This presentation will present insights into web user psychology, how to think about and write for the web, how to identify common content mistakes and how writing for the web will improve your search engine rankings.

1. northwoodsoft.com
LearnAtNorthwoods.com
Presented by: Patrick Bieser, President
Writing
V3h
for the Web

2. Summary of Today’s Presentation
• About Northwoods
• Part 1: Principles of Usability
• Part 2: Content For Users
• Part 3: Content For Search Engines
• How they work together
• Lots of Examples

3. The Story of Northwoods
Northwoods Founded
12 Employees
1997 1999 2001 2003 2005 2007 2009 2011
Inc. 500
Award
Titan CMS
V1.0
Best Place to
Work Award
Inc. 500
Award
Future 50
Award
New Location
33,000 Sq Ft
50 Employees
Titan CMS
V3.0
Top 25
Milwaukee
Software
Companies
Titan CMS
V4.0
Titan CMS
V5.0
Largest Software
Engineering Web
Marketing Firm in
Wisconsin
400 Intranets, Extranets,
Public Websites on Titan
CMS
1,000,000 Unique
Visitors to Titan
Sites Daily
Titan User’s Group
First Meeting
5,000 Editors /
Authors in Titan
Weekly Free
Workshops
Titan CMS
V5.9
2012

4. IDENTIFY
Audience Profile
SEO
Analytics
Asset Inventory
Usability Testing
Heatmap Study
Competitive Analysis
EDUCATE
Content Strategy
Features
Applications
Design Strategy
IA & Site Map
Wireframes
Composites
Usability
Specifications
PRODUCE
Content
Digital Assets
CMS
Front End Development
Back End Development
Mobile
Hosting
MEASURE
Analytics
A/B Testing
SEO
Usability Testing
Landing Pages
MARKET
eNewsletter
Blogs
RSS Feeds
Social Media
Advertising
SEM
Campaigns
Planning Your Website Redesign
Writing for the Web
Social Media – Doing it Right
Northwoods Digital Strategy Framework
Retain
Grow
Research Engage Inform Convert
Retain
Grow
Mobile Website Best Practices
Emerging Trends in Web Design
Successful Online Catalogs
Workshops
SEO Best Practices
Advanced Google Analytics

5. Part 1 –
Principles of
Usability

6. 98% of Websites Try To….
• Generate Traffic
• Keep Visitors Engaged
• Drive Conversions
– Awareness
– Affinity
– List Building
• Signup for an Event / Demo
• Download a Paper / Subscribe
– Customer Acquisition
• Sale
• Appointment
– Customer Retention
– Evangelist Building
• This Workshop is not aimed at the 2%
– Branding/PR Websites (Most Agencies, McDonalds, etc.)
Principles of Usability

7. 52 Million Visitors / Month
9.6% Conversion Rate
Principles of Usability

8. Someone at Amazon is paying
attention to search results ….
Results give essentials needed
to make a quick decision.
Principles of Usability

9. Principles of Usability

10. Principles of Usability

11. Principles of Usability

12. Amazon’s Focus on Usability
1. Powerful Search
2. Exhaustive and Useful Information
3. One Page for Information
4. Clean and Simple Layout
5. Simple Conversion
Principles of Usability

13. Web users scan. They don’t read!
Scan
Principles of Usability

14. Where’s the Beef?
Principles of Usability

15. 232 users. Three websites
Source: Jakob Nielsen Alertbox, April 17, 2006
www.useit.com/alertbox/reading_pattern.html
Principles of Usability

16. Why Scan?
• Goal oriented
• Content gatherers
• In a hurry
• Web sites are active. “Click Something”
Principles of Usability

17. Principles of Usability

18. Conversions 101
• Four Types of Visitors
– Browsers: Not sure. Unmet need.
– Evaluators: Compare. Detailed information.
– Transactors: Ready to buy or convert
– Customers: Sustain satisfaction so they buy again.
• “Do you have what I need?”
• “Should I get it from you?”
• When solution is good enough, users stop
looking.
Principles of Usability

19. Usability 101
• If a user can’t find something easily, it
doesn’t exist
• Users get frustrated easily
• If you emphasize too many items in one
view frame, all lose importance
A wealth of information creates a poverty of attention
– Herbert Simon
Principles of Usability

20. Usability 101
• Users want information
• Users are annoyed by
– Marketing blah, blah, blah
– Flash, too much movement, unnecessary graphics
– Pages slow to load
– Pages short on substance
– Content that is hard to scan
– Too many choices (too much thinking)
– Small fonts, frames, inline scrolling, pull downs,
and much more
Principles of Usability

