Best Practices for Web Sites. Writing for the WebUsing Photos & ImagesUsing VideoEmbedding RSS and CalendarsADA Accessibility Issues I. Writing for the Web Developing web site content Gathering content is the most difficult part of creating a web siteEditing the content is the second most difficult part of creating a web site Content for your web site should follow the principles of basic information gathering.
Answer the following questions: Who – identify who the site is forWhat – identify what your site is aboutWhere – identify physical or virtual location of your service, product or peopleWhen – identify the time frame that your service, product or people is availableWhy – identify the benefits of using your service, product or peopleHow – identify the process that is involved to use your service, product or people Remember to keep web content simple and brief. Writing for the web is different from writing for printed materials, primarily because web site visitors often: Guidelines for effective online content II.
Making a PDF File Accessible - Step by Step | Web Standards and Guidelines | County of Sonoma. Web Content Accessibility Guidelines - Rhetoric, Writing, & Media. Website Grader & Readability Test Tool. Ultimate list of online content readability tests - Raven Blog. “In my younger and more vulnerable years my father gave me some advice that I’ve been turning over in my mind ever since. ‘Whenever you feel like criticizing any one,’ he told me, ‘just remember that all the people in this world haven’t had the advantages that you’ve had.’” Can you read the above paragraph easily? If so, count yourself one of the lucky literate. (Give yourself bonus points if you recognized this introduction from The Great Gatsby.) While the CIA’s The World Factbook may put the literacy rate of most highly developed nations at 99%—where those age 15 and older can read and write—that doesn’t account for how many can read and write well, or even comfortably.
If you want what you write to influence the most people possible, you must take readability into account. What’s readability? Here’s a fun exercise in lack of readability: search online for a simple definition of it. I bet we can simplify things. Readability is how easy your writing is to read. …and so on. Cloze test. Authoring Techniques for Accessible Office Documents: Microsoft Word 2013 | Accessible Digital Office Document (ADOD) Project. Quick Reference "Curb Cuts" This icon highlights "curb cut" opportunities in these techniques.
"Curb cuts" are situations in which accommodations made for accessibility reasons will also result in significantly better and more efficient outcomes for everyone. The name comes from sidewalk "curb cuts" that were added for people in wheelchairs, but are commonly used by people with baby strollers, handcarts, wheeled luggage, and others.
Technique 1. Use Accessible Templates WCAG 2.0 Applicability: All success criteria All office documents start with a template. Word 2013’s default template for new documents is a blank page. Curb Cuts: Updating templates is also a good opportunity to improve document consistency, copy-editing, and branding. To create an accessible template: To select an accessible template: Only use these steps if you have an accessible template available (e.g. that you previously saved). Go to menu item: File > New Select Personal Select your accessible template from the list 6.2. Accessible communications | Accessibility Information Toolkit For Libraries. What is “accessible communication”? Accessible communication benefits all audiences by making information clear, direct and easy to understand. It takes into consideration the various barriers to accessing information, and provides opportunities for feedback.
Libraries communicate with users in a variety of ways, including in person, through printed materials, and via online spaces such as websites and social media. Providing clear and concise information, targeted to a particular audience, is important to ensure that all users have equal access to information. Although the vehicle for this information may change, the message is the same. This section presents best practices for making communications accessible. Many of these techniques apply to multiple ways of communicating. The Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005 (AODA) requires organizations to comply with standards to create an inclusive and accessible environment for all Ontarians. Interpersonal communications. Writing with Web Accessibility in Mind | Online Accessibility Program. Much of the guidance that makes writing on the web more accessible to people with disabilities makes content more accessible to everyone. It is helpful to: Write clearly and concisely.Divide a page into content "chunks" and use a meaningful heading for each one, see Headings.Specify link destinations (avoid "click here" and "more).Emphasize your call(s) to action.
These tips will help everyone, including those who have difficulty reading and/or concentrating, as well as non-native English speakers. An excellent resource on this subject is Dey Alexander's Introduction which contains links to the rest of the series. The article Accessibility Evaluation for Web Writers provides an overview to enable you to check a web page (or site) with a particular focus on assuring content accessibility.
Describing Images and Infographics One area that may especially call for the skills of content creators is the description of images. Infographics Using Plain Language. Writing for the web - Communications and Marketing, The University of York. Whether you are writing for a printed publication or a website, you should always refer to our recommended writing techniques and the style guide. There are also some particular issues that you should keep in mind when writing for the web, to help ensure that you are writing in the best way to get your message across. Why writing for the web is different to writing for print Content must make sense out of context A visitor will have arrived at your page by one of many different routes: a link from elsewhere on the University website a link from another website using our own search engine using an external search, such as Google typing in an address given in printed material Because you can never know which pages they have seen before yours, your content has to make sense out of context.
You should always provide links to related information. People read much slower from the screen Studies have shown that reading onscreen is around 25% slower than reading from paper. Why do we scan? Guidelines | Usability.gov. Writing for the web - Monash University. Writing for the web is different to any other style of writing.
