Web Content Series: Organize Your Content

In my early years as a technical writer, the most common approach for developing documentation was to tell readers what you were going to tell them, tell them what you want them to know, and then tell them what you just told them. This approach produced content-rich information that end users and readers had to sift through before they found what they needed, which was usually how to perform a task or procedure. Readers don’t make time for much these days—deadlines loom, multi-tasking is the norm—and frankly, neither do I. Getting to the point benefits both the readers and me by improving usability and decreasing time to market. The following guidelines can help you get to the point quickly without sacrificing quality.

• Put the most important content first using key words in the headings, subheadings, and the first sentence of each paragraph.
• Give readers the who, what, when, where, and why in the first sentence or two, or paragraph.
• Communicate in plain language and use short paragraphs that focus on a small chunk of information.
• Provide links to related information. (Don’t over do it.)

In my post, Carl Albert Public Internship Program: Real Experience, Lifetime Connections, the most important content is in the heading and the first paragraph, as well as in a link to the CAPIP web page.

Carl Albert Public Internship Program: Real Experience, Lifetime Connections

Interested in public service? Want to build a network of professionals in your area of interest while getting paid? Consider becoming a Carl Albert Public Intern or an Executive Fellow. The Carl Albert Public Internship Program (CAPIP)  is open to undergraduate and graduate students currently enrolled in an accredited university. This Program is ongoing; hence, there is no application deadline.

There’s much more to the post, but the basic key points, or takeaways—name of the internship, network, get paid, and no application deadline—ensure that if readers don’t read further, they have what they need. A link to the source is also included and serves as a visual cue that tells the reader, “Hey! Click me to learn more.”

It’s not about you or me; it’s about the readers’ experience. Getting to the point in your content gives readers what they want without sacrificing quality, and they are more likely to visit again.

Previously on Web Content Series

Web Content Series: Make Content Scannable, 20 Apr 2012 

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Resources: Microsoft Manual of Style, 4th Edition.

How do you organize your content for ease of use?