Three Common Types of Content 

WITH THE EVOLUTION OF ONLINE WRITING, common characteristics categorize web pages. I have grouped some of the most popular web pages into three distinct areas according to their overall purpose:

q       Residential

q       Topical

q       Commercial

Residential web pages present an owner or specific products, topical pages offer knowledge, and commercial sell products or services. Although most pages will be a combination of these categories, the prioritized purpose of the web page as a whole determines its overall type.

RESIDENTIAL

A RESIDENTIAL WEB PAGE displays some aspect of a person or product, gives an opinion, or entertains. These pages are not interested in a direct return from readers unless it is an agreement to a philosophy. Personal correspondence is acceptable as a user response, but reactions are not vital to the measured health of the page.  

On these pages, topics range from why Aunt Edna does not tie shoelaces to when Colorado Writers Fellowship meets. Typical pages that show a sense of presence are personal pages, entertainment pages, and club/organization/community pages. 

PERSONAL PAGES

Personal pages are just what they sound like. They range from Joe’s Home Page that offers a live recording of life in Joe's dorm room to Mary’s Story that details a her journey to Russia to adopt a child.   

The majority of these pages are written and programmed by hobbyists. Some are completely unprofessional, and others are spectacular. All are for personal enjoyment or use. These pages are intrinsically connected to the personality and characteristics of their owner. General pages that fall under the heading of a personal page are

§         Opinions

§         Family Newsletters

§         Activity Calendars

§         Genealogical Information

§         Information about a person’s life or hobbies 

ENTERTAINMENT

Humor, jokes, or interesting observations about the human condition, posted to entertain users, fall in this category. There are no expectations of a return, but often aspects of these pages (jokes, tidbits, and observations) are quoted and sent to friends. The enjoyment or enlightenment of others is the focus. The sole purpose of these pages is to enhance the human experience. Entertainment pages that could fall under this category might be

§         Joke Pages

§         Free Literary Reads

§         True Stories

§         Poignant Lessons

§         Personal Enrichment

§         General How-to's

§         Comics 

CLUBS, ORGANIZATIONS, AND COMMUNITY GROUPS

Private or nonprofit activities fall in this area although they can also be included in the commercial arena. When the sole purpose of a group’s web page is to make a group’s presence or activities known, then it is a residential web page. A group will perhaps state its purpose, give its meeting time, and present a schedule of events.  Although there is a place for contact information, the first purpose of these pages is to showcase an organization. The immediate access and minimum cost assist groups in communicating activities or events to a membership. Organizations can

§         Give a Calendar of Activities

§         Keep Members Informed of Club News

§         Present a Newsletter

§         List a Mission Statement, Philosophies, etc.

§         List Bylaws 

RESIDENTIAL WEB PAGES inform readers and asks little in return.  

Residential Focus: These pages do not have a single focus, but they are focused on some aspect of their owner’s personality or characteristics.  

User Purpose: Users tend to be interested in the owner's opinion, experiences, hobbies, sense of humor, or philosophies. They range from members and groups to families and friends. A general sense of “I’m here,” “Do you like what I like,” or “Do you think like I think” pervades these pages.

TOPICAL

TOPICAL PAGES FOCUS ON ONE THEME, are often backed by research, and explore a targeted area in depth. The majority of topical pages come from academic research or nonprofit organizations.  

The key to topical pages is the single area of interest or study. The content and structure of these pages are dictated by the topics presented.  

Some of the more common topical pages are those hosted by clubs/organizations/community groups, scientific or educational research, and courses. 

CLUBS, ORGANIZATIONS, AND COMMUNITY GROUPS

When groups focus on presenting articles or research about their area of interest, then their web page is considered a topical page. Perhaps a writing club will post articles on how-to write or a PTA group might list ways to help parents raise children. These organizations, though they might offer information about themselves, focus on presenting topics that will interest their membership. To keep their membership interested in visiting the web page, they often change or add to their articles, research, or information on a regular basis. These pages might include

§         Articles

§         Research

§         Facts/Statistics

§         How-To’s 

SCIENTIFIC OR EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH

Educational institutions and scientific laboratories use topical pages. Well-known names in these fields along with individual topics are the reason that users come to these pages. Topical pages are a means for research to reach other researchers long before the information is printed in a more traditional manner. Researchers will do this to

§         Post their Findings and Studies

§         Cost Effectively Publish their Work

§         Let other Researches Know About a Find

§         Receive Professional Feedback  

COURSES

Online courses have increased over the years to the extent that people are graduating from college without stepping foot in a classroom. Private and public education courses are advertised and offered for businesses, individuals, traditional students, and entrepreneurs. The types of industries that offer online courses are

§         Colleges and Universities

§         Clubs

§         Private Individuals and Companies

§         Nonprofit Groups 

TOPICAL WEB PAGES cover single areas of interest to an owner and user. Sometimes users need to pay or give a password before accessing these pages, depending on the information being presented. 

Topical Focus: These pages do not have to be creative but straightforward. The writers are professionals who have information of interest to a targeted group of people.   

