Inverted Pyramid Structure
When users come to your web page, they are nearly always looking for an answer to a question. The earlier that users see the answer that your page provides the quicker they will know whether they’ve found the right page.
So structure your written content in an “inverted pyramid style.” Instead of saving the conclusion for the end, use it at the beginning. Sum up the important information concisely in the first paragraph. Then add important details followed by less and less important information, such as background or history.
Before
Outside the university, the widget industry has seen remarkable changes since the Department of Widgets was established in 1974. Although the department’s curriculum has evolved some over the years, the primary components of the mission have stayed the same. During the last year, though, alumni helped guide members of the faculty of the department as they made the first significant changes in two decades. So today, the department announces that its name will be changed to the Department of Strategic Widgets and it will add two new majors to the curriculum.
After
The newly renamed Department of Strategic Widgets will offer two new majors.
Alumni and faculty proposed revisions to the department’s curriculum and a new name for the department after a year-long review of the present-day needs of the quickly evolving widget industry.
The department was established in 1947 and originally named the Department of Widgets.
Keep in mind
Ask yourself why this page is needed? Remember that the inverted pyramid style works for many pages, but some writing has to follow other forms. Some web content has to provide information in a sequential or hierarchical structure, such as a FAQ page. Other writing tells a traditional story, with a beginning and middle that lead the reader to an end result.