Creating Web Content

Week Three

Week Three Contents

• Length exercise and lead re-cap • Headings and titles• Writing devices for online• Active versus passive sentences• Bullet lists• Direct language• Choosing fonts and sizes• Avoid idioms• Acronyms• SEO

Length writing exercise

• Start with one idea for your upcoming blog assignment and write as much as you can on the idea.

• Now trim the content you have written to five important sentences.

• Now trim those five important sentences to one sentence that you believe most accurately describes your overall idea.

Headings/Titles

“The purpose of a headline is to get potential readers to read the first line of your content.” – David Ogilvy, Ogilvy on Advertising

Headings

Headings

Writing devices for online

• Write using active verbs• When to use I, you and we • Keep sentences simple• Avoid using verbs such as “get” and “do” • Use specific concrete nouns

Active versus passive sentences

• Active sentence: The subject doing the verb’s action.• For example: The man (subject) is eating the hamburger

(object). • Passive sentence: The subject being acted upon by the

verb.• For example: The hamburgers (subject) are being eaten

(verb).

Active versus passive sentences

• Their house is being built by Sandra.• This furniture was made in Vietnam.• I will be taken to the airport by someone at

2pm.• Once a month I am paid by the bank. • English must be spoken in class.• The window was broken.

Bullet Lists• Bullet lists are great for long lists of items and

instructions.• Bullet lists make information easier for your

readers to scan and take in quickly. • Use numbered lists for instructions that are

sequential.• Capitalising is fine• Use full stops if your bullet list forms a complete

sentence.

Direct Language

• In the region of, approximately, concerning• Of the order of, regarding, respecting• Take action• Take action on• Following, subsequently• Assistance• Objective• Whole of• In addition• Made an approach to• Placed under arrest• Arrived on the scene• Inquire

• In consequence of• Prior to, ahead of• Commerce, initiate• Prove beneficial• Constructed• However• Purchase• Described as• Give rise to• Centre around • Less expensive• Hails from• Give consideration to• Expensive• Medical practitioner• Beverage

Creating a blog post exercise

Choosing fonts and sizes

• Use the same font and vary the sizes

• Choose fonts that are simple to read online • Keep it consistent across header, sub-header and text

paragraphs

• If you pair fonts, use complementary choices

• Concordant fonts: fonts of the same family • Contrasting fonts: size, colour and style• Number of fonts: use just two for most articles • Resources:http

://webdesign.tutsplus.com/articles/typography-articles/a-beginners-guide-to-pairing-fonts/

Avoid idioms

• It’s a piece of cake.• There’s nothing to it.• It’s as easy as pie.• It’s a no-brainer.• It’s like taking candy from a baby.• No sweat.

Acronyms

• Acronyms should nearly always be explained in the first instance with the acronym in brackets on every new page.

• There are some acronyms, however, that is better known by their abbreviation and would not be useful to convert.

• IBM, QANTAS, JPEG, NASA

Search Engine Optimisation

• Video• http://youtu.be/hF515-0Tduk

SEO

• Google Panda and Google Penguin• Strong content is key• Keywords • Key phrases• Links – outbound and inbound• Categories• Tags• Resources - http://www.hubspot.com/

SEO Exercise