• you see less well on a screen than on paper - you have to work harder to absorb the information from a screen, and you read, on average, 25% more slowly. It's less pleasant to read long texts and it leaves less of an impression.
• the web is not tangible - you can hold a book, leaf through it. There is a table of contents and an index. But a visitor to a website has no automatic insight into its structure. You arrive with no idea what you will find there, or how to look for what you need. Therefore web pages must be intuitive, offering information consistently and navigable with as little thought as possible.
• non-linear navigation - most media is linear: you read from cover to cover, or watch from the titles to the credits. Conversely, the Internet has no clear beginning or end. Visitors decide themselves what to read first, where to stop, and what to ignore.
   

Reading toward a goal

There is a lot of information on the screen. Often there is a navigation menu, an image, several columns, hyperlinks, subheadings, search fields, a footer, and so on. Visitors to a website typically read with a specific goal in mind. Ideally, they do this in three steps (although most readers don't go beyond the first):

• scanning – visitors first scan a page for relevant information
• reading – they read relevant information
• reading in depth – they stay to read in depth only if they can find what they’re after quickly and easily
   

Multilingual

Pages of the Maastricht University website can be published in two languages. In principle every page must be available in English; Dutch is optional. There are exceptions, however – for example, some pages on the bachelor’s portal are available only in Dutch. Limited information might also be presented in a third language.

Translations
For translations, contact the Maastricht University Language Centre.

1. Define a goal and a target group - before you begin writing, always answer the following questions:

• for whom is the text intended (students, staff, a sponsor, incoming student)?
• what do I want to achieve with my text (inform, convince, inspire)?
• at what level in the navigation should the text be placed (homepage, news, a portal?)

2. Structure the information - depending on your goal and target group, decide what information to offer; do not be afraid to delete irrelevant information!

• ask yourself the questions 'who, what, where, why and how' to decide what is the most important information?
• think from the visitor's perspective, not your own. What does the visitor expect to find, and what is interesting for him or her?
• choose a system for arranging information on the page, for example chronologically or by theme
   

3. Headings and leads - the heading and the lead fill the most important function on the page.

• heading – the title of the page, designed to catch the attention during the scanning phase
• lead – a ‘lead’ is a brief summary of a story featuring the 'who, what, when, why, and how' and designed to quickly catch a visitor in the Reading phase with the potential to send them into the Reading-in-depth phase. Also very valuable for SEO

4. Check your page

• check the style of your text; does it speak to the audience?
• are there any typing or spelling mistakes?
• does the layout make sense?
• do all of the links work?
• is the entire page clearly visible and/or quickly accessible?

• write short sentences (between 14 - 20 words)
• avoid sentences with more than one comma
• try to avoid jargon
• limit auxiliary verbs (could, would, should, to be, to have, seems)
• limit connecting words (as, then, also)
• limit adjectives (pretty, beautiful, splendid, nice)
• avoid indirect sentences (NOT: Laughter was made by the students. YES: The students laugh.)
• limit yourself to the essential: discard

Ideal paragraphs

• ideally paragraphs are 3 - 6 lines
• ideally pages are 150 - 300 words
• use subheads and summaries to make the text scannable
• separate paragraphs with a space

Use of language

• use colloquial speech
• avoid slang
• avoid old-fashioned or overly formal language
• avoid abbreviations: FL (the Faculty of Law) says nothing to a reader

Reader and goal

• is the tone of the text appropriate for the reader? (Keep the various target groups in mind)
• does the page fulfil its purpose?

Construction and structure

• does the page have a logical structure (beginning with the most important information, followed by elaboration and details?)
• is the page limited to one subject?
• where possible, have you made use of clarifying elements, such as lists and tables?
• is your text less than 300 words (about one and a half screen lengths)?

Introduction

• does the page have a clear introduction of three to five sentences, presenting the most essential information?
• can the reader see from the introduction whether the text will be relevant for his or her needs?

Head, subheading, and correlated material

• does the page have a clear headline that delivers the message?
• does the page need a subheading? (if you can't communicate the essence in the headline, or if you want to focus the reader's attention on a specific aspect of the subject)
• do all of the paragraphs have a subheading?
• are the subheadings short, informative and to the point? Are they similar in form and do they deliver the message?

