Nuts and bolts of web editing
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Web editor training Nuts and bolts of web editing
Transcript of Nuts and bolts of web editing
Web editor training
Nuts and bolts of web editing
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What’s so bad about PDFs?
PDFs are ―unfit for human
consumption‖.http://www.useit.com/alertbox/20030714.html.
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PDF usability crimes
•Linear exposition•Jarring user experience•Crashes and software problems•Breaks flow•Orphaned location•Content blob•Text fits the printed page, not a computer screen
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HTML presentations engage readers more than PDFs hands down
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This “high touch” approach has yielded dramatic results vs. the old PDF approach
► 40 times more people interacted with Opportunities in
adversity, Lessons from Change, other high-profile
content in HTML format
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Understand your user
Rule No. 1
No one is going to read this.
They will skim it.
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Understand your reader
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―Why won’t it just tell me
what it’s about?‖
―I’ve looked everywhere – there’s nothing here but words.‖
―It demands so much of my time and concentration. This large block of
text, it expects me to figure everything out on my own, and I hate it.‖
―I’m sure if it’s important
enough, they’ll let us know
some other way.‖
―Whatever it is, I’m pretty sure it doesn’t even have a point.‖
Meet your reader
http://www.theonion.com/articles/nation-shudders-at-large-block-of-uninterrupted-te,16932/
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69% 80%
20%
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Skimming, slower reading rates
• 28 out of 100 words
• Reading is 25% slower online
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Skimming, subheadings, SEO, the squint test
Vs.
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Skimming
• The letter F
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Think well of your audience
People like eye candy just as they like word candy.
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From boring to less boring with YOU centric focus (PWC.com)
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Our clients want us to keep it simple
http://brandingzone.ey.net/national/tbz3.nsf/SitePage/About+the+brand_Bran
dcast+videos_Winning+with+words?opendocument&Expand=7
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Write for the 8th grade (age 13) reading level
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Rewrite from 9th grade to 8th grade
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Calculate reading level in Word
Once spelling and grammar
check is done, the readability
stats will show up
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Flesch–Kincaid reading ease test
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Flesch-Kincaid grade level test
(0.39 x Average sentence length)
+ (11.8 x Average number of syllables per word)
- 15.59
Flesch-Kincaid reading age/grade level
The lowest grade level score in theory is −3.40, but there are few real passages where every sentence consists
of a single one-syllable word. Green Eggs and Ham by Dr. Seuss comes close, averaging 5.7 words per
sentence and 1.02 syllables per word, with a grade level of −1.3. (Most of the 50 used words are monosyllabic;
"anywhere", which occurs 8 times, is an exception.)
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The plain and simple language machine
We don’t play favourites.
We are world-wide.
We are in it for the long haul.
We know the industries.
We have people with deep technical expertise so you don’t have to.
There is nothing easy about creating plain and simple language.
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Make it sing
Rule No. 2
You are a liberator of
good copy.You have a new identity as an editor. You
are a liberator. You free good copy from
the repetitive banality of thought leadership
and raise it up! You make it sing!
When you are an editor I want you to think
of this image – you only have two jobs,
1) liberate good copy and
2) submit your GT&E on time.
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Editing for the web experience
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WEB EDITS: best practicesPrint out this slide and post in your work space!
Write in PLAIN, SIMPLE language. Writing at a lower reading scale improves user
satisfaction and reading rates. Keep it conversational
Break up your paragraphs. No more than 2 sentences in each paragraph.
Restructure the piece as needed. Keep it simple.
Float the best content up to the front of the piece, and to the top of each page, preferably
into the first 200 words
Break up the text with graphics, call outs and bold text
Remove all unnecessary words, paragraphs and sections.
Use the active voice as much as possible.
Be on the look out for ―belly button gazing,‖ and backstories that are making their
presence known on the web
Spend extra time on headings, subheadings, introduction page and writing your teaser and
headline. If you took all the headings and subheadings onto a page, they should tell your
story on their own.
Ask yourself:
Why should my reader care?
What’s the major take away message?
Writing compelling copy is hard. It is an art and takes a long time to get good at it.
The plot is often the same in all our reports – Worry about XYZ, then call us.
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We have made a habit of weak, confusing sentences.
―Our threat and vulnerability teams help you assess the
threats and build the right model for protecting your
company from threats, inside and out.‖ (Advisory)
―The Ernst & Young Climate Change and Sustainability
Framework is our proprietary, holistic methodology for
an enterprise-wide business transformation.‖ (CCaSS)
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The web is for connecting
Are we trying to IMPRESS people or
CONNECT with people?
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Focus on verbs, remove adjectives
―Our threat and vulnerability teams help you assess the
threats and build the right model for protecting your company
from threats, inside and out.‖
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Ernst &
Young
Client
Desired
outcome
Can’t legally say this
directlyWe…
Help
Aid
Enable
Guide
Assist
assess
Prevent
Suggest
encourage
Our indirectness is hurting us
Transitive
verbs can’t
stand on their
own. They are
often abstract.
