Whether you're writing a gateway page, a solutions page, or a campaign page, it's important to organize the page so that it flows as a whole and helps readers quickly find what they need. Creating a good user experience requires thoughtful consideration of formatting and dividing content so that your page tells a cohesive and engaging story.
Headlines
Keep context in mind
On a web page, it’s important to consider both the content of your headline but the context in which it exists. Ideally, headlines speak not only to the content they head but also to the headlines around them, insofar as they divide information into discrete buckets and create a hierarchy of content for the reader to follow. A quality headline hooks readers into the specific value of its own content while establishing its place in the hierarchy of the page and differentiating itself from the headers that surround it.
Headline length
Remember that your headline is the hook for the content it heads: it must create interest and excitement in that content without summarizing or replicating it. If a page’s headlines lose readers’ interest, they will disengage from the content and leave the page. With this in mind, be sure to make your headlines as short, specific, and intriguing as you can, ideally keeping to one line and never extending beyond two.
DO:
Automate the tasks that hold you back
Don't:
Dragon Medical One helps you automate time-consuming tasks with advanced speech recognition
Be informative and succinct
Communicate what's in it for the reader rather than delivering an overview or synopsis.
DO:
Get more done, on the ground or in the cloud
Don't:
Dragon dictation solutions can be locally installed or cloud-native
Choose specificity over vagueness
Vague, unsubstantiated claims read as insincerity. It's always better to communicate the unique value of your product or offer rather than reaching for superlatives that sound impressive.
DO:
Anticipate customer demands with tailored strategies
Don't:
Hard-working strategies for solutions that work hard
Key considerations
- Think carefully before writing a headline without verbs.
- Keep headlines to a single sentence.
- Never use an exclamation point in a headline.
- SEO is important in headlines, but it should never be prioritized over clarity and conciseness.
- Don’t waste characters on repeating the product name or citing Nuance in a header on a Nuance solutions page.
Links
Be intentional
Like every piece of content on a web page, links have a specific purpose that varies with the content or action you are linking to. When writing links, be clear and concise about where you are driving users and what they will find there. Do not overpromise or mislabel your links, since misdirection and inaccuracy engenders frustration and mistrust.
DO:
Register for webinar
Don't:
Attend our free webinar
Why?
If users need to fill out a form to receive or download free content, tell them what to expect. It may sound better to emphasize the end result (a free webinar), but users will feel betrayed if they follow the link to a form instead of a webinar.
Switch it up
Avoid the temptation to use the same link title multiple times in close proximity. CTAs like "Read more" or "Learn more" lose all meaning when they are repeated endlessly on a web page.
Choose specificity over redundancy to help readers understand the action or destination your link will deliver. Sometimes it's impossible to avoid generic link titles—especially on pages that are gateways, family pages, or link farms—but, when user engagement is your goal, it pays to be more creative, dynamic and specific with your link titles.
DO:
See what customers are saying
Don't:
Learn more
DO:
Visit Trust Center
Don't:
Read more
DO:
See DAX in action
Don't:
Watch a demo
Avoid self-referential or directional links
At this point, if there is anyone who doesn't know what a hyperlink or CTA button looks like, it is a person who will never end up on a web page. "Click here" and other prescriptive language not only underestimates the intelligence of users, it also violates WCAG compliance requirements.
Keep in mind that directional language on a web page excludes those using screen readers because of accessibility issues related to sight or literacy. For this reason, avoid links like "Go there," "Click here," and "Press link" in favor of clear language that tells readers what will happen when they choose that link.
DO:
Explore careers
Don't:
Click here to search jobs
DO:
Read our latest research
Don't:
Press here for new research
DO:
Get our newsletter
Don't:
Click here
Lists
Legibility over longform
When you have a series of steps, benefits, or features you want readers to absorb, it is better to single them out in list form rather than lumping them in a longform paragraph.
DO:
Your one-time implementation fee includes:
—Verification of installation
—Application of custom settings
—Voice profile setup and configuration
—Guided pairing with PowerMic Mobile
Don't:
Your one-time implementation fee includes verification of Dragon Medical One installation, application of custom settings and extensions, voice profile setup and configuration, and guided pairing with PowerMic Mobile.
Why?
Whether calling out benefits that differentiate a solution or features that customers are paying for, it is more legible to separate them into bullets than lump them together in a long-form paragraph. Not every series of qualities or characteristics deserves a list, but if you are cataloguing important assets that you want readers to absorb, a list is more likely to achieve your purpose.