Paragraphs

• is the page divided into clear paragraphs of a proscribed length? (guideline: maximum 8 lines on the screen)
• have you made use of an entire return between each paragraph?
• does each paragraph begin with a core sentence?
• is each paragraph limited to a specific subject?
• is the connection between the paragraphs clear?

Sentence construction, word choice and spelling

• have you used correct spelling in keeping with Maastricht University usage?
• have you avoided 'difficult' or unclear words (jargon, old-fashioned or abstract words, double meanings, etc.)?
• are the sentences active and are they constructed following the SVEE-principle (Subject-Verb-Everything Else)?
• are the sentences not too long or complicated?
• have you used enough variation in sentence length, construction and word choice?
• have you made any spelling, grammatical or style mistakes?

Search engine optimisation

• have you filled in a relevant title-tag that is clear and has enough search terms (maximum 80 characters)?
• have you filled in a relevant meta-description tag that is clear and has enough search terms (maximum 180 characters)?
• do the headline and the subheading contain search terms?
• do the links contain search terms?
• do the alt-texts of eventual images contain search terms?

Google and other search engines read web text but don’t interpret it. The site that best matches the exact search of the user will show up at the top of the page. Google’s search algorithm is secret, so users cannot implement ‘dishonest’ measures to put their pages at the top of the list. As users gain a better understanding of how Google works, this algorithm is adapted to make the search results as organic, or ‘honest’, as possible.

Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) is making the content of web pages – specifically key words throughout a page – match key search terms of a given target audience within the context of known search engine trends. This often involves making small modifications to parts of a website. Individually these changes may seem like incremental improvements, but as a whole they have a noticeable impact on a site's user experience and performance in organic search results, both internally and externally. This has no effect on the paid search results, which typically appear at the top of a Google search results page.

SEO not only works for improving Google rank and driving traffic to a website, but also helps internal clients find information. Thus SEO should balance serving internal clients with driving new traffic to the site. There should also be a balance between SEO and making content attractive for visitors.

Generally speaking, the higher the position of a page in the navigation structure, the more simply you should present information. The higher pages are intended to help the visitor quickly find what he or she is looking for. Thus on the higher levels don't go too deeply into subjects.

Search engine algorithms are closely guarded secrets. Nevertheless, it has become clear that search engines look for:

“Keywords” are terms that concisely summarise a specific webpage. They are [ideally] the words search engine users input during a web search. When search terms contain multiple words, they are often called “keyword phrases”. Here, both keywords and keyword phrases are referred to as keywords. It is essential to include these words to the website yourself so that search engines like Google, Bing or Yahoo can find your pages and increase the web page ranking in search results.

Google does not interpret text or images: it scans your site and indexes text. This means, in principle, that the site using exactly the same keywords that users type into Google will be more successful than a site using related or synonymous keywords. Even if two given sites are equally useful and/or deal with the same material, Google may rank them differently based on keywords.

The title tag of a web page appears in the very top bar of a web page. In search results, it appears as the first line and links to your webpage.

Optimising the title tag for search engines:

• the title tag should be a maximum of 66 characters including spaces
• use keywords (see manual for keyword selection) and put the most important keywords closest to front of title
• use a unique title as much as possible (ex: ‘Contact: School of Business and Economics’ rather than ‘Contact’). If a website has more than one page with the same title, then those pages compete with one another for ranking
• the title tag is taken directly from the page title in Drupal

The navigation title overrides the page title, implying that the title tag is taken from the navigation title when used. Remember that 10 points are given to the navigation title and 7 points to the page title, which means that:

• if a navigation title is used, 10 points go to the keywords in the navigation title and 7 to the keywords in the page titled
• if no navigation title is used, 17 points go to the keywords used in the page title. This also holds if the navigation title and page title are equal

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A page's description Introduction gives Google and other search engines a summary of what the page is about. Invisible to website visitors, it is recognised and processed by search engines, appearing below the title tag in search results.

