Text/Copy for Websites, Print, and PowerPoint Presentations
Considering how long humans have been communicating, not much changed until the development of the printing press and the web. Without knowing it, Albert Einstein gave sound advice for marketing collateral/web writers: "If you are out to describe the truth, leave elegance to the tailor."
In a very short time we have come to read more online than in print - so much so that print is now considered an endangered species. Studies prove that more than 80% of all users will scan pages rather than read every word - and they remember more of the content from pages that contain bulleted phrases, headings and highlighted text.
When creating marketing collaterals or a website, your only goal is to make the content inviting, understandable, and easy to read ... text layout and placement play a far greater role than most people realize.
However, most business people tend to consider their printed marketing collaterals, PowerPoint slides, and electronic documents as acceptable web content. Nothing could be farther from the truth. Modification is required to effectively use print publication copy and visual elements for web content.
The human brain is great at recognizing patterns. We process tremendous amounts of information from the moment we wake up in the morning until closing our eyes at night, yet our brains help to prevent information overload by processing that information into recognizable patterns. Examples of how Information processing differs between websites and collateral materials:
For print collaterals:
Considering how long humans have been communicating, not much changed until the development of the printing press and the web. Without knowing it, Albert Einstein gave sound advice for marketing collateral/web writers: "If you are out to describe the truth, leave elegance to the tailor."
In a very short time we have come to read more online than in print - so much so that print is now considered an endangered species. Studies prove that more than 80% of all users will scan pages rather than read every word - and they remember more of the content from pages that contain bulleted phrases, headings and highlighted text.
When creating marketing collaterals or a website, your only goal is to make the content inviting, understandable, and easy to read ... text layout and placement play a far greater role than most people realize.
However, most business people tend to consider their printed marketing collaterals, PowerPoint slides, and electronic documents as acceptable web content. Nothing could be farther from the truth. Modification is required to effectively use print publication copy and visual elements for web content.
The human brain is great at recognizing patterns. We process tremendous amounts of information from the moment we wake up in the morning until closing our eyes at night, yet our brains help to prevent information overload by processing that information into recognizable patterns. Examples of how Information processing differs between websites and collateral materials:
For print collaterals:
- Use of all capital letters is a visual alert. It's OK in small doses, but difficult to read in paragraph form.
- Bold, underlined, and italicized words are attention seekers. Too many of them distract attention rather than call it.
- Convey concepts with images and graphics rather than heavy text.
- Most people will only visually scan material they consider light reading. Use bullets and charts whenever possible to make your information easy to scan.
- Underlined text is most commonly used to indicate links. Even bolded text is sometimes used for links. Which is why it is not wise to underline anything on the web that isn't a link, and careful, consistent use of bolding is required to eliminate user confusion.
- Unlike print collaterals, use san serif fonts for dense text areas.
- Keep paragraphs short and provide downloads for additional information.
- Keep web content in a personable, active voice, using conversational overtones.
Additional Information:
- About Us
- Web & Print Design
- Approach to Web Design
- Information Architecture
and Usability Experience - Text & Copy
- Applications vs. Websites
Keys to Success:
- Match the message to the medium. Effective web content is concise and easy to visually scan.
- Use charts to convey information whenever appropriate.
- Use active conversational overtones in web copy because electronically retrieved information is a much more intimate form of communication than a brochure.
- Eliminate promotional exaggerations, generalities, and technical jargon unless it is expected by your target audience.
- Use links to emphasize key points in your text as they give the reader the option to delve into detail without distracting from the main stream of content.