Style Guide
Web Writing: Fewer, Better Words
In This Section
Basic Guidelines
- Why do people visit websites?
- To complete a specific task. They don't care about your website.
- How do people read on the web?
- They don't. They scan. If you're lucky, they'll read half the words.
- Fewer words on the page means more of the words are read.
- How should you present information online?
- Make text scannable:
- Bulleted lists
- Short paragraphs
- Highlight keywords
- Meaningful headings
Exercise
- Think of a task a person visiting your site will want to complete.
- Write text to help them. Include only what you think is absolutely essential.
- Walk away. Come back and cut the word count in half.
Tips
- Be objective—just the facts, no fluff
- Avoid "marketese" (promotional style with exaggerated claims)
- Avoid repetition
Going Further & Headline Guidance
See headlines, titles and nano content guidelines.
- Improve page titles
- Page titles are key to getting your pages in search results
- Half of the visits to our site come to a page directly from search
- Use words that people are searching for, not our jargon
- Examples:
- Original: "ED.gov"; Improved: "Disclaimer of Endorsement | U.S. Department of Education
- Original: "Department Roadmap for Incorporating Principles of Openness Into Core Agency Missions"; Improved: "Open Government Roadmap"
- Write effective links
- Never link the words "here" or "click here."
- Include the title or name of the linked item.
- If using the title or name is awkward, describe the information the item provides.
- Avoid linking phrases that contain verbs.
- Use data to find what words people are using
- Google Analyticscontact WEB@ed.gov if you would like access to ED.gov's data
- Google Trends
- Get more help
- Read Nielsen's "Writing for the Web"
- Read the Federal Plain Language Guidelines
- Run draft language by OCO
- For high traffic pages, ask OCO about page analysis
Supporting Data
From "How Users Read on the Web"
Nielsen's research found:
- 79% of test users scan new pages
- 16% read word-by-word
- Users, on average, read at most 28% of the words on a webpage
- 20% is more likely
Reading data facts:
- 50% words are read when fewer than 111 words on a page.
- If a page has more than 111 words, the lower the percentage of words read.
- The average page has 593 words.
- So, on average, users will read about 20% of the text on the average page.
Nielsen's research shows when combining 3 writing styles -- concise, scannable, objective (rather than promotional) -- usability increased 124% (see below).
Writing Example and Increased Readability
Promotional writing (control condition)
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).
Concise text (Readability Improvement, 58%)
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.
Scannable layout (Readability Improvement, 47%)
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).
Objective language (Readability Improvement, 27%)
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).
Combined version (Readability Improvement, 124%)
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
Last Modified: 2/1/2017