21. Scan Study – Banner Blindness
Principles of Usability

22. Scan Study
Putting the answer to a typical user's main question in big red type at the top of your
homepage would guarantee high usability, right? Wrong — at least for the U.S. Census
Bureau's homepage, where 86% of users failed to find the country's current population when
it was presented in large red numbers.
Principles of Usability

23. Aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at Cmabrigde
Uinervtisy, it deosn't mttaer in waht oredr the
ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoatnt tihng
is taht the frist and lsat ltteer be at the rghit
pclae. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos
not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as
a wlohe.
Principles of Usability

24. Principles of Usability

25. Principles of Usability

26. Long Tail
Low home page entrance
Principles of Usability

27. Principles of Usability

28. Writing Tips
• No marketing lingo or brands in navigation
• No “happy talk,” welcome messages, or
instructions
Principles of Usability

29. Home Page - I
• Magic 7 for Main Navigation
• Group Corporate Stuff and Utilities
– stock price, contact us, search, site map, login, etc.
• User will ignore anything that looks, reads or
smells like marketing or ads.
• 80% of users only read headlines
Principles of Usability

30. Task: Buy a Baby Girl Gift
Principles of Usability

31. Task: Buy a Baby Girl Gift
Principles of Usability

32. Home Page - II
• Use conventions of popular sites
– search
– site map
– breadcrumbs
– logo click takes you to Home Page
Principles of Usability

33. Principles of Usability

34. Principles of Usability

35. Principles of Usability

36. Principles of Usability

37. Principles of Usability

38. Principles of Usability

39. Marketing vs. Selling
• The purpose marketing
– Grab eyeballs
– Create an impression
– Build brand awareness
– Drive traffic
• The purpose of a website
– Offer intuitive and useful information,
without annoying or confusing your visitor,
so they will reach a goal page and convert.
Principles of Usability

40. Part 2 –
Usability Testing
& Your Team

41. Group Usability Study
Can you find…
Usability Testing & Your Team

42. October 16, 2006
Usability Testing & Your Team

43. Usability Testing
• Informal
• As few as 3-5 users
• Low cost and effective
Usability Testing & Your Team

44. Usability Methods
• Paper Prototype:
– What would you click on?
• Card Sorting:
– Index cards of all navigation items
– Group top and second level navigation
– Name the groups
• Current Site:
– Ten tasks
– Tape it
– Talk out loud
– Watch the tape
Usability Testing & Your Team

45. Web
Designers
Executives IT Marketing
Usability Testing & Your Team

46. Stereotypes of Key Influencers
Web Designers
• Are not normal
• They are power users
• Don’t think / behave like our audiences
• Went to school to learn: visual design, branding
or marketing for print, TV, radio.
• Not taught about usability, designing for the
web, writing for the web
• Hire to be creative and clever, not to follow
conventions
• Need to sit through usability tests of their
designs
• Need to attend this workshop
Usability Testing & Your Team

47. Stereotypes of Key Influencers
Directors / Executives
• Have a skewed list of favorite web sites
• Want more “Sizzle” and “Wow”
• Are uninformed on complexities of digital
strategies
• Reluctant to fund what they don’t understand
• Listen to well meaning people they trust who are
(too often) equally uninformed
• Need to be patiently educated by credible sources
Usability Testing & Your Team

48. Stereotypes of Key Influencers
IT Professionals
• Web is a technology
• Branding? Usability? Whatever….
• Tools, certifications, platforms, and integration
needs
• The IT solution? Better tools and newest versions
• (Tools only solve 1/3 of the problem)
• Fail to calculate importance of staff skills
• Need to have their web sensitivity patiently
increased by credible sources
Usability Testing & Your Team

49. Stereotypes of Key Influencers
Marketing Types
• Too much emphasis on look and feel
• Web is extension of branding initiatives
• Assume print and web copy are mostly the
same
• Too much time on home page
• Not enough time on content & conversion
strategy
• Need to read ‘Don’t Make Me Think’
Usability Testing & Your Team

