Departments operate with a “throw it on the web and forget about it” mentality. Today’s crowded online environment includes mobile experiences, social traffic and changing search technologies that call for more care and feeding than that. This quick hitting session will equip association communicators with the tools and techniques systematically turn their website into the most effective communications tool in their toolbox. Explore web writing techniques, visual messaging, and how to create a practical, usable and repeatable process for publishing content.

1. 5 Website Improvements to
Make in 5 Minutes (or less)
Date: June 14
Time: 10:15 AM
Ray van Hilst, McFadyen Solutions
John Tyler, American Association of Diabetes Educators

2. Checking In
• How many of you are in charge of your organization’s website
content?
• How many have other jobs?
• How many of you have technical skills (HTML, CSS, etc.)

3. Just like Tron… we fight for the users.
Oops, we mean your members.
Hat tip/Credit to John Mills for the original use of this statement at an ASAE conference

4. Why This Matters
• More members (and prospective members) will interact with your
website than any other association program
• Improvements can increase usability by 47% to 58%
• Your website can be what makes a potential new member join…or
decide not to
Source: http://www.nngroup.com/articles/how-users-read-on-the-web/

5. Improve each page every
time you touch it.
Photo Credit: Flickr, Ed Schipul

6. Create
standards:
• Provide checklists
for content
creators
• Educate on best
practices
• Review annually
Photo Credit: Flickr, Daniel Kulinski

7. UPDATE 1: ENSURE VISUAL
HIERARCHY

8. The
biggest
monster is
usually the
one you
need to
fight first.

9. Keys to Visual Hierarchy
• The more important something is, the
more prominent it is
• Things that are related logically are also
related visually
• Things are nested visually to show what’s
part of what
Source: Steve Krug, Don’t Make Me Think

10. F-Shaped Web Reading Patterns
• Users first read in a horizontal
movement, usually across the upper part
of the content area.
• Next, users move down the page a bit
and then read across in a second
horizontal movement that typically covers
a shorter area than the previous
movement. This additional element forms
the F's lower bar.
• Finally, users scan the content's left side
in a vertical movement.

12. Layout Considerations
• Create a visual hierarchy within the viewing pattern
• Communicate user value quickly
– Base navigation and layout on key user actions
– Keep the user and let them explore based on their need
• Engage and Convert

13. “Having an effective call to action
is an essential part of any website.
A call to action is not just limited to
ecommerce sites. Every website
should have an objective it wants
users to complete whether it is
filling in a contact form, signup for
a newsletter or volunteering their
time.”
- Paul Boag

14. Define User Action
• What do you want the user to do?
– Fill out a form
– Register for an event
– Connect on social media
• Make sure every page has a Call to Action (CTA)
– Drive them to the next step

15. For more information about applying to medical
school, download the Ultimate Guide to the
Becoming an AMAZING ASSOCIATION
MARKETER!
Share this page on Facebook or Twitter
Connect with fellow members on LinkedIn
Stay informed of this and other important policy
issues by signing up for our Action Alerts.

16. UPDATE 2: MAKE YOUR
CONTENT “WEB FRIENDLY”

17. On the average Web
page, users have
time to read at most
28% of the words
during an average
visit; 20% is more
likely.
- Jakob Nielsen
Photo Credit: Flickr, The Real Estreya

18. “Get rid of half the words on each page, then
get rid of half of what’s left.”
- Krug’s 3rd Law of Usability
Photo Credit: Flickr, edibleoffice

19. Increase
in usability
by cutting
half the
words on
the page.
Nielsen Norman Group - How Users Read on the Web
http://www.nngroup.com/articles/how-users-read-on-the-web/

20. Keeping it Short
• Excess words must die
– Happy talk
– Instructions
– Unnecessary adjectives (e.g. that)
• Shorter paragraphs

21. The following questionnaire is designed to provide us
with information that will help us improve the site and
make it more relevant to your needs. Please select your
answers from the drop-down menus and radio buttons
below.
The questionnaire should only take you 2 to 3 minutes to
complete. At the bottom of the form you can choose to
leave your name, address, and telephone number. If you
leave your name and number, you may be contacted in
the future to participate in a survey to help us improve
the site.
If you have comments or concerns that require a
response please contact Customer Service

