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HTML-based copywriting

Semantic HTML can be a great way to make sense of words and ideas even before grabbing Photoshop to draft out the design.

The usual Web development process implies (very roughly) creating a site structure, generating the copy, shaping it into a certain layout and design, coding the XHTML / CSS and integrating it into whatever platform or programming you have going on.

This puts HTML quite at the end of the assembly line which, in theory, has nothing wrong with it.

However, we may not be taking full advantage of what HTML (meaning semantic HTML) has to offer with regards to content structure and making sense of words, titles and bullet lists. Copywriters are not always as clear and structured as they should be, and often make use of the wrong tools to present their product (i.e. Word). This has to be later on interpreted by a designer who will shape up things into what she or he believes best respects the content hierarchy and relevance. Finally this design will be once again reinterpreted by the coder who–usually in a rush–will assign the HTML tags that best seem to suit each element in the design.

This just makes no sense.

HTML is an extremely simple language to learn and implement. If we had copywriters and information architects work directly on HTML (don’t panic! I mean plain simple HTML, no scripting, programming, CSS or design at all) using strictly semantic coding, we’re very likely to have a much clear and usable product, as well as a seamless development process. The need to assign a specific tag to every element forces us to better structure and format contents. Rather than just assigning an ambiguous 12pt bold to a sentence in a Word document, we are saying: “Hey! This is a third level heading, can’t you see the <H3> tag?” Or a simple <HR /> can tell the designer: “ok, this area ends here, this could be the page header or that the left navigation column.”

Plus, you have the advantage of being able to create fairly functional mock-ups of a site or application, just by linking static pages that resemble the final mechanics of the system.

This is not, by all means, the only way to approach Web copywriting and site architecture, but it may be a method well worth trying if your team adapts and feels comfortable with it.

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