website is as well as what you offer, or to put it simply, your value proposition. Your visitors are interested in knowing if they can trust you and learning how you can help them.

To Do List

• Prioritize and appropriately categorize your information
• Determine what your visitors should know about you
• Keep your message simple
• Make your information revelant to your target audience
• Make your message compelling
• Add visual cues such as colored text, sub-tiling, etc
• Use a design that enhances your message
• Deploy a website structure and navigation that supports your information and enhances usability