Our Audience
When you write for the web, think about who will be reading our content: our audience, also referred to in this guide as our users.
To write well, you must know:
- Who our users are
- What they're looking for
- How they use our website
WHO ARE OUR USERS
Government websites must be inclusive to everyone, including people with disabilities, low literacy or no experience with government processes.
That means anyone is a potential user, but it doesn't mean you have to write generically. You can start with some assumptions about who's most likely to access your content. Begin by thinking about the people who most commonly use your services, visit your office or call your staff:
- What's their education level?
- Do they fall into a common age group?
- What knowledge do they bring with them? Are they specialists or average citizens?
- What's their frame of mind when looking for your information? For example, are they likely to be rushed, stressed or annoyed?
WE CAN HELP
Web Services can provide in-depth analysis to help you identify your users and their behavior. Email us at webrequest@baltimorecountymd.gov for more information.
WHAT DO OUR USERS LOOK FOR?
Users visit government websites to find information and complete specific tasks—things like reporting a code violation, finding their recycling schedule or getting contact information for an elected official. In short, they’re on a mission.
To help users find what they need, you must know what they’re looking for. Data from the top 250 most-visited pages on www.baltimorecountymd.gov gives us insight into our audience's needs.
| These Users | Visited Our Site to |
|---|---|
| 33% | Complete a specific task online (for example: pay taxes or search for a lost pet) |
| 25% | Learn more about a policy or process, in order to complete a task offline |
| 15% | Seek public safety or health news |
| 11% | Seek contact information, location or hours for an agency or service |
| 0.5% | Seek history, mission statements or staff biography |
| 0.5% | View or download PDFs |
Think about your agency’s most-requested services, and put that content front and center. Important information such as timely announcements, contact information or steps for completing common tasks should be presented prominently. Content that doesn't help users complete tasks—mission/welcome statements or detailed policy history—should not be placed prominently. In fact, you might not need to include it at all.
THE 80/20 RULE
About 80 percent of your users are looking for 20 percent of your content—so write for the broadest section of your audience. Caveats and details for every possible situation complicate your site and make it less useful for everyone.
HOW USERS INTERACT WITH OUR SITE
Users don't read websites. They scan them.
Eye-tracking studies show where users’ eyes focus on web pages and they consistently show an F-shaped pattern. Users look most often at the top heading and first paragraph, then quickly skip around the page, searching specifically for headings and links that look relevant. That means they won't read long passages of content. They look for headings, bullets, links and buttons.
THINK MOBILE
Almost 60 percent of Baltimore County's web traffic comes from mobile devices. Long paragraphs are even more difficult to read and frustrating to scroll on small screens. Always preview new content at a smaller size before you publish it.