Prepare your content

Website visitors don't read - they scan, write text that is:

  • concise;
  • objective; and
  • easy to scan.

Avoid acronyms

Acronyms inhibit scanning because their meaning is not immediately apparent. To avoid acronyms use the following strategies:

  • Use the full name every time.
  • Only use acronyms where they are the official and well-known name, i.e. TISC.
  • Restructure your content so that you use the full name as few times as possible.
  • Don’t use acronyms in headings; this makes them meaningless.

Write for your audience

It is important to know your audience when writing online content. Consider these points:

  • Who are you writing to?
  • What do they already know? What are they looking for?
  • Will they understand your jargon, acronyms, and abbreviations?

Before

Edith Cowan University (ECU) is a beautiful, large multi-campus higher education institution that serves all communities in Western Australia as well as a significant cohort of international students from countries such as Singapore and China. Edith Cowan University (ECU) has 27,132 students at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels with almost 5,541 of these being international students originating from 72 countries. Edith Cowan University (ECU) offers 375 courses are offered through four faculties being Business and Law, Computing, Health and Science, Education and Arts, which includes the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts (WAAPA) as well as Regional Professional Studies.

After

We are a large, multi-campus university that serves communities in Western Australia as well as international students.

We have more than 27,000 students with almost 5,500 of these originating from 72 countries.

Almost 400 courses are offered through four faculties being:

  • Business and Law;
  • Computing, Health and Science;
  • Education and Arts, which includes the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts (WAAPA); and
  • Regional Professional Studies.

Don’t publish incomplete web pages

Don't publish pages with "under construction" or "more information coming soon" messages. Wait until you have the content ready to publish before you make a page live.

Summary

  • use plain English;
  • keep it simple;
  • don’t overemphasis: ‘effective’ - rather than – ‘highly effective’;
  • avoid using redundant sentences: ‘in other words’;
  • reduce transitions: ‘as such’, ‘in contrast’;
  • have an active voice;
  • use relevant content;
  • make the content scannable;
  • add value with images;
  • avoid acronyms; and
  • use contractions: ‘don’t’, ‘can’t’, ‘isn’t’.