Writing for Web

This guide is intended to help Weber State employees create informative, user-friendly content for websites. These instructions are based on best practices and federal accessibility standards we are required to meet as a university.

If you have any questions, please contact

Anna Burleson, Web Content Manager

annaburleson@weber.edu

Site Manager

Weber State’s content management system (CMS), Site Manager, has numerous presets to make it easy to stay on brand when maintaining or making edits to web pages.

Site Manager Training

Know Your Audience

Is your website for students? Is it for parents? Is it for faculty?
Decide who the majority audience is, and write to those users.
Don’t worry about making your website messages for “everyone.”
Once you know your audience, speak directly to them by using “you” language, rather than third-person references (“you must apply,” not “students must apply”).

Avoid Jargon

Write “What You’ll Learn,” not “Learning Outcomes.”
Avoid unfamiliar acronyms. Most will know “WSU” but not “EW” for “Employee Wellness.”
Don’t assume users already know about other Weber State programs (or anything, for that matter).

Write for Scanning

Expect your audience to be in a hurry. Write for scanning, not reading.
Put important information highest on the page.
Break large blocks of text into smaller chunks. Use bullet points.
Section titles should sum up content and describe what it is.
Follow the five-second rule: if users can’t figure out what your page is about within five seconds, you may lose them.
Use an F Pattern: Users read content in an F pattern, starting at the top left portion of the page: across, then down, across, then down. Your content will be easier to scan by having it follow this pattern.

Keywords

Using straightforward keywords in your text.
If your page is about studying abroad in China, keywords may include “study abroad,” “China,” and “learning Chinese,” rather than buzzy phrases like “student engagement” or “immersion program.”