Optimising the description tag for search engines:

• the description should be a maximum of 150-170 characters including spaces, the approximate number of characters shown below the title in the search engine results page
• this text that shows up in the search results for Google. Keep in mind that your page’s description tag will need to persuade users to click on your page instead of others, so it should be both informative and attractive
• it should explain what the page is about in one or two sentences
• always use a unique description
• the description should contain all of the keywords and keyword phrases for the page

Typically the first 150 or so characters in the Introduction section of a page will be used in a Google Search result. If the Introduction page isn’t filled in, Google will use the first paragraph of the page instead.

A page with an Introduction looking like this:

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URLs

URLs should be as clean as possible. Search engines treat the words at the beginning of the URL as more important than those at the end. Shorter, friendlier URLs are also better for linking to your content.

The following tips can be used to optimise URLs:

• make URLs as short and clear as possible
• use one URL per page if possible
• use a minus sign instead of an underscore to separate words
• to view the number of URLs for a page, go to File > Properties > URL title

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Because search engines search through the links on a page and rank those higher than normal text, the linked text should contain keywords (for instance: “see the master’s programmes overview” rather than “click here for the overview”). This is also important for the visually impaired, as readers look through the links on a page first and then go back and read the text.

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Heading tags are used to present structure on the page to users. There are six sizes of heading tags, beginning with <h1>, the most important, and ending with <h6>, the least important. It is now widely believed that only H1 and H2 tags are ranked by search engines.

The H1 tags should be used for the page titles and the H2 tag for subheadings. Subheadings should be used as frequently as possible, as both search engines and viewers most often scan this text first.

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ALT text shows up when viewers mouse over an image and will appear if an image cannot be displayed properly. ALT texts are also used by search engines to rank pages. The ALT texts should be short, but use descriptions that contain keywords for the page. (ex: European Studies student Julian Bloker does his internship at the European Parliament in Brussels). ALT texts also help your images appear in the search results for Google Images.

Creating descriptive categories and filenames for the documents on the website can not only lead to better crawling of documents by search engines but can also help keep the site better organised.

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Adding keyword metadata may not help a page to rank higher if other websites have the same keywords in more prominent places on the page. However, it does help people to find what they are looking for. If a search term is not on the page itself or should not be used on the page, then put it as a keyword in the metadata.(ex: the term ‘bieb’ is often searched for in Dutch, but it’s not a word that can be put on the page itself, so it should go in the keywords section).

The UM Student Video Team

The UM Student Video team consists of experienced, highly skilled students who offer their services to produce videos, from filming and editing to the end product. The team is part of the UM Marketing & Communications department, which provides equipment and support. By hiring the UM Student Video Team, you grant us permission to share the final video on our website and social media platforms, as well as to use the footage for future videos.

Click here to request a video production by our team. You will receive a cost estimation in return.

The costs cover preproduction, filming and editing, post production, subtitling and the links and embed codes necessary to share the video. 

Indication Costs:

 Video message (without autocue) no b-roll: €300,- (€350,- with autocue) (Click here for an example)

 Short video (1-2 minutes) with one interview and b-roll: €800,-  (Click here for an example)

 Long video (3-8 minutes) with multiple interviews and b-roll: €1200,-  (Click here for an example)

The costs of subtitling are calculated per minute, and we expect the client to double-check them themselves.

If you have any specific questions or need further assistance regarding the Video Production Brief, feel free to ask!

videoteam@maastrichtuniversity.nl
+31 43 388 5206

Please keep in mind that the UM Student Video Team is not a professional production company: students work under your supervision and in cooperation with you, but you assume the risks of any delays that may occur as a result of errors or delays that result from the collaboration. Students sometimes need extra guidance or clearer instructions than a professional company does. You can also hire a professional video production company. A list of preferred suppliers is provided below. If you have any questions about this, please contact the manager of the video team:

Annabel Reker (Video Producer and Editor)
annabel.reker@maastrichtuniversity.nl
+31 43 388 52224

