Cobblestone Graphics Design & Consulting

Writing for the Internet:

At any large bookstore you can find hundreds of books on website and internet technology.

What you won't find is more than one or two books on website content, but lack of content or irrelevant content will keep your clients away.

The team at Cobblestone Graphics understands the differences between writing for the Internet and writing for other media and follows these steps:

Identifying your audience:

One of the most important steps in writing a web page is identifying your readers and the information they will be searching for. Most Internet readers are busy and will skim the website rather than read every word. We will work with you to make sure that the important relevant information is at your readers fingertips.

Accomodating reader levels:

Although you should be writing for your primary audience, you will still have readers who are not familiar with your company and products. Your readers will range from Internet experts to novices. Your website should be able to accomodate both.

Appropriate Styles:

Unless your website is extremely technical, it is better to be more personal and conversational than you would in a printed document. Usability studies have shown that most website readers prefer informal websites than cold impersonal websites.

One of the ways that many websites do this is by 'chunking' the information into smaller units. This makes large topics more manageable, easier to read and scan, and easier to revise and update.

Accessibility, Layout & Navigation:

Anyone should be able to get the information they want from your website with a minimum of clicks. Most major information should be within 3 clicks of the home page. Navigating your website should be easy and not confusing. Your readers should always be able to know where they are in the website, where they can go from there, and how to find the information they need.

Most readers look to the upper right corner of a new page, then the upper left, then the middle. The main thing to remember is called the 'fold'. This is the part of the web page that shows on a monitor without scrolling. If the content above the fold doesn't grab your reader's attention, they won't look at anything below the fold.

Avoiding common website mistakes:

Your readers are concerned about the reliability and credibility of your website. Mistakes such as spelling, grammar, factual errors, omissions, etc. will cause your readers to doubt any of the website information.

Signs of a bad website:

How many of your competitors are making these mistakes?

Navigation links that don't work.
Inconsistent navigation.
Forcing your reader to download new software just to access the website.
Underling text for emphasis (should be underlined for links only).
Links to dead end pages (you got in, but you can't get out).
Links to other websites that open in the same window rather than a new one.
Music on the website (if the company has nothing to do with the music industry).
Using slang, jargon, or technical terms that your average reader will not understand.
Distractions such as popups, multicolor or blinking text, italics, animated graphics, and hard to read fonts.
Using clip art from Microsoft Office as graphics.
Backgrounds that interfere with the legibility of the text (a dark green background with black print means nobody will see what you are saying).
Horizontal scroll bars are a sign of poor planning and layout.
Websites that ignore what their clients want, and especially what they don't want.
Graphics that are too large for the screen, don't include ALT tags, don't belong to the company, or have nothing to do with the company. (Does the Office Manager really need to have a photo of his dog on the website?).
Websites with obviously outdated information.

The website design process usually follows these steps....

Concept, Audience, & Organization requirements; theming and styles
Layout, Navigation, & Site Maps
Content and Graphics
Testing
Publish, Launch, SEO, & Marketing
Evaluations and Maintenance

Website Graphics:

How many times have you visited a website and waited, it seemed forever, while the graphics loaded?

Many amateur website designers don't realize the basics of website graphics.

Cobblestone Graphics is a member of the National Association of Photoshop Professionals and will make sure that every image on your website, from your company logo to the navigation photos to product photos, will be perfect.