Ever get the feeling that nobody is reading your library’s website? Trust your gut on this one; unfortunately, this is the case for much of the content posted on library sites. Learn how to make your content not only attractive, but also palatable to today’s online reader. Some simple guidelines will make all the difference.

1. Laura Solomon
Library Services Manager
Writing for OPLIN
laura@oplin.org
the Web
(A.K.A.
“Trying to get
people to give a
darn”)

2. You can:
• Keep their attention
• Not turn them off
• Write more convincingly

3. From Aaron Schmidt, walkingpaper.org

4. L E N GT H

6. On average, web
users read almost
100% of a page’s
content only if it is
25 words or less.

7. Krug’s Third Law of Usability

10. http://mrs.oshimbo.com/2010/10/10thingsidontlike.html

12. “…bullets are like flashing Christmas
lights”

14. LESS NOISE

15. MORE
PROMINENCE

16. Less
Page
Length

17. http://www.yourlibrary.org/node/11452?
ddbox00=429&ddbox01=464&x=73&y=13
http://www.yourlibrary.org/reference

18. QUALITY

19. PLEASE
STOP
SCREAMING
AT ME.
Please?

20. Harry Potter
Party at the
Main Library
Thursday,
July 14, at 3
p.m.!!!!!!!!

21. Click
here

22. Click here to access your account
Access your account

23. http://www.scribendi.com/advice/the_correct_use_of_acronyms.en.html

24. Don’t bury the lead
• “Mitt Romney, the presumptive Republican
presidential nominee, wouldn’t say Sunday
whether he’d repeal President Barack Obama’s
decision to stop deporting certain young illegal
immigrants. “
• “In an interview, Romney would say only that his
administration would seek longer-term solutions
to the problem of illegal immigration, and that
Obama’s new directive, announced Friday, was
temporary fix. “

25. • 84% are more
likely to trust
you
• 60% + are more
likely to be
interested in
what you are
selling/saying

27. Content Write in the
should not active
be written by voice.
passive-
voiced staff
members.

28. Selling
your
content

31. HOW or WHY
and BENEFIT
=WIN *
* ($how||$why)+$benefit=$win

32. Learn more about
the library’s
research
databases

33. How to make
your research
faster & more
productive

34. Feature
Benefit
Experience

35. • Feature: New database
• Benefit: Higher quality information
• Experience: Blow away your
teachers or professors. Credible,
professional sources add information
to your research not available via
Google and make you look like a
more committed student .

36. WHY?

37. Where’s your CTA?

38. Four kinds of CTAs
• Place an order;
• Enroll, subscribe, enter;
• Get a quote;
• Learn more.

39. Make ‘em
stronger!

40. “The goal of the copy is to
connect with the reader,
and guide them towards
an action. “
Peep Laja, owner of Markitekt.com

41. Making headlines

42. Headlines do 3 things

43. 1. Communicate importance

44. 2. Succinctly convey story essence
MAN
BITES DOG,
DOG THREATENS
LAWSUIT

45. 3. Grab attention

46. Write the headline FIRST

47. Include location
Branch gets new checkout
machine
versus
Belpre branch library gets
new checkout machine

48. Think keywords
Local man wins summer reading contest
versus
Belpre man wins stuffed monkey in
library’s 2012 summer reading contest

49. Why do list posts work?
“If there’s one thing that turns
online readers off, it is the
17-line, multi-idea, complex
paragraph”
Chris Lake, eConsultancy, Digital Marketers United

50. Practice

51. Rewrite this!
A patron must have a library card in good
standing to use the public computers
managed by the Library’s reservation
software.

52. (Absolutely shameless plug)

53. http://www.twitter.com/laurasolomon
http://www.facebook.com/laurasolomon
http://www.linkedin.com/in/laurasolomon
laura@oplin.org
http://www.meanlaura.com
http://www.slideshare.net/laurasolomon
Thank you!