Writing for the web

Avoid duplication. Information should live in only one place. You don’t want to be responsible for updating your site every time IU Admissions or the Registrar’s Office changes their content. Introduce a topic and then link to the original source of information for more details.

Think about the mobile experience. Many of our web users will access your website through a mobile device. When creating content, consider how it might display on a phone or tablet.

Break up text. When you switch topics, use a new headline and start a new paragraph.

Write in blocks, not long narratives. This helps the user—an information forager—to scan the page and find the content important to them. Keep paragraphs and sentences short and in separate sections with appropriate headings. Try to keep pages between 300 and 500 words.

Distill information. Avoid creating a new page when a section on an existing page will do.

Emphasize key information + tasks. Use formatting, headlines, different content blocks, and short paragraphs to draw attention.

Talk to the reader. Use pronouns when possible (“you will,” “we can,” “if you want more information”) rather than third person (“the user will,” “the student can,” “if one wants more information”).

Be consistent. Maintain a consistent conversational tone and voice.

Use bulleted lists. This helps improve readability and helps users digest complicated information.

Create actionable content. Put content relevant to the users’ tasks front-and-center. Use “Call to Action (CTA)” buttons to help the user easily engage with the website.

Use descriptive + active call to action labels. A user should be able to cover the rest of the text on the page and still understand the call to action. For example, “Become a conversation partner” or “View our research.” This also helps users who use screen readers better understand the task to be completed.

Link to relevant pages. You can use call to action buttons or contextual links to connect your users to other pages on your website (or external websites) that may be useful.

Include images that are appropriate for the content. Remember, a picture is worth a thousand words. On a website, a picture that matches the content add value and visual interest. These can be used as banners, photo essays, overlays, etc.

On the web, we can highlight our strengths and demonstrate outcomes through the stories we share. These stories help to inform prospective and current students of the many opportunities available to them now and in the future.

Share student experiences. Use student stories to convey academic and extracurricular opportunities.

Promote the liberal arts. Illustrate how liberal arts skills contribute to a successful, meaningful life.

Demonstrate career success. Show career outcomes through compelling alumni stories.

Showcase research. Faculty and student research highlight our extraordinary teaching and learning community, and can aid in recruitment.

Keep current. Current news and events make a program seem vibrant and active.

We will develop content and build your new website, but once it’s launched, your team needs to understand how to manage content on the site for regular basic web updates. The steps on this page will help you get started.

Site architecture + navigation: In order to ensure a culture of consistency for web users across the College web space, our team is responsible for the site’s architecture. You will need to contact us to add or remove new navigation. To request help, please send a web update request.

Content strategy: Consider which tool in the WCMS might be best to display your content. Think about the length of the content and your audience when determining the best placement on your site. Be sure to consider voice and tone so the new content is consistent with the rest of the website.

Research + Reporting: Verify the accuracy of the new content and identify missing information. Be sure to watch for redundancies in the content, discuss the content with subject matter experts, and do additional research as necessary.

Content development, review + revisions: Write/edit content and identify any content-driven media needs, such as photography. Show the content to the subject matter expert(s) for review and incorporate edits.

Site production: You will enter content, documents, photos, video, and audio into the WCMS. Be sure to complete the College’s training and use our training documents if you need help. UITS also offers training materials.

Site review: Before you publish your content changes, review how they look on your test site environment. If the display looks strange to you, try using a different tool in the WCMS to display the information. Or, edit the text to be a little shorter or longer. Be sure to also copyedit and look for any spacing issues.

Publish + Quality assurance: Publish your changes to the site. Then, check the live version to make sure everything looks as you had hoped. Verify metadata, check links, and proofread. Make any final changes.

Training + Help: We offer basic training on making text and image updates to your website after completion of our web development process. And, we are here to help and consult even after we launch your site—especially if you have a lot of content to change. To request help, please send a web update request.

Focus: When creating content for your website, remember that your goal is to tell the school or department’s story through content, photography, and video. Your website should reflect the goals of your school or department and address the needs of your web users.

Audiences: Determine who your audience(s) are and keep them in mind at all times is one of the keys to writing effective content.

Examples of primary audiences

• Prospective undergraduate students + their parents
• Prospective graduate students
• Current IU students who may be seeking a major, minor, certificate, or course

Examples of secondary audiences

• Donors + Alumni
• IU faculty + staff
• External audiences: media, colleagues, peers at other institutions, and government agencies

Key message: A sentence that explains what a user can expect from your school or department. This idea, along with other key messages identified in your content strategy, should be integrated into the content. Give (brief) context to each page. Remember, users are not likely to start at your home page and navigate through your site. They’re more likely to arrive on a random page via a web search.

Maintain a consistent voice and tone. Content on College websites should be casual and approachable, yet professional. The tone should vary according to the audience and their feelings.

Use pronouns. Address the user as “you” and the department as “we”—unless a page is likely to serve multiple main audiences. It is sometimes necessary to be more formal and use the department’s full name (for example, “Department of English”).

Visualize writing to another person. It makes it easier to focus your content and utilize pronouns.

Write plainly. Use short sentences with straightforward language rather than long sentences containing jargon. This will help your user find the information they need and improve search optimization.

Know your audience. You may use a slightly different tone when writing for prospective undergraduate students and graduate students. Or, when addressing alumni and donors.

Integrate your brand personality. In addition to the College’s brand, your department has a brand–even if it hasn’t been articulated. It’s embedded in the culture of your program and your discipline, and represented by your faculty, students, and staff. Your brand is your department’s story. What are the strengths of your department? What primary messages do you have to share? These should be woven into the voice and tone of your content.