22. The following questionnaire is designed to provide us
with information that will help us improve the site and
make it more relevant to your needs. Please select your
answers from the drop-down menus and radio buttons
below.
The questionnaire should only take you 2 to 3 minutes to
complete. At the bottom of the form you can choose to
leave your name, address, and telephone number. If you
leave your name and number, you may be contacted in
the future to participate in a survey to help us improve
the site.
If you have comments or concerns that require a
response please contact Customer Service.
Happy
Talk

23. The following questionnaire is designed to provide us
with information that will help us improve the site and
make it more relevant to your needs. Please select your
answers from the drop-down menus and radio buttons
below.
The questionnaire should only take you 2 to 3 minutes to
complete. At the bottom of the form you can choose to
leave your name, address, and telephone number. If you
leave your name and number, you may be contacted in
the future to participate in a survey to help us improve
the site.
If you have comments or concerns that require a
response please contact Customer Service.
Useless
Instructions

24. The following questionnaire is designed to provide us
with information that will help us improve the site and
make it more relevant to your needs. Please select your
answers from the drop-down menus and radio buttons
below.
The questionnaire should only take you 2 to 3 minutes to
complete. At the bottom of the form you can choose to
leave your name, address, and telephone number. If you
leave your name and number, you may be contacted in
the future to participate in a survey to help us improve
the site.
If you have comments or concerns that require a
response please contact Customer Service.
Too
many
“Asks”

25. Please help us improve the site by answering
these questions. It should only take you 2-3
minutes to complete the survey.
NOTE: If you have comments or concerns that
require a response, don’t use the form.
Instead, please contact Customer Service.

26. Inverted Pyramid
Lead – Most Important
information
Helpful non
critical info
Nice but not
necessary

27. Write (and Layout) for Scanning
• Embrace heads and sub-heads
– Use properly in Word for easy importing
• Break up content with bullets and lists
– Like this one
• Use formatting to call out copy
– Bold sparingly (but effectively)
– Italics
• Leave white space between content
• Use strategic images

28. "Whenever I find myself growing grim about the mouth;
whenever it is a damp, drizzly November in my soul;
whenever I find myself involuntarily pausing before
coffin warehouses, and bringing up the rear of every
funeral I meet; and especially whenever my hypos get
such an upper hand of me, that it requires a strong moral
principle to prevent me from deliberately stepping into
the street, and methodically knocking people's hats off --
then, I account it high time to get to sea as soon as I can."

29. I must go to sea when:
• I'm depressed or melancholy
• I stop in front of coffin warehouses
• I follow funerals
• I have a powerful urge to knock people's
hats off
Credit: Writing for Readers Who Scan by Kathy Henning
http://www.clickz.com/clickz/column/1716452/writing-readers-who-scan

30. Dispense with jargon & superfluous vocabulary
• Speaks only to insiders
– Excludes new (or potential) members of your community
– Hurts search discovery
• Harder to read and understand
– Did you understand this headline?
• “No buzzwords or fancy language”

31. Bad Good
riverine avifauna river birds
involuntarily undomiciled homeless
The patient is being given
positive-pressure ventilatory
support.
The patient is on a respirator.
Most refractory coatings to date
exhibit a lack of reliability when
subject to the impingement of
entrained particulate matter in
the propellant stream under
extended firing durations.
The exhaust gas eventually
damages the coating of most
existing ceramics.
plainlanguage.gov – Avoid Legal, Foreign and Technical Jargon
http://www.plainlanguage.gov/howto/guidelines/FederalPLGuidelines/writeNoJargon.cfm

32. Passive vs Active Voice?
• “Active voice is best for most web content, but using passive
voice can let you front-load important keywords in headings,
blurbs and lead sentences. This enhances scannability and thus
SEO effectiveness.”
- Jakob Nielsen

33. Passive vs Active Voice
• Passive Voice: Best for Headlines and Subheads
– Front load keywords with passive voice
– Put the most important words first
– Think ROI
• Active Voice: Best for body copy
– Increases readability and understanding
– Writing best practices

34. Get Your Free White Paper: 5 Tips to
Better Writing
Our new whitepaper will make you a better writer for the web. This
whitepaper covers important topics that will increase the readability of your
website.

35. 5 Tips to Better Writing: Get Your Free
White Paper Now
Become a better writer for the web with this new whitepaper. Increase the
readability of your website with the important content in this paper.

