Workshops

Writing for the web courses

More than just a writing workshop, this covers everything from SEO and UX to accessibility.

Learn how to make your website content easier to find, read and understand

People are ruthless online: if you don’t grab their attention within seconds, they’re gone.

This hands-on writing for the web course will teach you how to:

create clear and compelling online content
apply usability (UX) principles to make your writing more effective and increase conversions
write for both mobile and desktop screens
craft short sentences that pull readers in
create effective call to actions and link text (hint: “click here” links are bad)
structure and format sentences, paragraphs and pages so readers will easily find what they need
write for search engine optimisation (SEO)
optimise your content for AI search (AEO and GEO)
write persuasive headlines
understand the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG).

Writing for the web course options:

Customised staff training

I provide writing for the web training for a wide range of organisations, from corporations and government departments to universities and not-for-profits.

The workshops are fun, interactive and filled with practical exercises that allow participants to immediately put theory into practice.

The training can be customised to cover the topics relevant to you, whether it’s writing for:

email marketing and newsletters
social media
public websites
intranets.

If you choose, examples and exercises can be based on your own content.

Short courses can run from half a day to a full day depending on your needs.

Ask for more information

Public live half-day webinar

I occasionally run public courses over Zoom, as well as in-person courses in Melbourne and Sydney.

One-on-one writing for the web training

Personalised one-on-one sessions are available, either in person or online. These allow me to focus on the specific online writing skills you want to build: whether it’s writing for SEO or improving your email newsletters.

I can also provide feedback on your writing.

Contact me to find out more

"The workshop was incredibly engaging. I enjoyed the workshopping activities, especially Dan’s encouragement. It was great to see examples from our council’s website – especially what worked and what could be improved.”

Taryn Kennedy

Penrith City Council

"Entertaining and informative. It was the best Writing for the Web workshop I've ever been to."

Janine Van Den Tillaart

Macquarie University

"A helpful workshop which went over both the basics and pertinent points for copywriting and communications professionals."

Vanessa Gregory

Access-DGC

"Dan was incredibly knowledgeable, helpful and insightful. Very relevant information that I hadn't heard before."

Justin Richardson

Australian Pork

"The course was fantastic! I walked away with so many useful insights that I will definitely be applying in my work. Honestly, I can’t think of anything I would change. It was informative, interactive and engaging. I would recommend it to anyone."

Alexis Wagner

"I've done a few writing workshops in my career and this was the best."

Tara D'Souza

ACCAN

"Dan did a superb job in engaging the whole group. I have attended a few workshops from other providers over the years and this was by far the best session. I learnt so many great tips and tricks and I have already started implementing changes to our intranet and newsletter."

Carol McLoughlin

Fujitsu

"I feel as though my writing has been given a tune up – my writing is sharper and more concise. As a ‘words person’, having the opportunity to get better at my craft is very satisfying. One of the biggest take homes from the course was the accessibility information. I am now applying accessibility principles to all my writing. I would recommend this workshop to anyone who works with words!"

Sara Runciman

Regional Development Australia

"It was a really useful workshop. It helps you think about how you write and the words you use. I learnt a lot about the importance of using plain and everyday language. I will definitely be using what I have learnt in my job."

Paige Wall

Australian Super

"Very practical and easy to implement in everyday writing. Was great to be able to use material from our own website and tweak it to be more understandable."

Kim McQualter

Murray Local Land Services

Dan’s course on writing for the web has provided me with the knowledge and tools to effortlessly condense and edit what I am writing. He was very informative and the course was easy to follow. I am now a more confident writer.

Katie Coy

Bunnings

"I found the workshop to be easy to follow and enjoyable. I immediately started to use what I learned. The content and pace were just right, with a good mix of practical exercises and talk. I had been winging it for some time and the workshop showed me how to tidy up my writing style."

Susan Reid

Murray Arts

“Dan’s workshop was extremely valuable for me. He helped me with practical ideas to challenge how I write while maintaining a collaborative and engaging workshop. I’m using the tips already with my work. I highly recommend it.”

Mark Goodwin

Electrolux

"Great session. As a journalism graduate this course was a brilliant refresher on the basics of good copy! Not just for web but for everything."

Peta Watson

Australian Super

"Loved learning how to cut my sentences and work on structure. Particularly good to get some tips for media releases and sending to journos. Great exercises to actually put theory into practice."

