Writing for the Web

BEST PRACTICES

Writing for the Web

Digital Strategies • Summer 2024

Table of Contents

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• Break the Rules

• Headings & Headlines

• CTAs, Buttons & Links

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• @'$%AB=%@(+&,+)

• Targeting Specific Keywords

• Backlinking Like a Boss

• Enhancing Your SERP Snippet

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Writing for Your Audience

👋

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Who Are They & What Do They Want

• Your primary and secondary audiences likely have different qualities and motivations.

• Deﬁne both audiences and keep them top of mind as you write your website content.

Meet Them Where They’re At

• Your audience is on a journey to ﬁnd something.

• Write for what they need to know, not what you want to tell them

• Make your content relatable. Don’t just include the features of your services; include the

beneﬁts and showcase how your program will help them.

Why Content is King

👑

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Write for the User and Google

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• :''31*%H(1"*)%&7*%)(#*%&7,.3)%0'";%")*;)%<'I%well-structured, specific, and

connected content.

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People Read Online Differently Than They Read Print, Adjust Accordingly.

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General Guidelines

📋

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Stay On Brand

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Don’t use ALL CAPS

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Avoid Jargon

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At Most, Write at a High School Reading Level

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Headlines and Headings

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Headings are a critical part of a good SEO strategy.

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Headings organize your content for readers and search engines.

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• Your page title will automatically become your page’s H1.

• Use an H2 for every major section of your page. H3s should divide up the sections marked by H2s,

H4s should divide sections marked by an H3, and so on.

• Using H3-H6 will make your content more skimmable and highlight important info for your

readers. They are a natural spot to include variations of your main keywords.

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CTAs, Buttons & Links

🔗

8(11)%&'%T+&,'.%A7'"1<%Y*I%Descriptive, Actionable, and Specific5

Do’s and Don'ts

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• ALWAYS include context about what the user will be learning more

about. It helps users and your search engine performance!

• Most of the time there’s a better action than “learn more.”

• If you must use “learn more” on its own, limit it to once per page.

• Read this article to learn more about the “Learn More” problem.

Specific Formatting Recommendations

BAD:

Learn more

BETTER:

Learn more about

application requirements.

BEST:

View Application

Requirements

Buttons

• Limit to 2-4 words whenever possible

• Title Case

• No punctuation

Text Links

• 5-7 words is a good rule of thumb.

• Sentence or title case depending on context.

• Include punctuation if the link ends a sentence.

Break the Rules

🚨

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Title Case vs. Sentence Case

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Don’t Spell Out Numbers Under 10

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Don’t Always Punctuate Bulleted Lists

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Writing for Our Specific WordPress Modules

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Area/Item

Recommended Character Count (including spaces)

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Top SEO Tactics

💁

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There’s no way to ensure you rank #1 on Google, but focusing on these things will help.

Target Specific Keywords

Content that is more likely to answer users’ questions is prioritized in search results.

Have a Killer Heading Structure

Headings teach Google what’s important on the page and increase user engagement.

Link Like a Boss

Links are the glue that holds the internet together. High-quality links show Google that you’re

relevant.

Keep Your Content Fresh

Recently published content typically appears higher on Google. Blogs are a great way to do this.

Enhance Your SERP Snippet

By improving how your page looks in search results, you increase the likelihood of getting

clicked!

Targeting Specific Keywords

🎯

9**$%V&%Natural and Relevant.

Answer Questions

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• Content that is more likely to answer users’ questions is prioritized in search results.

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Play the Match Game

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• Write your content first and then go back and integrate your keywords / phrases.

• Keyword stuffing is bad for readability, and Google senses when phrases aren’t worded naturally and

ranks your content lower because of it.

Find Your Starting Point

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Link Like a Boss

🔙

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Link Text Matters

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• Follow our recommendations for calls to action and use specific, natural, easy-to-read

language to provide context about what you’re linking to.

• A good rule of thumb is that each piece of content you create should link to 2 to 3 other

pages.

Most Links are Good Links, But…

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• Proceed with caution: Too many links with the same anchor text could indicate to search

engines that you're trying to manipulate your site's ranking in search results.

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Enhancing Your Search Engine Results Page (SERP) Snippet

💅

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Page Title:

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Meta Description P+(11*<%BQ+*;$&%,.%'";%H*;),'.%'-%6';<>;*))SI%

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• If this is not filled in, Google will usually display the first few sentences of your page – BUT it can

select other content on the page that it views as more important (for example, Google may perceive

a call to action with high engagement as more important than the first sentence of your page and

therefore displays that on Google Search Results.)