50. A Complete Solution
Tools
Team
Digital Strategy
Usability Testing & Your Team

51. Web Team Structure for Success
New
Business
Developer
Project /
Account
Manager
Front End
Developer
Web
Designer
Content
Strategist
Information
Architect
User
Experience
Architect
Web
Usability
Specialist
Back End
Developer
CMS
Content
Support
CMS
Technical
Support
Editor in
Chief
(Webmaster)
Web
Writer
(Journalist)
SEO
Specialist
Analytics
Specialist
Server
Admin
Business
Analyst
Database
Admin
Executive
Sponsor
Governance
Group
CMS
Vendor
Consultant
Ecommerce
/ Mobile
Specialists
Security
Specialist
Social
Media
Specialist
Digital
Strategist
Steering
Committee
Production
Assistants
Usability Testing & Your Team

52. Skills and Roles From Northwoods
New
Business
Developer
Project /
Account
Manager
Front End
Developer
Web
Designer
Content
Strategist
Information
Architect
User
Experience
Architect
Web
Usability
Specialist
Back End
Developer
CMS
Content
Support
CMS
Technical
Support
Editor in
Chief
(Webmaster)
Web
Writer
(Journalist)
SEO
Specialist
Analytics
Specialist
Server
Admin
Business
Analyst
Database
Admin
Executive
Sponsor
Governance
Group
CMS
Vendor
Consultant
Security
Specialist
Social
Media
Specialist
Digital
Strategist
Steering
Committee
Production
Assistant
Ecommerce
/ Mobile
Specialists
Usability Testing & Your Team

53. Solutions
• Content strategy
• Design inside out
• Include executives in early meetings
• Usability testing
• CMS based on vendor skill / resource
availability
• Invite Northwoods to tailor this seminar for
your team and stakeholders
Usability Testing & Your Team

54. Part 3 –
Content for Users

55. See, Scan, Sell (Convert)
• Usability
• Relevance and Credibility
• Webanized Content
• Content Voice and Style
• Conversions
Content for Users

56. Critical Seconds…
• First 2 Seconds: Credibility
– Emotion, Impression, Brand
• Next 3 Seconds: Relevance
– Content
• Next 2 Seconds: Decision
– Stay or Go?
Content for Users

57. Offline vs. Online Content
Content for Users

58. Content for Users

59. Visual
Organization
Bulleted
Lists
Headers that
are
meaningful
Bold Text
White Space
Short
Paragraphs
Content for Users

60. Destination Page Scan Patterns
Content for Users

61. Voice and Style
Content for Users

62. Five Web Sites
• Task Time
• Errors
• Memory
• Time to Draw the Site Map
• Subjective Satisfaction
Content for Users

63. Typical Promotional Text
Nebraska is filled with internationally recognized attractions that
draw large crowds of people every year, without fail. In 1996,
some of the most popular places were Fort Robinson State Park
(355,000 visitors), Scotts Bluff National Monument (132,166),
Arbor Lodge State Historical Park & Museum (100,000), Carhenge
(86,598), Stuhr Museum of the Prairie Pioneer (60,002), and
Buffalo Bill Ranch State Historical Park (28,446).
Scanability Score: 0 (Assumed)
*Source: NNGroup.com
Content for Users

64. Objective Language
Nebraska has several attractions. In 1996, some of the most-
visited places were Fort Robinson State Park (355,000 visitors),
Scotts Bluff National Monument (132,166), Arbor Lodge State
Historical Park & Museum (100,000), Carhenge (86,598), Stuhr
Museum of the Prairie Pioneer (60,002), and Buffalo Bill Ranch
State Historical Park (28,446).
Scanability Score: 27%
*Source: NNGroup.com
Content for Users

65. More Scanable Layout
Nebraska is filled with internationally recognized attractions that
draw large crowds of people every year, without fail. In 1996,
some of the most popular places were:
• Fort Robinson State Park (355,000 visitors)
• Scotts Bluff National Monument (132,166)
• Arbor Lodge State Historical Park & Museum (100,000)
• Carhenge (86,598)
• Stuhr Museum of the Prairie Pioneer (60,002)
• Buffalo Bill Ranch State Historical Park (28,446).
Scanability Score: 47%
*Source: NNGroup.com
Content for Users

66. Made More Concise
In 1996, six of the best-attended attractions in Nebraska were
Fort Robinson State Park, Scotts Bluff National Monument, Arbor
Lodge State Historical Park & Museum, Carhenge, Stuhr Museum
of the Prairie Pioneer, and Buffalo Bill Ranch State Historical Park.
Scanability Score: 58%
*Source: NNGroup.com
Content for Users

67. All of the Above
In 1996, six of the most-visited places in Nebraska were:
• Fort Robinson State Park
• Scotts Bluff National Monument
• Arbor Lodge State Historical Park & Museum
• Carhenge
• Stuhr Museum of the Prairie Pioneer
• Buffalo Bill Ranch State Historical Park
Scanability Score: 124%
*Source: NNGroup.com
Content for Users

