MarCom Studio
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When writing content for UTSA websites, it is imperative that your writing is accessible for readers. This will allow for greater visibility and engagement, while maintaining consistent brand image and writing quality. The following information will help guide you in how to best optimize your writing for the web.
Ground Rules
Use a conversational style rather than academic style.
This involves:
- Writing as if there is a person on the other end, use second person (you)
- Anticipating the kinds of questions this person would have and answer them
- Organizing information to help users complete their tasks
- Writing in an active voice and allowing pauses in the text (break up the text)
Prioritize your main point at the beginning of the content.
- Organize your content beginning with the main point, then bring in the details before concluding with background info
- Readers on the web can leave at any time, so it is important to present your main points first
Use the following tips for greater readability:
- Cut unnecessary words and shorten your writing in general
- Incorporate bullets and graphs where applicable
- Start with the context (what is this about) in the first sentence of your paragraph
- Put the action in the verb, not in noun hiding verbs (these usually end in -al, -ance, -ence, -ment, -sion, -tion, -ure)
- Use your site visitor’s words, not your institution’s internal words
Assess your writing’s readability level.
- Keep readability scores as low as possible to improve the reading experience for all visitors, particularly incoming Freshman students
- Even highly educated professionals appreciate easily digestible and scannable content!
- You can use sites like www.read-able.com.
Enhance Your Text with These Tools
Headings
- Make scanning easier for readers
- Provide more entry points for readers
- Help with search engine optimization
Lists and Tables
- Help with readability – not dumbing down the content!
- If numbers or a list of options are involved, opt for a table
- Keep lists to 10 items or less
Images
- Helps your writing be more effective and can increase traffic to social media posts
- Remember to add alt text for accessibility
- Show diversity in images
- Avoid text burned into graphics
- Optimize your images
- Don’t have the image look like an ad
Infographics
- Ensure data is accurate
- Use branded marks in the graphic
- Use alt text for accessibility
- Make infographics shareable
- Check out our data visualization style guide
Microcontent (titles, headlines, email subject lines)
- Be sure the first word carries the information
- Avoid starting with the UTSA name
- Information should be visible and specific – avoid any cuteness
