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The Web Content Style Guide:
Excerpt
Designing for the Web: Part 2
Every website is a directory
Why did Amazon.com choose books as its first product offering? A key reason was that a
sophisticated electronic directory of published books already existed that Amazon
could plug into. Amazon may have lots of interesting services, but without its
directories, it’s like a shop without shelves.
Why were so many people excited about Yahoo when it started? Because it launched a
directory. Before Yahoo, it was very hard to know what was on the Web. Yahoo may have
added a lot of services over the years, but its foundation is still a directory of
quality websites.
Yahoo still behaves fundamentally as a directory that helps people quickly find the
content they are looking for.
Why was eBay so successful? Because it created a directory for people who wanted to
buy and sell second-hand stuff. Without proper classification, eBay would have quickly
descended into chaos as it grew. But because its growth was based on a comprehensive
classification system, it works.
Napster is a hugely successful brand. How did Napster build its brand? By providing
people with an efficient way to find and download the music they want. Graphically,
the Napster website does not look very sophisticated. Its logo looks like it was
designed on the back of a beer mat. But its power, like all the best websites, is
under the surface. Its power is not in how it looks, but rather in how it works.
The Web is all about publishing content in an organized manner. All the great websites
are driven by great directories that allow people to quickly find the content they
want. Those websites that fail are those that frustrate the reader. They don’t
classify their content well. Their search doesn’t work well. Their navigation is poor.
Their pages are full of big graphics that take ages to download.
Great web design must be founded on great directory (classification) design. Anybody
who wants to design for the Web must understand how to create professional
classifications. They need to know how to design an efficient search process, and how
to create a navigation design for a website that is as intuitive as possible.
From getting attention to giving attention
What makes a website great is what is below the surface, not what is above. Too many
web designers focus on the shiny stuff—the fancy graphics, the clever animations.
Study after study shows that people are just not interested in this surface sheen. In
fact, in many cases this visual-driven design gets in the way of people doing what
they want to do.
Many marketers and advertisers are still struggling to come to terms with the Web.
They are bringing old thinking, old skills, to a new medium. It’s true that in an
attention-deficit economy, the job of the marketer is very often to get attention for
the brand. They constantly need to make the brand stand out in a global traffic jam of
brands.
However, how does someone get to a website? By either clicking a link or typing in a
website address. First, they have done something active. Second, they are aware of
where they want to go. It’s to ibm.com, microsoft.com, ebay.com, yahoo.com,
napster.com.
What’s common to all these websites addresses? Brands! When someone comes to your
website, you have already got their attention. The job of the website is to give
attention. The person has come to the website with a need. They should leave the
website with that need fulfilled.
The Amazon homepage is all about giving attention. Everything is oriented around
selling things to the consumer. The logo, as is the Web convention, is small and is
located in the top left corner.
Next: Part 3:
Structure is boring, but it works
Previous: Part 1: The Web is about publishing
Part 1 - Part 2 - Part 3 -
Part 4 - Part 5 -
Part 6
The Web Content Style Guide
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Download a free copy of Chapter One: Writing
for the Web, from The Web Content Style Guide
Writing for the Web (PDF 219 KB)
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Reviews for
The Web Content Style Guide
I
will certainly be recommending this book to others
By Malcolm Davison, CEO, Writing For The Web
"This comprehensive and authoritative overview of content management starts with
useful guidelines to writing and designing web material. If only most webmasters would heed the sound advice given here, then web surfing would be a much happier experience
for us all!
Web-Publishing With Ease
By Colin Ong, CEO, MR=MC Consulting, Singapore
"This book is an essential guide in helping people plan an
effective web-publishing presence through a simple A-Z format. The reader can use this
book as a good source of reference. On a personal note, the book has encouraged me to
rethink my portals' attractiveness to my target audience.
It's worth your time and money
By Phil Matous, CEO, Taylor Community Credit Union, Michigan, USA
"The first chapter alone is worth the price of the book. Great ideas on writing
for either traditional or web viewers. Easy to read and insightful."
Book reviews homepage
Buy The Web Content Style Guide
The Web is all about publishing
content in an organized manner.
When someone comes to your
website, you have already got their attention. The job of the website is to give
attention.
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