Web writing course

In our course ‘Writing for the web: a user experience approach’, we’ll show you how to create content that works well online, whether you’re writing for your organisation’s website, intranet or blog.

This workshop isn’t about copywriting or writing to sell.  Instead, you’ll learn how to produce content that provides a better experience for your users—content that is:

  • Useful: meets their information needs
  • Usable: easy to find and scan, read and understand
  • Accessible: reduces the barriers for people with disabilities.

Cost

$620 (incl GST) per person. 10% discount for early or group registrations.

You’ll get:

  • Guidance from our facilitator, Dey Alexander, a web content consultant with over 17 years’ experience
  • Printed workshop notes (90-100 pages) with references to further reading
  • Access to our online resources which include writing tips, cheat sheets, templates and exercises
  • A buffet lunch

Agenda and timetable

Workshop starts at 9.00 am and finishes around 4.00 pm.

Time Length Description
8.30 am 30 mins Arrival tea and coffee
9.00 am 30 mins Introductions
We begin with introductions and discuss the web content issues you’re most keen to learn more about.
9.30 am 30 mins Users’ online reading behaviour
Reading online is a little different to reading a novel, the newspaper or a report. We consider five important behaviours of online readers, look at the way people with disabilities interact with web content and review the latest research on reading online.
10.00 am 30 mins Useful
Users want useful content. They want answers their questions or help to complete a task. But sometimes we publish content of little value. We discuss two strategies to ensure our content is always worth the effort of producing and publishing: 1. Planning (for content authors), and 2. Content strategy (for content managers).
10.30 am 15 mins Morning tea
10.45 am 60 mins Findable
Finding the right page is the first challenge our users face. We’ll look at ways to write content to make it easier to find, re-find and share on social media networks. We’ll discuss what you need to know about search engines and users’ search behaviour, focusing on important search ranking factors such as the page title and keyword research.
11.45 pm 60 mins Scannable
Even when a user has found the right page, they may struggle to find the part of the content they are interested in.  We’ll look at how to structure and design content to make it easier to scan-read. We’ll discuss content order, grouping, headings, paragraphs, lists, tables, graphics and links.
12.45 pm 45 mins Lunch
1.30 pm 45 mins Readable
It’s harder and less comfortable to read online, so we need to write content that’s easier to read. In this section, we’ll cover choosing the right words, writing shorter sentences, using the active voice, using verbs rather than nouns, and using personal pronouns. We’ll also discuss the evidence that shows the benefits of writing in this style.
2.15 pm 45 mins Concise
No one wants to read 500 words when they could have read 250 to get the same information. We’ll look at how to write concisely while still including all the detail a user may need.
3.00 pm 15 mins Afternoon tea
3.15 pm 45 mins Accessible
We don’t believe accessibility is an ‘add-on’, and so we consider accessibility all the way through the workshop. However, in this section, we focus on it. We provide an overview of the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.0 and then look how one of the most misunderstood accessibility requirements—writing text alternatives for images.

Comments from our participants in 2011

Canberra, February and October:

  • Loved the exercises
  • The examples were well chosen and made the ‘theory’ come to life
  • Very comprehensive
  • If I did it again, I’d still get something out of it
  • Practical, no nonsense approach
  • Covered exactly what I was looking for and was pitched at the right level
  • Practical notes, backed up with examples and further reading
  • Very thought-provoking and great use of real examples
  • Great notes. Allowed me to focus on what was going on, rather than having to write heaps
  • The exercises put the theory into practice

Melbourne, March and September:

  • Incredibly useful. Everyone writing for the web should know this stuff
  • Great course. Clear, concise and very engaging
  • I’m confident I can go back to work and start improving our content straight away
  • Great use of text, images and video in delivering the course
  • Plenty of practical, real-life examples
  • Handouts were fantastic
  • Catered for those with differing levels of knowledge. Explained in everyday language
  • Highlighted the things we do wrong and why, but more importantly, showed us how to fix them
  • Great support materials and comprehensive learner guide
  • Fantastic, concise session with a bunch of clear and valuable ideas to take back to work. I’m looking forward to improving my web content

Brisbane, April and August

  • I’m all charged up and ready to go back to work, brimming with ideas
  • Great writing and editing workout, catering to various levels of expertise
  • A real eye-opener. Now I know how to improve my website
  • I loved the lack of BS and hype. Practical and applicable information delivered with human and real examples
  • Made me appreciate the user perspective, rather than my own
  • Great examples of what works well and what doesn’t
  • Good mix of content management and content writing in one session
  • Very beneficial. Cover all the topics really well, giving relevant, useful examples
  • The trainer was very well-informed, personable and great to work with
  • The exercises were extremely useful

Sydney, May and November

  • Make it compulsory for all university staff!
  • Loved the informal presentation style. It allowed participants to be involved
  • Helped me understand why I should do certain things, not just how
  • I got a more structured approach to rewriting my content
  • Highly informative, especially the exercises. Has made me keen to go back to our website and see what changes I can make
  • A very well-prepared workshop that used real life examples that I could relate to
  • Great that it involved everyone so that we could listen to different points of view
  • I’ve come away from this being able to articulate the reasons behind poorly designed content that ‘looks and feels wrong’
  • The entire time I was thinking of ways to improve my website
  • Absorbed every bit of information and will go back and implement. Very useful