"WEBMARKETING
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Content: The Long and the Short of It
There is much discussion regarding the content
and length of Web pages. The answer seems like
it should be obvious. Why not write the same for
the Web as for printed media? But then, the
answer to that also seems to be obvious -- it
doesn't quite work.
Printed Media vs. the Web
Why doesn't it seem to work? There are many
reasons for this. Some are easy enough to
understand, others are not. Staring at a
computer screen for hours trying to read a
document can be tedious and difficult. Much of
that has to do with the size of the screen, the
resolution, and the colors and fonts used on the
Web page.
Different studies have shown that people read
25% slower from computer screens than from
printed media. In fact, most people do not
actually read on the Web; rather they tend to
scan pages looking for headings or trying to
pick out words that draw their attention. 79% of
online readers usually always scan, while only
16% read each word.
Because of this tendency to scan, readers on the
Web prefer writing that is concise, direct, and
to the point. Instead of saying "While
Austin-Martin has made some great automobiles in
the past, we can only recommend Rolls Royce at
this time", say "We would currently recommend
Rolls Royce over Austin Martin." The online
reader is scanning the page to find what he
needs and if he doesn't find it, he will go to
the next page or — dare I say it — to the next
Web site.
A good basic rule to use when writing content
for the Web is to use 50% less than what would
be used in printed media. In dissecting a
printed article, much of it is found to be just
"fluff" anyway. Let's face it.
The initial "thrill" of the Internet and World
Wide Web is just about
gone. We are now settling into the daily reality
of using it as another
tool to make our lives "better." We use the Web
instead of going to the local library (although
we may go there online) because it is faster and
we can usually find what we need. Instead of
grabbing the Yellow Pages, we just check the
company's Web site.
If they don't have one, we find a company that
does. Instead of playing computer games by
myself, I can play online with literally
thousands of people at the same time. Read a
good book review online? Jump on over to your
favorite bookseller's Web site and you can order
it and have it within 1-2 days, some you can
even download immediately. We have become used
to having information relayed to us quickly. We
don't need the "fluff" ... "Just the facts,
ma'am."
Keeping paragraphs short can help to facilitate
the process of scanning. The material is easier
to read when it is broken up into small chunks.
Highlighting key words and phrases using bold
and/or italics also adds to the ease of reading
the document. Highlighting should be done
sparingly, using it to bring out an important
point within a paragraph.
Too much emphasizing just marks up the document
and makes it hard to read. The use of links can
also be an aid to the reader. Providing links
from key words or phrases to relevant Web pages
can help to broaden the reader's experience and
enhance the material. This too, however, should
be done sparingly.
Page Length
Another important topic of Web page content is
page length. Should the article be all on one
page or should it be broken into several smaller
pages? What are the advantages and disadvantages
of one over the other?
One of the criticisms of using several smaller
pages is that it is an
excuse to get more page hits and banner
impressions. While this may be true in some
cases, if the page presentation is not
comfortable to the online reader, he will just
go to the next Web site. Online readers don't
have any incentive to stay on a site that is
uncomfortable and hard to read. Unlike having to
leave a store, get into your car, and drive to
another store, on the Web it just takes a second
to go to the next site.
While you may like to believe that you alone
have the truth — which may be the case — if the
reader is annoyed while trying to read it, he
may go somewhere else before he is able to learn
whether it is actually the truth or not. While
you may be paid for every page hit and/or banner
click, if you are not able to get and keep
customers, you won't be very successful no
matter what the size of the pages.
The size of the page can be determined by
several factors, some of which are: the
particular content of your documents; whether
the reader is expected to browse the content
online, or to download the documents for later
reading; and the bandwidth available to your
target audience (Yale Style Manual). Let's look
at these factors one at a time.
The Particular Content of Your Documents
Web page content covers the entire spectrum.
Everything you can imagine can be found on the
World Wide Web — from basic cooking recipes to
how to build a world-class hotel; from
information on how to remove a grass stain to
instructions on how to assemble an atomic bomb;
from a personal Web page to the complete works
of the world's greatest composers and authors;
from the latest soap opera gossip to the most
recent flying saucer landings — it is all there
for our perusal.
Should all of this be presented in the same
manner? The answer, I think, is obvious — no.
The personal Web page can be as simple as one
main page and a couple other pages linked to it.
Information on the most recent flying saucer
landings would best be
broken down into sub-categories, i.e. type of
encounter (the first kind, second kind, third
kind, etc.), site of landing (listed by city and
country), time of sighting (day or night), type
of craft (round, oval,
large, small), type of aliens (big, little,
mean, nice, green, blue),
etc. I think you get the point. This is
something that cannot be
categorized in general terms.
You should know your reader and what he expects
from the information on your site. Then make it
easy for him to find it. In the personal Web
page example, a reader probably wouldn't be
searching for all that much information. Yet,
the visitor to the UFO site would probably want
to know as much detail as possible. Just don't
make him search through a very long Web page to
find it. Divide it up into smaller ones that are
easier to digest.
SK Kor
Internet Marketing Consultant
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