The document provides guidelines for writing web content for higher education websites. It emphasizes that web users have short attention spans and are impatient. Content should be concise, scannable, and use simple language. Long blocks of text should be avoided and broken into shorter paragraphs, bullet points, and clear subheadings. Images and videos can be useful but should not distract from the core content. The guidelines recommend using a personal tone and focusing on what is most important to website visitors through their tasks and concerns.
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6 eternal truths, mobile or large
screen…
• People are impatient
• People are impatient
• People are impatient
• People are impatient
• People are impatient
• People are impatient
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A potential
students
speaks…
• "If I had to change one thing
it would probably be size of
the paragraphs, when I
clicked to go to certain pages
there were paragraphs that
were so long and tedious just
kind of dragging on the
description of the school
which made me lose interest
because I got bored."
Response from
one high school
student in a
January 2016
CCI survey
asking “If you
could change
one thing about
our website,
what would you
change and
why?”
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1. Dense content is not web-
friendly…
http://www.seas.virginia.edu/admissions/graduate.php
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16
lines!
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2. Extreme claims are not credible…
(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 XYZ
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.”
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3. Reading levels are best kept
low…
http://www.cam.ac.uk/researchUniversity
of Cambridge Research Grade 10 Reading Level
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4. Brevity is best…
• “Twitter forces you to be concise.”
• “Twitter forces you to exercise your
vocabulary.”
• “Twitter forces you to improve your editing
skills.”
• Jennifer Blanchard, http://bit.ly/eNOIXZ
• Use the same skills for Facebook entries
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5. “You” is a great web word…
http://www.stedwards.edu/admission/adultlearners
• Write like this…
• “Invest in yourself and
your success.”
• 8 times…
• Use of “you” or “your” on
this page after the first
heading.
• Abolish…
• “Applicants must…”
language.
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Eliminate dense text blocks…
• Short paragraphs… 50 words or less
• One-sentence paragraph is OK
• Short sentences… 5 to 10 words
• Subheads…
• Active words, not labels, related to page heading
• Bullet points
• Line spacing
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LONG BLOCKS OF DENSE
TEXT KILL SCANNABILITY
You can’t force people to read online…
If visitors can’t scan a page, few will stay.
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“Residency…” in 2 bullet points…
Good original use of the “you” word
• 2 Unique Residency Experiences
• Two of the defining components of the Penn State iMBA are the Term
3 and Term 8 residencies.
• In the Term 3 residency, you will study a prominent U.S. firm by spending
a week on-site, analyzing their organizational structure and strategy.
• In the Term 8 residency, you will participate in a team business
simulation held at Penn State University Park in State College,
Pennsylvania.
• These residency experiences put you in consulting and decision-
making roles, allowing you to use the skills and tools you have
developed in the program to find solutions to real business problems.
• At the conclusion of the Term 8 residency, you will have the
opportunity to walk at commencement with the other Penn State
master’s and doctoral candidates.
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“Program Highlights” in 5 bullet
points…
And change “students” to “you”• The BS in Elementary Education is a Florida Department of Education
(FLDOE) approved program that culminates with both Reading and ESOL
endorsement.
• The program includes courses in teaching students with English as a second
language, students with exceptionalities, reading competency, classroom
management, assessment, and integrated approaches to teaching methodologies at
the elementary school level.
• Students will learn to facilitate lessons that integrate math and science, health,
music and movement, as well as literature, fine arts, language arts, and social
sciences.
• Field experience requirements are progressive in nature, building upon previous
semester experiences.
• Students will observe teachers in the field, teach lessons through the practicum
courses, and complete a full-time teaching internship in their final semester.
Courses are offered for full-time and part-time students, with blended and online
courses where applicable.
• Students will complete one upper division literacy course (3 credit hours) taught by
Florida Gulf Coast University faculty.
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FONT SIZE? NO SQUINTING!
10 point or 12 point…
Fonts are different at same sizes…
(Verdana)
Fonts are different at same sizes (Arial)
Fonts are different at same sizes (Calibri)
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Don’t make them squint…
https://360.marist.edu/ba_in_psychology_course_requirem
ents
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No squinting at Mizzou Grad
School…
http://gradstudies.missouri.edu/academics/graduation-
requirements/
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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.
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Your website is not for great
literature…
Moby Dick on the web“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
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Simple words help people
connect…
• Newspaper copy words…
• “walk”… not “ambulate”
• “confuse”… not “discombobulate”
• “beat around the bush”… not “prevaricate”
• “view”… not “purview”
• “glaring”… not “egregious”
• “wise” or “smart”… not “judicious”
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“Carewords” to engage people…
UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School research
• 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
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No need for frou-frou speed
bumps…
http://www.stanford.edu/about/
• “Stanford University,
located between San
Francisco and San Jose in
the heart of California's
Silicon Valley, is one of the
world's leading teaching
and research universities.
Since its opening in 1891,
Stanford has been
dedicated to finding
solutions to big challenges
and to preparing students
for leadership in a complex
world.”
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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.”
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Mobile style points…
• Importance of the first impression
• Headings and first sentences.
• Ability to scan, especially from a smartphone.
• Simple writing style is even more important.
• Short sentences
• Short paragraphs
• Informal, personal, friendly.
• Plenty of white space, as always.
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Best editorial decision for mobile…
http://www.ucsd.edu/
• Start with immediately
visible content words
• Content words are
navigation points
• Don’t let graphics
prevent content scans
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The 5 most important pieces…
• Identify the top tasks visitors want to complete.
• Different audiences have different tasks.
• Reduce excessive content plaguing most
websites.
• Make sure that content is scannable… you have
5 seconds or less.
• Short words, sentences, paragraphs.
• Subheads, bullet points, links.
• Use language that people visiting a site
understand & care about.
• Be careful in the use of photos and video.
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THANKS FOR BEING
HERE IN CINCINNATI!
Bob Johnson, Ph.D. (248.766.6425)
bob@bobjohnsonconsulting.com
www.bobjohnsonconsulting.com
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RESEARCH & HIGHER ED
RESOURCES…
Research sources…
Higher education web writing guides.
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