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If you have something to say, you don’t need to show off with fancy words.
Original:
Our threat and vulnerability teams help you assess the
threats and build the right model for protecting your company
from threats, inside and out. (11.3 grade readability level)
Rewrite:
You need to protect your company from threats, inside and
out. We understand your business and we can help. (4.3 grade readability level)
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Put the client first – literally.
You need to protect your company from threats, inside and
out. As a trusted advisor, we can help.
By putting ―You‖ first – we put the client and their concerns in their world in
their business FIRST. It shows that we ―get it‖, we understand your business,
and we’re here to help.
Ernst & Young as long wanted to push the idea that we are ―a trusted advisor‖
and here’s our chance.
A more conversational tone is appropriate for the web. And you should always
be able to tell the whole story in two sentences.
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Focus on verbs, remove adjectives
―The Ernst & Young Climate Change and Sustainability
Framework is our proprietary, holistic methodology for an
enterprise-wide business transformation.‖
Would ―method‖ be the same as ―methodology‖?
-Trade a word with five syllabus for one with two which means the
same thing.
Is the fact that it’s proprietary and holistic important?
Use simple words. Write for the 8th grade reading level.
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If you have something to say, you don’t need to show off with fancy words.
Original:
The Ernst & Young Climate Change and Sustainability
Framework is our proprietary, holistic methodology for an
enterprise-wide business transformation. (20.2 grade readability level)
Rewrite:
We have a framework that takes you, step by step, through a
sustainable business transformation. (9.9 grade readability level)
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Active and passive voice
Passive voice
Caesar was stabbed by Brutus.
The subject, Caesar, was affected by the action of the verb.
Active voice
Brutus stabbed Caesar.
The subject, Brutus, denotes the doer, or agent.
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Active and passive voice
Passive voice
Subject (something was done to it, was affected by the verb)
The risks involved in cloud computing were examined by a
team of professionals and found to outweigh the benefits.
Active voice Subject (doer) verb object
Our team of professionals examined the risks involved in
cloud computing and found them to outweigh the benefits.
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Skip the scare tactics
If it wasn’t a big business issue, we wouldn’t be dedicating
resources to talking and writing about it.
The first idea presented is
this big scary problem of
health care reform.
Our readers may read that
and say, “Yeah I know it’s a
big problem, that’s why I’m
on the site looking for
answers!”
Example:
Health care reform is one of the most sweeping domestic policy changes
that the US has seen in decades, and it has vast implications for all
companies and their employees, not just hospitals, health plans, drug
makers and others in the health care industry. Among a number of other
changes, the law for the first time will require US employers to provide
affordable health coverage to their employees or face penalties.
Companies will need to look beyond human resources to understand
how health care reform will influence strategic, operational, compliance
and financial decision-making.
Responding to health care reform is not an option — it’s law. Although it
may be a 10-year journey toward full implementation, some provisions
affecting employers will take effect 23 September 2010. This first
milestone is approaching quickly, increasing the pressure on your
organization to take action now.
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Skip the scare tactics
If it wasn’t a big business issue, we wouldn’t be dedicating
resources to talking and writing about it.
Start with how EY
understands the problem
and can help.
Ernst & Young makes compliance easy
Ernst & Young can help you navigate the enormous complexities of the US health
care reform bill.
Our core skills — assurance, tax, transactions and advisory — as well as health care
sector-specific knowledge will help you understand and identify both the risks and
opportunities this new legislation brings.
We continue to monitor the ongoing regulatory and legislative developments as the
health care policy is interpreted and implemented over the next several years.
Our team will work with you to :
•Analyze the implications of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act
(PPACA)
•Provide recommendations around the risks and opportunities of the health
care reform bill
•Help you execute an action plan that addresses the risks, costs, and
compliance and strategic obligations that health care reform brings
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Research your keywords
www.ultimate-research-assistant.com
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Why save the best for last?
The good
conclusions were
saved for page
26.
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Subheadings
Break up the text
Interactive
graphic /
navigation
SEO heading: ―IPO‖
and ―going public‖
Call outBulleted list for easy scanning
A slam dunk of a landing page
First sentence
is in a larger
font.
Cross
promotion
pointing to
more services
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To kill or to keep: Your right to reorganizeThe first five pages act as this PDF’s introduction. We need to get all the important content from the first five pages into the
area above the fold on the first page.
Keep: Top 10 list
first appears in
the table of
contents
Keep some, kill some:
Intro copy, some of it
really good, some of it
really unnecessary
Keep: Cool graphic that would
make a nice element to break
up the copy
Kill: Lengthy section devoted to the study
parameters. I never include this text. No
one wants to know HOW the results were
gathered – they just want to know WHAT
the results were, and WHY they should
care about them.
