Dinkum Interactive » Jakob Nielsen http://www.dinkuminteractive.com Fully Integrated Internet Marketing Company Wed, 08 Feb 2012 10:00:30 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 Website Content Basics: Going Old School http://www.dinkuminteractive.com/website-content-basics-going-old-school/ http://www.dinkuminteractive.com/website-content-basics-going-old-school/#comments Wed, 10 Feb 2010 04:52:38 +0000 Bill http://blog.dinkuminteractive.com/?p=1701 Jakob NielsenI’ve recently worked on a number of content-focused projects that made me recognize that many businesses don’t understand how website content acts as a basic building block to good Search Engine Optimization (SEO). Therefore, I plan on creating a brief series that will touch on the basics of creating content in the coming weeks. Today, I plan on going “Old School” by starting off by discussing a vintage post that I found while doing some research: How Users Read on the Web While it may be from October 1997, it contains many of the elements I plan on discussing in the coming weeks.

Website Content Takeaway # 1: Users Don’t Read

Generally, I agree with this premise but I think that it’s overly broad and should be modified to: Unmotivated Users Won’t Focus. Understandably, website visitors have varying levels of motivation and some may be more willing than others to sift through bad content. Furthermore, with the adoption of video and audio businesses can effectively communicate their message without creating copy.

Motivating users to focus is very important and a good place to start is creating interesting and compelling content. It’s important to understand that the subject is not the only factor that makes content interesting and compelling;  I’ll touch on some other factors that can even make “industrial valves & fittings” interesting in the coming weeks.

Website Content Takeaway # 2: Understand the User

Businesses that keep their website users in mind will be more successful than those that write for the masses. A good understanding of user needs will help businesses create content that users value, increasing website use and conversion into customers. For example, visitors to the website of an electrical supply distributor specializing in commercial equipment will find much more value in content targeted toward commercial work than residential work. While this example is pretty obvious, I’ll discuss some others later in the series that aren’t.

Website Content Takeaway # 3: KISS

Most people understand the KISS (Keep It Simple, Stupid) method; I think that the results of the measured usability kept it simple and understandable. Essentially, the test measured the improved usability when making website copy concise, scannable, objective and a combination of the three. The summary table can be seen here:

Site Version Sample Paragraph Usability Improvement

(relative to control condition)
Promotional writing (control condition)

using the “marketese” found on many commercial websites

 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). 0%

(by definition)
Concise text

with about half the word count as the control condition

 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. 58%
Scannable layout

using the same text as the control condition in a layout that facilitated scanning

 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).
 47%
Objective language

using neutral rather than subjective, boastful, or exaggerated language
(otherwise the same as the control condition)

 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). 27%
Combined version

using all three improvements in writing style together: concise, scannable, and objective

 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
 124%

Source: How Users Read on the Web

Miraculously, creating content that was concise, scannable and objective improved usability by 124%. While time may have affected the exact numbers, using the KISS method in creating website content today is still worthwhile and I’ll address what is included later in the series.

What do you think about this dose of the Old School?  Does it still make sense?

Bill Rowland

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Keywords: content creation, Jakok Nielsen, online marketing

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