University of Nebraska - Lincoln August 10, 2011

1. Writing Right for the Web:Engaging Visitors and Improving Search Engine Visibility on Traditional Websites University of Nebraska - Lincoln August 10, 2011 Bob Johnson Consulting, LLC

2. Today we discuss the optimal presentation of content on your “traditional” website… Copywriting, basic content presentation, and SEO 2 Bob Johnson Consulting, LLC Bob Johnson Consulting, LLC

3. What we are doing today… 5 steps • Content… essential to scan quickly • Examples of easy-to-scan pages • Writing like a direct marketer • Web-friendly online publications • Displaying content on the page • Better search engine visibility Bob Johnson Consulting, LLC

4. Major reason people go to your website… Complete a task Bob Johnson Consulting, LLC

5. 6 key truths about the Internet… • People are impatient • People are impatient • People are impatient • People are impatient • People are impatient • People are impatient Bob Johnson Consulting, LLC

6. Major reason people go to your website… Complete a task Bob Johnson Consulting, LLC

7. The Golden Rule… 5 seconds to connect Bob Johnson Consulting, LLC

8. Website is… A series of online magazines Admissions, alumni, athletics, friends, donors… Content, style, frequency will differ… As it does for print magazines Bob Johnson Consulting, LLC

9. Web content editor and friends…http://www.bobjohnsonblog.com/web-content-editors/ Bob Johnson Consulting, LLC

10. “Whenever I find myself growing grim about the mouth; whenever it is a damp, drizzly November in my soul; whenever I find myself involuntarily pausing before coffin warehouses, and bringing up the rear of every funeral I meet; and especially whenever my hypos get such an upper hand of me, that it requires a strong moral principle to prevent me from deliberately stepping into the street, and methodically knocking people's hats off- then, I account it high time to get to sea as soon as I can.” I must go to sea when: – I'm depressed or melancholy – I stop in front of coffin warehouses – I follow funerals – I have a powerful urge to knock people's hats off Continue the adventure here. Thanks to Kathy Henning, Communications Specialist, Seattle Pacific University Not a place for great literature…Moby Dick on the web Bob Johnson Consulting, LLC

11. Step 1…Web readers are scan readers If people can’t scan your pages, people won’t read your content… Eliminate dense blocks of text… Change big paragraphs to small paragraphs, add subheads & bullet points Bob Johnson Consulting, LLC

12. Not so engaging on this page…http://www.cofc.edu/about/index.php Bob Johnson Consulting, LLC

13. No unbroken text blocks here…http://www.cofc.edu/academics/index.php Bob Johnson Consulting, LLC

14. Too much content here…http://www.suny.edu/sunynews/ Bob Johnson Consulting, LLC

15. New, improved version… http://www.suny.edu/sunynews/ Bob Johnson Consulting, LLC

16. Easy to scan blog-style news stories…http://www.tamus.edu/ Bob Johnson Consulting, LLC

17. Easy to scan annual giving report…https://apps.carleton.edu/giving/report/2010/ Bob Johnson Consulting, LLC

18. Easy to scan for brand message…http://www.smith.edu/about_whyissmith.php Bob Johnson Consulting, LLC

19. Easy to scan for top tasks… Bob Johnson Consulting, LLC

20. Web readers scan for “care” words… Words that get attention & engage the visitor… Write from the viewpoint of your audience… What are the “Carewords” that get attention? Bob Johnson Consulting, LLC

21. Words people cared about…Top 25% Advance your career Balancing work, home, and school Career advancement Cost Best school possible Prestigious, well-recognized degree Words that didn’t rank high…Low 25% Accessible faculty Experience of faculty Corporate sponsorship Shaping leaders Class diversity (industry or experience) Format of program Carewords for Exec MBA prospectsUNC Kenan-Flagler Business School Bob Johnson Consulting, LLC

22. Carewords shape top content…http://www.kenan-flagler.unc.edu/programs/emba/index.cfm Bob Johnson Consulting, LLC

23. Heading meets link expectations…http://www.kenan-flagler.unc.edu/programs/emba/advance/balance.cfm Bob Johnson Consulting, LLC

24. Step 2…Write like a direct marketer on your website Brief… Clear… Compelling and Persuasive Bob Johnson Consulting, LLC

25. “Rolls-Royce has an obsession with quality appreciated by discerning customers” Rolls-Royce campaign before David Ogilvy Sounds like… “Committed to academic excellence” “At 60 miles an hour the loudest noise in this new Rolls-Royce comes from the electric clock” Rolls-Royce campaign after David Ogilvy Sounds like… The real world Must be true Avoid old-style marketing copy… Bob Johnson Consulting, LLC