A production of a professional external company will guarantee good quality and less guidance from your side is needed. The costs of these kinds of productions depend on the assignment but a production usually costs more than €1000. Below you can find a list of third party production companies. All of the companies listed below are expected to sign an agreement with Maastricht University and have all the information required to produce beautiful videos that conform to UM House Style requirements related to:

• logo
• colours
• typography

Only videos with English subtitles are eligible for placement on the UM website or social media channels. With subtitles, your video might be easier to find in search engines (in case of open captions) and deaf people and people with a hearing impairment can also understand your video. Videos on social media often start playing without sound, so with subtitles you also support your social media followers. You can choose between open and closed captioning. Open captions always are in view and cannot be turned off, whereas closed captions can be turned on and off by the viewer and eventually switched to another language. We recommend closed captions since they provide a better user experience.

If you need captions you can fill in the video production brief. 

UM podcasts are published on this page. 

Did you make a podcasts and do you want to publish it in Blue Billywig and/or on the UM website, but you don't know how? These manuals can help you: 

 Publishing a podcast in Blue Billywig
 Publishing a Blue Billywig podcast in Drupal

To apply for proof of language proficiency, you have to register yourself to take a quick test. After the test, we state your level in a letter as PDF-document or, on request, fill out a form.

The quick test without writing takes roughly 30 minutes to complete and assesses your speaking, listening, and reading skills. The Language Centre can also test your written language skills, which takes a bit longer—about 1 hour in total.

• Fee Quick Test excl. writing: € 55
• Fee Quick Test incl. writing: € 105 

For some of the languages, we also offer a full test in accordance with CEFR- criteria. Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR) describes foreign language proficiency at six levels. The speaking and listening skills tests are administered by the teacher, followed by an independent writing and reading test. The full test takes roughly 2,5 hours to complete.  

To apply for proof of language proficiency, you have to register yourself to take a full test. After the test we state your levels in a certificate with the independent skills as PDF-document or, on request, fill out a form.

Please note! The Language Centre offers assessments, and tests specifically designed for adults (18+). 

To review the CEFR-levels, download Levels of the Common European Framework of Reference (PDF). 

• Fee CEFR-test: € 250 

Anyone wishing to work as a registered healthcare provider or medical professional in the Netherlands must be registered in the BIG register. Official CEFR Proof of language proficiency B1, B2 or B2plus is required for BIG registration. 

For physiotherapists, physician assistants, midwives, and registered dental hygienists a CEFR-certificate of language proficiency B2 is required for a BIG registration. 

For medical professionals (doctor, dentist, pharmacist, psychotherapist, remedial educationalist-generalist, health care psychologist, and clinical technologist) a CEFR-certificate of language proficiency in B2plus (combination of B2 and C1), is required.  

For an overview and elaboration of levels see Levels of the European Reference Framework (CEFR). 

The certificate you receive after successfully completing the test is proof of language proficiency and is valid for two years after it has been issued. Should you wish to receive an additional certificate, we will charge a fee. 

What does the test look like? 

A full test consists of four test sections: reading, listening, speaking, and writing. This can be taken in one day or spread over two days by arrangement. A full test takes 2.5 hours. 
 
You can register via the online registration form. After registration and payment, a tutor will contact you to set a date for the test. 

• Fee Language proficiency test B1, B2 or B2plus € 250 (including certificate)

   

After the level assessment, you will receive your certificate as a PDF file via email within 2 weeks after taking the last test part. The amount due must be paid online.

More information or an intake appointment? Please contact your-language-course@maastrichtuniversity.nl.  

UM values presenting itself professionally to Dutch and international audiences. Professional academic-style reports and proposals to international partners can enhance UM's position and reputation.  

To assist with this, UM provides a Terminology List and Style Guide. 

• Consult our Terminology List
• Download the Style Guide 

If you are a UM employee and your department requests you to demonstrate your level in English and/or Dutch as part of the UM Language Policy requirements, please contact taalbeleid-lc@maastrichtuniversity.nl and mention in which language(s) you would like to get tested.

The Language Centre offers programmes to prepare for the Staatsexamen NT2, programme II: civic integration candidates with a higher level of education.

For more information, please see Dutch for immigrants.