Web content follows unique writing conventions, and the usability of the content is just as important as the content itself. Don’t underestimate the importance of planning your content before you start writing. This will define its purpose, audience and timeline. You should also think about how you will maintain the content in the long term. Web content has the best chance of reading well if you follow some simple rules around words, sentences, and verbs and voice. To be effective, web content should use: a concise and simple writing style short sentences with one or two clauses - Readability statistics can help here plain English rather than complex words active, rather than passive voice. When writing web content, you should not: use clichés or hyperbole emphasise words by underlining, italics, bold or capital letters. Monash web writers also need to consider the importance of writing the Monash way. Usability Accessibility. Titled. Multilingualism Explanation Screen readers and Braille devices need to identify changes in the natural language so they can present it with the correct pronunciation.
The <html> tag in the header of the page indicates the language of the page's content. If a word or phrase of another language appears in the content, it should be tagged accordingly. How to use Use the "lang" attribute to identify text in another language. <html lang="en" > <ul> <li><a href="sg_letter.html">Letter of the Secretary general</a></li> <li><a href="letter_fr.html" lang="fr">Lettre du Représentant permanent de la Belgique</a></li> <li><a href="letter_sc.html">Letter of the President of the Security Council</a></li> </ul> </html> Testing and Validation Page Hierarchy Categorizing the information makes it easier for the average user to visually scan the content.
Furthermore, breaking up the text into smaller sections and sub-sections allows screen-reader users to scan the page. Writing for the Web Tables 1. 2. Lists. Writing for the Web - Web Accessibility. Meeting WCAG 2.0 A To claim Single A conformance, all of your pages and documents must meet all Single A requirements for all content A A To claim Double A, all of your pages and documents must meet all Single A and all Double A requirements A A A To claim Triple A, all of your pages and documents must meet all Single A, Double A and Triple A requirements About Writing for the Web and accessibility Writing accessible content will help people with cognitive difficulties and visually impaired people. It will also help people from a different language background. Although there are no specific WCAG 2.0 guidelines for writing at single A, it is good practice to make your content as succinct as possible.
Easy to scan means easy to absorb Use headingsUse bulleted listsUse links, as these add credibility and clarity to your content. Order and amount of information People skim when reading on the screen, so it is important to provide the essence of the message at the beginning of each page. Registers. Guidelines for preparing accessible content. Accessibility requirements Under the Disability Discrimination Act 1992 we are legally required to ensure that people with disability have the same fundamental rights to access information as the rest of the community. This means that everything we publish must be available in formats that can be accessed by people with disability. All websites operated and funded by Australian Government agencies are required to meet the international Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG 2.0 guidelines [external website]). The Government’s Web Accessibility National Transition Strategy (NTS) sets out the strategy and work plan for transition to, and implementation of, WCAG 2.0 over a four-year period.
Current standard of web accessibility The department is upgrading its websites and online applications progressively to WCAG 2.0 in accordance with the National Transition Strategy. Requirements for web content In brief: Wherever possible, web content is to be published in HTML (web page) format. Tables. Wayfinding: Writing for Accessibility. Our work helps people do all sorts of things, like buying a raincoat, booking a hotel, and traveling from the Tate Modern to Buckingham Palace. We’re responsible for making information clear and meaningful for everyone, including people with disabilities. So how can we approach content and accessibility? How can we write for people with a range of abilities?
After Irene Walker’s talk at the Content Strategy Forum in London, I started exploring these questions. With a few strategic tools and a commitment to inclusion, we can improve our writing, reach more people, and avoid legal issues. Be A Great Tour Guide Accessible content is good content for everyone. Transport for London provides public transit information for the UK’s capital. Point Out Hidden Gems A great tour guide shows you things you didn’t know existed. The Accessibility link is easy to spot in the global header. Likewise, the Accessibility Statement mentions design decisions that support people with disabilities. Ask yourself: Accessibility for web writers: introduction. Many are unaware of the impact writers can have on web accessibility. In this series of articles I discuss the parts of the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.0 web writers need to be familiar with.
If you’re trying to make your site accessible, or comply with government policy or legislation, I hope you’ll find this series helpful. Assumptions I’m going to assume that most web writers publish most content within a content management system or create content within web templates. If you have more control over design, you will need to know much more about accessibility than I will discuss in this series. I’ll be focusing on the things web writers do most often: write text, structure and format text, write links and page titles, and include images. Guidelines relevant to web writers In the following articles I discuss and use examples to illustrate each guideline. Articles in this series References. How to write accessible web content — Knowhow Nonprofit. People will be viewing your site using a rich mix of technologies.
From mobile phones and tablets to talking browsers and screen readers. How your site is presented will make a big difference to their experience. Writing accessibly is good practice. It shows that you care about your users. An accessible site will be easier for everyone to use and help search engines too. Headings When was the last time you read a full page of text online? In-page headings Think about how your text chunks up and write 1-3 word headings which describe or introduce your sections.
Avoid repeating headings adding a different word at the end: About our work in BirminghamAbout our work in Manchester works better as Birmingham workManchester work. Make headings as clear and simple as possible - don't use puns or make people have to think about what the section underneath could possibly be about. Main page heading The main heading of the page should describe what the page is about (obviously!). Becomes Text Length Structure.