26. Can’t make claims like this anymore…(Names changed to protect the guilty) • “For more than 60 years, XYZ University has maintained a prestigious reputation for the quality of its engineering program. Today, the WXYZ University engineering degree remains the “gold standard” of excellence in engineering education. Students graduating with our degree will enter the marketplace armed with skills that are backed by the XYZ University heritage of unmatched quality in the academic preparation of engineering professionals.” Bob Johnson Consulting, LLC

27. Direct marketing style helps people scan… • Short sentences… 5 to 10 words • Short paragraphs… 50 words or less • One sentence paragraph is OK • Sub-heads… • Active words, not labels • Flow from the primary page heading • Bullet points Bob Johnson Consulting, LLC

28. Direct marketing style helps people connect… • Newspaper copy words… • “walk”… not “ambulate” • “confuse”… not “discombobulate” • “beat around the bush”… not “prevaricate” • “view”… not “purview” • Personal language style • “You” and “your” are great web writing words • Visible prompts to take an action Bob Johnson Consulting, LLC

29. Marketing style that works…http://www.wm.edu/about/index.php Bob Johnson Consulting, LLC

30. High visibility action steps…http://www.waldenu.edu/Tuition-and-Financial-Aid.htm Bob Johnson Consulting, LLC

31. Repeat the call to action…http://www.mbaregis.com/ Bob Johnson Consulting, LLC

32. Words increase action…http://dustincurtis.com/you_should_follow_me_on_twitter.html • I'm on Twitter… 4.7% • Follow me on Twitter... 7.31% • You should follow me on Twitter... 10.09% • You should follow me on Twitter here... 12.81% Bob Johnson Consulting, LLC

33. The web is an informal place, so make things as personal as possible… The “you” word is fine… Include a name for phone & email contact… Use a name at the end of an auto response Bob Johnson Consulting, LLC

34. “You”-friendly transfer credit page…http://degreecompletion.stedwards.edu/x157.xml • Write like this… • “Request a transcript from each college you’ve attended.” • 16 times… • Use of “you” or “your” on this page • Abolish… • “The student must…” language Bob Johnson Consulting, LLC

35. Step 3… Major print publications as PDFs or “flip tech” challenge natural law… If you can read the text, you can’t see the photos If you can see the photos, you can’t read the text Bob Johnson Consulting, LLC

36. The “Big Three” mistakes… Alumni magazines… Annual reports… Admissions viewbooks Bob Johnson Consulting, LLC

37. The PDF format doesn’t work well… Bob Johnson Consulting, LLC

38. An example of getting it right…http://magazine.uchicago.edu/ Bob Johnson Consulting, LLC

39. Every university can do it…http://alfredmagazine.alfred.edu/... http://magazine.biola.edu/ Bob Johnson Consulting, LLC

40. Resist calls to “flip” technology…http://issuu.com/umson/docs/university_of_maryland_nursing Bob Johnson Consulting, LLC

41. Step 4…Putting content on the page Contrast… Font type and size… Scrolling Links Bob Johnson Consulting, LLC

42. Special attention to the first sentence in a paragraph… The first sentence can stand alone… Craft the first sentence to capture attention… One sentence paragraph is OK… Keep paragraphs to 50 words or less Bob Johnson Consulting, LLC

43. Strong first sentence stands out…http://clas.uiowa.edu/students/handbook/restart • “ReStart is the academic forgiveness policy of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.” Bob Johnson Consulting, LLC

44. Black text on white still works best… Black text on white (or very light) background is best… Avoid low contrast between text and background whatever the color combination Bob Johnson Consulting, LLC

45. Serif or sans serif? Sans serif is easier to read quickly… Verdana, Arial, Calibri are popular sans serif fonts Bob Johnson Consulting, LLC

46. Font size? 10 point or 12 point… Don’t make people squint Fonts are different at same sizes… (Verdana) Fonts are different at same sizes (Arial) Fonts are different at same sizes (Calibri) Bob Johnson Consulting, LLC

47. Or let readers pick their font size…http://www4.esu.edu/admissions/index.cfm Bob Johnson Consulting, LLC

48. Scroll or don’t scroll?http://www.useit.com/alertbox/scrolling-attention.html OK to scroll when content of continuing interest is unfolding… When topics change, might be time for a new page Bob Johnson Consulting, LLC

49. Writing links that work…http://bit.ly/2dxRHt • Place the link at the point of action… • Often at the end of a paragraph • Sometimes at an item within the paragraph itself • Make the link obvious… • Underline the link like this • Use blue as the color • Make sure link expectations are met • A list of academic majors • Not text about the majors Bob Johnson Consulting, LLC

50. After content block, call to action link…http://www.susqu.edu/admissions/default.asp Bob Johnson Consulting, LLC