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Best practices followed:
1. Take away message above the
fold? Check.
2. Subheaders break up the text?
Check.
3. Content in lists? Check.
4. Graphic elements to balance
the text? Check.
5. Scannable? Check.
Plus, everyone loves a top 10 list.
Following best practices
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Why’s it so hard?
Writing
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Reverse engineer sticky ideasYou can make an idea interesting using this formula
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The curse of knowledge
Tappers and listeners
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Simple
Find the core of the idea
―The more we reduce the amount of information in an idea,
the stickier it will be.‖
Tap into existing memories and schemas (ex: Polemo)
―It’s about elegance and prioritization, not dumbing down.‖
Don’t bury the lead
• Jounalism 101
• Don’t regurgitate information. Understand the value and meaning
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Unexpected
SURPRISE: Getting attention
• A flight announcement to remember
• Surprise gets our attention and makes us want to find the answer
• Break the guessing machine
INTEREST: Keeping attention
• ―Well the Aha! Experience is much more satisfying when it
preceded by the Huh? experience.‖
• Start with a mystery. Invite readers to wonder, how will it turn out?
CURIOSITY: Gaps in knowledge cause pain
• What will happen? Was I right?
• We watch bad movies just to see who done it!
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The top 10 risks for business
In today's post-downturn economy, a variety of business risks have emerged -- and some
have become more prominent. From the threat of increased regulation to emerging markets
to social responsibility and more, our survey of leading industry executives shows which
risks you should be prioritizing this year.
Planning for growth in business
Now that the global economy has stabilized, how are successful companies planning for
growth in the next three years? How can strategic changes made now help companies land
on their feet as the global economy begins to right itself? Read our report.
Examples of good copy writing
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Examples of good copy writing
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HEADLINES: Best practices
• Use action verbs in your headlines
• Keep it short – 50 characters or less
• Include keywords and phrases
• Make it compelling (SUCCESs Model)
• Questions are good
• Avoid ambiguous headlines
• Don’t over use the format of a statement followed by a question
(ex: Government innovation: Where are we headed?)
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Examples of good headlines
•Compelling? Do I want to click on it?
Check.
•Action verb?
Check.
•Brief, under 50 characters?
Check.
•Keywords used? Optimized for search?
Sort of
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Examples of so-so headlines
•Brief, under 50 characters?
Check.
•Keywords used? Optimized for search?
Check.
•Action verb?
Sort of.
•Compelling? Do I want to click on it?
Sort of.
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Examples of so-so headlines
•Brief, under 50 characters?
Check.
•Keywords used? Optimized for search?
Check.
•Good use of the statement-colon-
statement format?
Check.
•Compelling? Do I want to click on it?
Sort of.
•Action verb?
No.
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Ambiguous headlines are common, but should be
de-emphasized and re-written to give context
Out of context, ―Ambitious,
adept and agile‖ doesn’t
mean anything nor does it
give a reader any sense of
what the report is about.
It’s like trying to buy a car
and the salesman is making
you guess what the price is
saying, ―I’ll give you a hint,
it’s an even number…‖
Subheadings to the rescue! Because we can’t change the name of the
report itself, throughout the rest of the piece we emphasized the subheading
which includes the real topic, entrepreneurs.
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Get specific. De-emphasize the ambiguous heading.
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Keep an eye out for cross promotion opportunities
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Writing good teasers
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Teaser example: strong call to action, compelling
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Use your words…in your links
Avoid using ―click here‖ or ―read more‖ as your linked text.
What you pick for linked copy matters for SEO and for the
call to action.
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Short headlines in the table of contents
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Rewriting US Health Care’s “elevator speech” for landing page
•Brick wall of text
•Too long
•Not scannable
•Nothing draws the eye
•Headline is not compelling
•No call to action
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Re-written for skimming
[235 words]
• Eliminated 60 words
• Used key words and phrases
over and over again
• Subheadings
• Short punchy sentences with a
language tie-in (―doctor’s
orders‖ ―compliance‖)
• Bulleted lists
• No paragraph is more than 2
sentences
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Cover page: “Operational efficiency”
Note the reading
level too!
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The “3 pager” experiment: diminishing returns
Page 1 under 1200 words
Page 2 under 800 words
Page 3 under 400 words
Summary on the top
page summarizes the
entire piece.
Compelling copy
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The “3 pager” experiment
Summary on the top page summarizes the entire piece.
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Summary on the top of each page
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Optimize for search
Google, Bing, Yahoo
•No more than 5 keywords
•Separate keywords and key
phrases with a comma and
space
Autonomy (ey.com’s search)
•Unlimited number of keywords and
phrases
•Separate keywords and phrases with
NO space but USE a semicolon
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CMS back-end search fields-if you get this wrong, all search efforts will fail
Google, Bing, Yahoo
Autonomy (ey.com’s search)
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What’s wrong with this picture?
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What’s wrong with this picture?
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Questions, comments?