68. Conversion Rate Increase of 189%
Content for Users

69. Use Specific Language
Example 1
Original: “…we provide reliable services…”
Optimized: “All our solutions are backed by Service Level
Guarantees with cash rebates for under-performance: 1)
99.99% uptime guarantee 2) guaranteed response time 3)
guaranteed time to repair”
Example 2
Original: “Fully managed dedicated services by the hosting
experts…. Backed by proven accreditations”
Optimized: “We are the only data center to hold ISO27001,
SunTone, RedHat and DSD certifications”
Content for Users

70. Scanability Tips
• Never Center or Right Justify Text
• Bold Selectively
• Never Underline unless it’s a link
• Always remember to Lead with Keywords
• -as in-
• Keywords should Lead
• Be Consistent with Layouts, Fonts, Colors,
etc.
• Attend to Details on Alignment and Spacing
Content for Users

71. How Would You Fix….
Content for Users

72. Content for Users

73. Content for Users

74. Content for Users

75. How Would You Fix….
Content for Users

76. Meaningless Headline
(Cute Marketing)
No Tagline
Meaningless First
Sentence. Hard to Scan
Text. No Keywords. Too
much text
No Clues in
Navigation. Non-
Standard
What?
What?
Content for Users

77. Content for Users

78. Flytrap Your Content
Content for Users

79. Fly Trapping
Navigation Embedded in Text
Google LOVES
Links
Don’t Over Flytrap
Content for Users

80. Writing Link Tips – Link Text
Links
• Worst: The service committee has many excellent resources on their website.
• Bad: The service committee has many excellent resources on their website.
• Best: Find many excellent resources on the service committee’s website.
Content for Users

81. Part 4 –
Content for
Search Engines

82. What Search Engines Care About
• Search Engine Spiders Care About
– Title Tags
– Meta Descriptions
– H1, H2, H3, etc.
– Page Content Keywords
– Content Position
– Links
• Search Engine Spiders Don’t Care
About:
– Sizzle, Emotion, Credibility, Brand or Flash
Content for Search Engines

83. Title Tag
Meta
Description
Content for Search Engines

84. Title Tag
H2
H1
H2
H2
Content for Search Engines

85. Title
Meta
Description
Content for Search Engines

86. Title
Meta
Description
Content for Search Engines

87. Spider Simulator
Content for Search Engines

88. Content for Search Engines

89. Content for Search Engines

90. Content for Search Engines

91. A Few Clients
Content for Search Engines

92. Content for Search Engines

93. Content for Search Engines

94. Content for Search Engines

95. Which Test Won?
Content for Search Engines

96. Version B
Content for Search Engines

97. Which Test Won?
Content for Search Engines

98. Version B
Content for Search Engines

99. Which Test Won?
Content for Search Engines

100. Version A
Content for Search Engines

101. Which Test Won?
Content for Search Engines

102. Version A
Content for Search Engines

103. “It’s not the number of clicks...
it’s how hard each click is!”
- Steve Krug
Content for Search Engines

104. About Northwoods
WEBSITE DESIGN
SOFTWARE
DEVELOPMENT SOLUTIONS LEARNING
Since
1998
 Websites
 Mobile
 Intranets
 Extranets
Awards
 Web Apps
 Mobile Apps
 Custom
 Backend
Integration
 Digital Strategy
 Verticals
 CMS
 Our team
 Our clients
 Community
Strategic Web Solutions
 Inc. 500 Fastest Growing Companies
 MMAC Future 50
 Best Place to Work
 Largest Software Engineering Firm
 Top 25 Software Companies
 Enterprise Content Management
 Data Management & Display
 Document Management & Display
 Enterprise Security
 Uncannily Easy to Use

105. • Writing for the Web
• Planning Your Website Redesign
• Social Media – Doing it Right
• SEO Analysis – Getting Started
• Google Analytics – An Introduction
• Emerging Trends in Web Design
LearnAtNorthwoods.com
• The ABC’s of SEO
• Enhanced SEO in 10 Minutes
• Better Non-Profit Websites
• Responsive Web Design Strategies
• Titan CMS Overview
• Intranet Best Practices
• Better Websites in 10 Minutes
• Successful Online Product Catalogs
Learn More at Northwoods

106. Connect with us.
STRATEGIC WEB SOLUTIONS
northwoodsoft.com
LearnAtNorthwoods.com
TitanCMS.com