36. TIP 3: ADD RELEVANT LINKS
TO OTHER SITE PAGES

37. • A mix of satisfying and sufficing
• We don’t choose the best option
• We choose the first reasonable
option
• Why?
• In a hurry
• Low penalty for guessing
wrong
We “Satisfice
Photo Credit: Flickr, Ben McLeod

38. Curb Satisficing with an “Off Ramp”
• In line links based on the subject
• Recommended content
• “Trending” content
• Frequently updated content
• Images matter now, especially for social sharing

44. TIP 4: GOOD SEO HELPS
CONTENT BE FOUND (AND
SHARED)

45. • Users search for website
and content via Google
FIRST
• Good SEO will pull in
targeted prospects (and
new members)
• Bad SEO diminishes site
visibility in search engines,
rendering it invisible to
most users
• “Black Hat” SEO not worth
it — know what works
NOW, not what used to
work
Photo Credit: Flickr, Eric Spiegel

46. SEO Tips
• Make it visible
– Relevant content can’t be hidden behind a login
• Know your relevant keywords… and use them!
– Headlines
– Body Copy
– Internal Links
• Build links back to your site
– Press Releases
– Partner Sites
– Social Media and Communities
– Embrace Google+

47. SEO Basics
• SEO Friendly URL
• Title Tag
• Descriptions
• Keywords

49. TIP 5: GRAPHICS & PHOTOS
ENGAGE USERS

50. Users pay close
attention to
photos and other
images that
contain relevant
information
Photo Credit: Flickr, Another Seb

51. Pictures Improve Engagement
• Eyetracking studies document a gap in how users view website
images:
– Some are completely ignored
• Big feel-good, decorative images
– Other pictures are treated as important content and
scrutinized
• Products
• Real people

54. NO!!!

55. YES!

56. Photo & Image Ideas
• What to show
– Leadership photos
– Member photos
– Real events
– Real industries
– Staff
– Products
• Where to get them
– Members
– Custom
– Creative Commons
– Stock
• As long as it’s
good

57. BONUS TIPS!
Image credit: Irita Kirsbluma on Flickr

58. Content strategy plans for
the creation, delivery and
governance of useful,
usable content.
- Kristina Halvorson, Brain Traffic

59. User Needs
(What’s Desirable)
Business
Drivers
(What’s Important)
Technology
Capabilities
(What’s Possible)
Content Strategy

60. Explorer
Molly
• 30 Years Old
• Registered Nurse
• Wants to become a DE
• Career Path
• Patient Information
• Education
Susan
• 40 Years Old
• RN and Diabetes Educator
• Wants to get certified
• Finding info on the go
• Keeping up with new info
Information Seeker
Anne
• 52 Years Old
• Dietician and CDE
• Practice & Patient resources
• Staying current
• Continuing education
Passive
Jane
• 56 Years Old
• RN and CDE
• News and current info
• Patient resources
• Practice tools
• Continuing education
Active
Paul
• 56 Years Old
• PharmD and CDE
• Giving back
• Practice guidelines
• Networking
• Continuing education
Evangelist

61. AADE Web Mission Statement
DiabetesEducator.org is the preferred website for diabetes
educators to find resources, education, practice documents,
research, and AADE information that provides day-to-day
assistance to educators as they help people with diabetes to
live long, healthy lives and advances educators’ ongoing career
goals. Additionally, the site serves as a collaboration and
content hub for diabetes educators to connect and share best
practices in diabetes education.

63. Work with Your Subject Matter Experts (SME)
• Figure out and learn the things you can and can’t say
• Include SME review in your workflow
• Have rolling meetings with departments
– Make them part of your editorial calendar (weekly, quarterly,
etc.)
• Help them remember the timelines

64. Tips from the Trenches
• Reading temperament of your team
• Getting your vision into the website
• Build relationships with all departments

66. Tips
• Simplify
• Remove Tables
• Change PDFs to Images
• Optimize Your Images
• Design for touchscreens
• Simplify navigation
• Think mobile when being social

67. Wrapping Up
• Less is more
• Images can convey 1,000 words
• Enhance your chances of being found
• Give users a reason to come back again
• If you’re not mobile-ready, get there. Now.