The graphic design may be a work of art, the technology cutting edge, but it’s well-written content that brings visitors to your site and keeps them coming back. In this course, you’ll learn proven principles of web writing (conciseness, effective hypertext links, putting the message above the fold) to help visitors find information and navigate your site. You’ll learn how to write specifically for online readers. In-class exercises will help you practice your web writing skills. Personal feedback from instructors will build confidence in your web writing.

What You’ll Learn
You’ll learn how web writing is different from print writing and why print documents don’t work on the web as-is.  You’ll learn the traits of a well written website and how to incorporate these traits into your web writing.  You’ll learn how to satisfy the needs of a variety of users and how to help users find what they want.

Course Topics

• How to write scannable content
• How to write concisely
• How to edit your own (and others’) content for brevity
• How to write effective hypertext links
• How web writing differs from print writing
• How to repurpose print documents for the web
• How to write for search engines as well as human users

Course Activities

• Review sample web sites, including your own
• Develop a list of traits of a well-written web sit
• Write and revise original web content
• Practice two strategies for editing for conciseness

Course length: one day