Your Audience: Who Are Web Readers?
How do web readers “read?” More often than not, they don’t! Web readers are browsers and scanners. They are looking for answers to specific questions.
When writing content, it’s important to remember that web readers:
- Have specific questions
- Might be distracted when scanning your website
- Are a diverse population
- Want information quickly
Transitioning from academic writing to web writing can be challenging, and we're here to help! Following are some tips you can use to help make sure users are getting the most from your online content at ӰƵ.
Voice and Tone
The language you use when writing your content has a major impact on how people perceive your website and the information you have to offer. As a whole, ӰƵ uses language that showcases our brand as an active, engaging, confident, forward-thinking institution.
Your words should convey purposeful and thoughtful messages with strong nouns and dynamic verbs, targeted to intellectual audiences.
Your department or program might have a slightly different style. But either way, you’re reflecting what you—and the university—represent.
Voice vs. Tone: What is the Difference?
Voice: The distinct personality or style that reflects the entire institution.
CWRU is:
- Active
- Engaging
- Confident
- Forward-thinking
Tone: How your office communicates CWRU’s voice (varies with the medium).
Are you:
- Casual?
- Traditional?
- Approachable?
- Exclusive?
Finding Your Voice and Tone
How do you want users to feel when they engage with your site?
Is this voice and tone successful in conveying that feeling? Review content on your site and identify what is—and isn’t—working when it comes to reflecting your identity.
Work with your team on a voice and tone exercise:
- Who are you? Select five to six adjectives that explain who you are—and who you are not.
- What do you want to be? Select three to four more adjectives that describe who you aspire to be—but make it attainable.
- What’s your identity? Craft an identity statement to which you can refer when creating new content or making decisions.
Ensure that your particular voice and tone is consistent throughout your content. Ask yourself what you can do to make the entire site—copy, images, videos, design—more reflective of your voice and tone.
Crafting Your Tone
It's important to maintain a consistent tone, so consider the point of view, order of pronouns, and overall readability and reading level of your content as you write it.
First and Second Person vs. Third Person
We recommend using first and second person in most web writing to make it more informal and personable, but no matter the decision, remember to strive for consistency.
Pronoun Order
Think of how you want to position the reader’s importance.
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- You want to do this, which is why we do that. (reader-first)
- We do this, in case you want that. (university-first)
Readability
- All web content at ӰƵ should be written for a 12th-grade reading level (or, ideally, below). You can test this using .
- Remember: Your audience may include your peers, but it also could be high school students, international students or their parents/families, whose reading levels you don’t know. Make it easy for everyone to understand.
- Wherever possible, use active as opposed to passive voice
- Limit the use of acronyms: They can be confusing or exclusionary to people visiting your site for the first time!
Prioritizing Your Content
Keep your audience in mind as you structure your website. Make sure you have a clear idea of the purpose and intended audience of your page, and stay focused on that idea as you write and edit your content. What information does your audience need?
Think of the reader when you organize your content. It’s important to set up