User Purpose: Users are looking for answers and new ideas. They read or download these pages not to be entertained but to glean knowledge.

COMMERCIAL

THE FASTEST GROWING TYPE OF WEB PAGE is the commercial web page. They draw attention to services, present products, and/or make sales. The commercial web page is focused on a general audience for the purpose of completing a business transaction now or later that requires an exchange of money. Some commercial web page types are product sales, services, advertisements, and resumes. 

PRODUCT SALES, SERVICE, AND ADVERTISEMENT

Sales are key to a commercial page’s success. Commercial web pages focus on gaining user interest and then present services or products. To do this, a measure of trust is built, and services or products are presented in a non-threatening manner. Some of the techniques this commercial web page uses to build trust are

·        Surveys

·        Polls

·        A Catchy Presentation

·        Full Catalogue Access

·        Company Information

·        Free Offers for Personal Information 

RESUMES

There are millions of web pages that consist of individual resumes. This web presence allows future clients to research a principal of a company or a potential business relationship.  

Many writers put their resumes and clips online for editors to peruse at their convenience. This saves writers and editors time and postage. The resume is a stagnant web presence aimed at getting an assignment. The purpose of posting a resume online is to save the owner time and money and give associates immediate access to an individual’s 

§         Experience Level

§         Skills

§         Professional Abilities 

COMMERCIAL WEB PAGES link businesses to other businesses and consumers.  

Commercial Focus: Commercial pages are focused on receiving a response from the user in the form of a sale, lead, or information. 

User Purpose: They use these pages when they want to research products/services for future use or purchase a product/service. Once a level of trust is built, then users will return to or recommend that service or product.  

COMBINATIONS

AS MENTIONED EARLIER, these three types of pages can be combined within any given set of web pages. Each web page grouped to other web pages, though, should only be focused on one specific area.  

No matter what combination is used, you as the writer must discover the end purpose of the page in order to best understand its priority.  Once you grasp the type of web page that you as a writer need, you will receive more return for the time users spend on your web page.  

To help sort out the focus of your web pages

§         First study your marketing materials.

Printed material such as brochures, resumes, mission statements, business cards, etc. will give you clues about how your web page might need to be focused.

§         Second, prepare to interview yourself.

If you do not have marketing materials, you will need to interview yourself just as you would a client. (A later section of this seminar covers how to interview yourself.)

§         Third, study competing pages that you like.

One of the best ways to know the purpose of your own pages is to spend time researching the web pages of other writers. By deciding what you do and do not like about other web pages, you can better understand your own purpose.  

Always keep in mind that the three basic types of web pages have specific focuses and define the type of user that they are targeting.  

When you write a residential web page, you can include whatever you want and do not have to worry about measuring your success rate. If you are happy with your pages, then that is all that matters.  

When you write a topical web page, the information dictates how the page is set up and how the text is presented. The topic is of the essence. The pages focus on the researcher or expert presenting the material. The material is often downloaded and can be more technical in nature. 

When you write a commercial web page, the combination of text and graphics make it successful. The focus is always the exchange of money for products or services.  

Although writers may write text for a number of web pages, writing is a business. Therefore, the writer should focus on writing a commercial web page that helps him/her receive more assignments or sell books, articles, stories, or poems.  

What You Can Do

(With the information presented) 

1. DECIDE ON A SPECIFIC WEB PAGE TYPE - Ask yourself: 

·        Does my web page try to make the world a better place, show off something about me, or cover a personal opinion? If yes, the web page is residential.

·        Is the point of the web page to disseminate information or research? If yes, the web page is topical page.

·        Does the web page sell a product or services or is its point to sell a product or services at some point in the future? If yes, the web page is commercial. 

2. TARGETING YOUR AUDIENCE - A commercial web page technique 

To write the text for a commercial web page, you must work within the general constraints of all web users. Within that group of web users, you will need to target a specific consumer group.  

Because some web page owners try to target too many people on a single page (editors, book buyers, and conference organizers), pages becomes unfocused and often come off sounding unprofessional. Few users will remain on an unprofessional page for any length of time.  

The more succinct the web text writer is in targeting a specific audience, the more successful his/her web page becomes.  

Think about the type of people you would like to read your web page. ASK YOURSELF: 

·        What are these people's needs?

·        Because of these needs, why will they go to my web page?

·        How often do I want the same users to return to my web page?

·        If often, what will I post on my web page that will cause them to revisit it?

·        What is the direct benefit of my web page to these users?

·        What elements could be included on my web page to bring tangible results?

·        What things would most please these users?

The answers to the previous question will give you a more tangible idea of whom you are targeting. Once you know what your web page needs to accomplish, you can then focus on how to structure your commercial web page.  

Writing Web Page Content. Copyright © 1999 ©2003 by Sheila Seifert. Printed electronically in the United States of America. All rights reserved.  No part of this seminar may be reproduced in any form or by electronic or mechanical means including information storage or retrieval systems without permission in writing from the author except by a review or when used for educational purposes where brief passages may be quoted.