My previous post stressed the importance of creating a website that does not overwhelm, confuse or annoy the end user.  This leads to my last misconception about what users expect from a website.

Misconception #3: Showing your creative side through unexpected layouts and navigation delights users and lets them know “you’re different” than your competition.

Unfortunately, this just isn’t so when it comes to web usability. As I mentioned in my very first post, one of the best practices for good usability is to remove the ambiguity regarding the consequence of an action.

Creativity works in other mediums, but the best websites utilize consistent, expected design that users find easy to navigate and understand.

What I’ve learned: When users search for information on the web, they do not want to “work” at gathering information.

 A good rule of thumb is to simplify, simplify, simplify. Getting caught up in the aesthetics of a website can often steer the usability in the wrong direction and create a site that is confusing and ambiguous to a first-time user.

I’ve learned to treat all sites as if I’ve never heard of the product before. Working on websites from that perspective allows me to keep my primary purpose in mind and that is to make it easy for a user to get the information they want.
 
To recap, well-written web content and proper usability comes from understanding a few key principles:

• Users don’t read online the same way they read offline. Online they scan for actionable content.
• Concise, meaningful content garners the greatest results.
• Uniformity, consistency and manageable chunks of information are the hallmarks of good content usability.
• Users don’t want to work for the information they are seeking. Adhere to the standards of good web design and create a website that is easy to  use and understand.

Misconception #2: In order to hold someone’s interest online, include as much information as possible on the homepage so that the user won’t leave.

This misconception breaks some of the cardinal rules of content usability. Just as users need concise, meaningful content, they need an even easier way to digest it. This means that layout is extremely important.
 
What I’ve learned: Uniformity, consistency and manageable chunks of information are the hallmarks of good content usability. Most importantly, it’s essential to create a webpage that does not overwhelm, confuse or annoy the end user causing them to bounce to another site.

My next post will discuss this very tenet. Users don’t want to work for their web content. If they do, they’re apt to bounce. Stay tuned.

For the first time, I learned about website usability, the ease of which a person can complete a desired task on a web page and how that affects the way a website presents information to the end user. Today, I share with you one of the largest misconceptions I had when it came to writing web content.

Misconception #1: Reading is reading. People read the same way, whether offline or online, which means that the same content can be used in both places.

This could not be farther from the truth. In fact, there is a world of difference between the way users approach online content and offline mediums. While working at a digital marketing firm, I learned that websites are an active medium and offline mediums are passive meaning people go online with a mission or intent while offline readers may not be actively searching for something.

Much to my surprise, this means that online users do not read web copy as they would a book. Instead, users scan websites for actionable content, useful information that will move them closer to their initial intention. I soon discovered that this changes how copy should be written for the web and set out to retool my efforts.

What I’ve learned: Writing concise actionable content is the way to create web content that will actually get read.

I learned to cut down the fluff when I write for the web. Jakob Nielsen’s website, useit.com, offers some good tips to think about when writing web content.

• Use concise scannable text that contains highlighted keywords
• Use meaningful sub-headings, not clever ones.
• Bulleted lists help users scan
• One idea per paragraph
• Begin with the conclusion or insight first, also called inverted pyramid style
• Use half the word count you would use in conventional writing

Learning these simple concepts has helped me create content that aids users in their search for information. My next hurdle was content usability. I discovered that it’s not just what you write, but how you arrange it on a webpage that also counts.

1.  Present the information to the user in a clear and concise way.
2. To give the correct choices to the users, in a very obvious way.
3. To remove any ambiguity regarding the consequences of an action e.g. clicking on delete/remove/purchase.
4. Put the most important thing in the right place on a web page or a web application.

As you can see, website usability involves a variety of integral disciplines including layout and design, content and navigation. As a copywriter, I was surprised to learn how critical content writing was to good website usability.

I discovered several misconceptions when I first began writing for the web. Each day I will review a new misconception in hopes of helping others avoid making the same mistakes.

As someone who often works with small business owners, below are the 3 most common mistakes we correct on their websites.

Mistake #1: Too much information on the home page

Because they have so much personally invested in their company’s accomplishments they place everything, including the kitchen sink, on their home page. Every service, every product, every press item, they want to find a way for it to all be front and center. Unfortunately, that leaves a home page where nothing stands out and users have no idea where to look.

A properly designed home page creates interest and drives users further into the site. That’s it. The rest of the website provides additional detail in the areas, products, or services that interest the user.

A home page should introduce users to the company, and tell them quickly (within 3 seconds):

• What this company does
• Why they should spend more time on this site (Point of Difference)
• Where they should click to get more details for whatever product or service they are interested in.

Mistake #2: Pride and emotion driving website decisions

Many small business owners are emotionally invested in and proud of their businesses, as they should be. They have had to trust their instincts on the road to success.

When it comes to their website, for many it is outside their area of expertise. This is not true only from a technical standpoint, but from a business standpoint as well. This is one area where industry knowledge, instincts and knowing their customers may not be enough.

Understanding how users behave online is a critical component when making decisions that affect a website.

• Gather data (through Google Analytics or other analytic tool), analyze the data, and understand how people are interacting with your site.
• Do an online competitive analysis. Know who your competitors are when potential clients search for the products or services you provide. You may be surprised to find your online competitors are different from your offline competition.
• Get to know your online competitor’s websites. Are theirs easier to use, or easier to understand?

Armed with accurate data and not emotion, you can make decisions that are right for your business and your website.

Mistake #3: Website content written using internal company language

The best use of a website is as a place where potential customers, who are looking for products or services like yours but who don’t know you exist, can find you. The website will introduce your business to potential customers. If it speaks to users who have never heard of your company, you can rest assured it is useful to those that have.

In order to write content that speaks to complete strangers make sure you do not use:

• Internal company language (every business has some forms of short hand)
• Industry acronyms (you’ll lose out on those new to the industry)
• Colorful language that is cute or funny to those who know you (outsiders may not get it or find it cute)

Read your website content and ask yourself, if I were speaking to a total stranger at a party, is this exactly how I would describe my business? And if so, would they understand it or would I need to explain further. If you would need to provide additional explanation, then the content will not be clear to a new user. Unfortunately, online you will not have the opportunity to clarify, because the user will have already clicked off your site and on to a competitor’s.

Take some time to look at your website with fresh eyes the way a new visitor would. If you find your site has any of these common mistakes, rest assured that you are not alone. Then, create a plan to fix them. Once you have tackled these problems, you will see how much more powerful a business tool your website can be.