The Nonprofit Website Insider
Issue 20: Summer text cleanup 🌞📝
Free website consultations, plus quick tips for better website text
Dear website champions,
In August, things are (perhaps) a bit quieter and this can be a chance to make some quick, straightforward, and high-impact improvements to your website. Here’s an idea: take a look at some of your most important pages (like your donation page, key section pages, or your homepage) and see if you can simplify or clarify the transactional text.
We spend a lot of time crafting the narrative text that tells our nonprofit’s story, but often overlook the text that leads into calls to action or guides people through choices. But this text is crucial—it either helps or hinders your visitors as they navigate your site.
Think through:
Can you remove words or phrases? Try deleting anything that seems unnecessary and see if the transactional text is clearer without it. (It often is!)
Are you trying to be clever? Personality is great, but transactional text isn’t the place for jokes or snarky comments (like an option button that says “I don’t want useful information”).
Is it plain spoken? Make sure all the text is at an eighth-grade reading level or lower and avoids idioms or jargon.
Is it empathetic? Ensure the text works for people in various situations—whether they’re frustrated, scared, or just looking for information. (For instance, “Congratulations on your pregnancy” may not be the right greeting for all visitors to an expectant mother resource page.)
You’ll be surprised how much value you can get from cleaning up just a few words.
Enjoy your August, and I’ll be back with more tips in September. Until then, may your websites be user-friendly and your sunburns be nonexistent!
Laura
Dive Deeper
Used with permission from Sketchplanations.com
Happy talk must die | Coding Horror
“Happy talk” is the useless, fluffy text that tries to welcome visitors or hype up a website without giving any real information. It is originally the concept of Steve Krug, author of the fabulous Don't Make me Think. Nonprofits sometimes use this kind of language to try to make pages seem friendlier, but it’s generally better just to be straightforward.
UX Writing Checklist: Content Heuristics for Designers | Bobbie Wood
If you have a good start on clarifying transactional text and removing happy talk, here’s a detailed list of additional things to consider for different types of content like error messages, instructions, and emails. It doesn't tell you exactly what to write, but it helps you check if how you're writing is effective.
Add a layer of respect to your website copy | UX Design
A call back to this article I included in the Insider a few months ago, as it’s so very applicable here. Nick DiLallo provides a nice overview on how to write each small piece of text with respect so that it values users' intelligence and time.
August Exclusive: Sign up for your free Website Power Hour
August often brings some breathing room to the working world, and I’d love to use this time to connect with you! I'm setting aside six hours this month to offer free consultations to six nonprofit organizations. It's a chance for us to chat, brainstorm, or tackle any challenges you're facing.
Here’s how it works:
I have six slots open on my calendar. Book a time that works for you. First come, first served!
A few days before our meeting, please email me a brief overview of what you’d like to discuss, along with any relevant links or documents.
I’ll review the materials in advance to make sure our hour together is as productive as possible.
During our session, I’ll provide honest, actionable advice tailored to your needs.
During our hour together, we can tackle whatever's on your mind. Maybe you're puzzling over the right next steps for your website, or there's a persistent challenge you've been having. Perhaps you just need a sounding board for your ideas. Whatever it is, I'm here to listen and offer my perspective.
And of course, this is a no cost and no commitment Power Hour. No sales pitch of any kind!
I'm truly looking forward to these sessions and can't wait to meet with each of you!