糖心vlog官网

Web Writing and Content Creation Guide

A guide to writing and creating effective, efficient, accessible content for the 糖心vlog官网 Website.

Top Tips

If you don鈥檛 read anything else鈥kim these tips to create great, accessible content.

Support a Great User Experience

Web content has unique characteristics.

Online readers skim content.

Rather than reading every word, online readers tend to jump around. They read subheadings to get a sense of the page, and often go straight to hyperlinks. Just copying and pasting from print material into a web page often creates a poor online experience for users. Therefore:

  • Provide informative subheadings outlining and giving structure to the page
  • When creating hyperlinks, use informative link text. For example, 鈥淒ownload sustainability report鈥� instead of 鈥渃lick here.鈥�
  • Be brief. Simplify as much as possible.

糖心vlog官网鈥檚 web pages are organized to target specific audiences.

Content should have specific goals. Not every page has to serve every audience. Throughout most of the website, 糖心vlog官网 generally targets an audience of prospective students and families. Within the Campus Resources and Services section, specific content targets specific groups, e.g.,  faculty, staff, students, and parents.

  • When creating a web page, understand the page鈥檚 goal and to what audience that goal is relevant.
  • Build the page in the correct section of the site for its intended audience. Ensure the content you prepare is speaking to that audience.

Page layouts change based on the user鈥檚 screen size.

糖心vlog官网鈥檚 website is built using responsive design. This means the content on the page dynamically resizes and rearranges itself based on whether the user is accessing with a computer monitor, a smartphone, a tablet, etc. It is impossible to know exactly how your content will display for every user. Therefore:

  • Pay attention to testing for adequate display at several screen sizes, rather than trying to perfect presentation on your own screen.
  • Avoid phrases like 鈥渢he image on the right鈥� 鈥� depending on the user鈥檚 screen size, that image may appear above or below the text.

You can change it whenever you want鈥� but you have to change it.

Time-bound content falls out of date quickly, and requires continued attention. Therefore:

  • If you鈥檙e including time-bound content on your page, schedule a time on your calendar to re-edit the page when the information is no longer relevant.
  • If you are unable to commit to continually updating a page, provide useful information that is not time bound.
  • In most cases it is better to post events to the campus calendar than to a web page. You can then embed the calendar events on relevant web pages on the site.

You need a strategy to help people find your content.

Building a web page is only part of the process of communicating. An equally important step is driving traffic to the new page. Take time to plan a strategy across media for driving awareness of the information you post online, following this useful checklist.

  • Build links from other pages of the site to your content. Can users get from your main landing page to your sub-pages?
  • Could social media help you meet your goals? Contact the Communications Office to inquire about being referenced on University accounts or how a social media campaign might drive users to your page.
  • Depending upon your goals and audience, strategic email marketing may be a solution. Consult with the Communications Office. 
  • Are you promoting a complex event? Start with calendar.colgate.edu and link to your web page from the event listing. The Communications Office can help you plan an integrated promotion strategy.
  • Have you mentioned the web address in relevant printed content?
     

Creating Website Content That Works

The Big Picture

The Details