Writing for the Web

Overview

Online content has broken free of traditional structures. People don’t read web sites: they scan them. You have only a few seconds to grab their attention and direct them to the information they are looking for. If they find it, they expect content delivered clearly and efficiently. If they don’t find information quickly or if they encounter boggy writing, they will look for the information elsewhere. While it is the technical web designer’s job to build in good navigation and provide clean page design, you can support the web designer’s goals with by understanding how your content fits in the bigger picture.

This course focuses on writing to meet the needs of a web audience. It will help you develop an effective web writing style that avoids common pitfalls. It will show you how to break up and organize information to prevent information overload and allow your audience to “grab and go.”

 

Topics

  • Understanding how web users read Writing to meet your audience’s needs
  • Repurposing print documents for the web
  • Writing lean content
  • Using plain language
  • Checking and improving your web site’s usability
  • Designing for diversity and special audiences
  • Optimizing for search

 

Audience

  • Anyone who writes or adapts material for the internet or an intranet
  • Anyone who wants insight into the difference between traditional writing on paper and writing for the web
  • Anyone who wants to practice reducing wordiness and writing clearly

 

Duration

12 hours

 

Cost

  • $1095 (plus tax)

 

Featured Instructor

Caroline Gravel, M. Sc., M.A., has been working as a professional writer and publications manager for more than 20 years. As publications manager, she has led a variety of large projects ranging from complete website overhauls to writing technical guidance in support of government regulations. She facilitates writing workshops at the University of Ottawa Professional Development Institute, for the Executive MBA program at the Telfer School of Management, and has taught technical writing at uOttawa’s Département de français.

 

I appreciated all the use of examples and Web pages (good or bad).

Sessions

Event CodeTitleBegin DateEnd DateTermDelivery Method
P02052402AWriting for the Web2/12/20242/15/2024WinterOnlineFull
P02052406AWriting for the Web6/3/20246/6/2024SummerOnlineRegister