Amelia Quenby

Tonic PR

"This was a fabulous workshop. It is one of the best I have attended in a long time. It is going to make my writing better. Thank you for your time today."

Daniel Johnson

Dementia Australia

"Highly recommended. Thorough, well-presented and essential information."

Odette Waanders

CEO, Palliative Care Victoria

"Dan Kaufman is a wonderful presenter, mellow but focussed. And his wisdom shines, without ever the need to force it at his listeners. He is thoughtful, easy to understand and very open to interpretations and collaboration. I learned things I’d forgotten I once knew. I learned brand new things too. I sharpened up, and could feel Dan’s years of experience having impact during every section of his workshop."

Simon Sweetman

Victoria University of Wellington

"Great content and very helpful to everyone. The way you engaged everyone made them feel happy to contribute and easily get responses."

Amanda Manwaring

Department of of Transport and Main Roads

"Really good refresher workshop. Helped to clarify often-made grammatical errors and simplify concise writing habits."

Rebecca Sands

Knight Frank

"Fantastic combination of wit and wisdom. Well structured and paced. I learnt a whole lot about how I can improve my writing. Also loved the real life examples."

Jessie

Inner West Council

"Informative and highly engaging presentation. Loved the activities – putting it all into practice!"

Jo Cunningham

Colonial First State

"One of the most engaging and practical training workshops I've attended. It was clear that considered effort and preparation had been put into making the workshop tailored and relevant to us specifically."

Lauren Hogan

GMHBA

"Very knowledgable and engaging. Catered to the organisation and used some of our examples."

Sheryn Ringland

Clean Energy Regulator

"I was really impressed with the course and the delivery was both entertaining and engaging. We covered a lot of ground."

Ewan Richmond

Yarra City Council

"Highly practical, relevant examples and extremely enjoyable. Thank you."

Jamie Ferguson

City of Sydney

"Thank you for a fantastic learning experience. It was great to learn so many new things. I will be a much better writer because of today."

Andrew Hill

The Salvation Army

"Great workshop. Clear, concise and lots of examples and exercises to do so we could apply what Dan had just outlined. Would definitely recommend."

Di Ovens

Landgate

"Dan Kaufman's Writing for the Web short course was insightful and practical. When I first enrolled I was a little jaded with copyrighting workshops – Dan brought a refreshing perspective that I found very valuable."

Daniel Brasher

"Dan is adaptable to the various audience’s requirements and has a tremendous scope of information and experience which he delivers very well."

Maggie Videan

Cancer Council NSW

"An informative, well-paced and professional workshop. Lots of helpful tips and tricks that are very relevant. Thank you for a good day."

Michael Hopkins

"Very enjoyable and easy to follow. It was useful and engaging."

Darlene Vincent

NSW Department of Primary Industries

"Thoroughly enjoyed the workshop. It was presented in a very clear and engaging way. Thank you for sharing your knowledge."

Anna Do

"Really helpful. I gained some useful tips that I can apply to my writing."

Renee Helena

Monash University

"Wonderful workshop – I learned so much in a short space of time, and it was highly engaging and fun. I would highly recommend this web writing course to anyone looking to better understand and practice good writing techniques in an online environment."

Katharine Gray

"Dan's Writing for the Web workshop was relevant, informative and fun – a must for any media business developing online content in Australia today."

Sarah Falson

Former managing editor at Reed Publishing

"Dan’s Writing For Web course gave a comprehensive overview of the do’s and don’ts of contemporary writing practice. It was filled with great tips on how to improve the effectiveness of your writing. The webinar was interactive and contained lots of practical exercises, and Dan was really happy to share his knowledge."

Nicole Pietsch

"Very engaging. I loved the sense of humour – makes it interesting."

Peta Cooper

NSW Health Pathology

"Dan's workshop on writing for the web is very informative. I could easily apply the tips learned to my writing and now feel confident with my writing."

Simran Jain

MedTech Actuator

"Fantastic course – a lot of useful tips, information and ideas that I'll be able to use."

Thomas Strang

"Thank you, Dan. So much useful information. Clearly presented and engaging."

Sharron Olivier

"I wish our entire organisation could attend this class!"

Scott Alexander

City of Boroondara

"Thanks for an informative and insightful session. Lots of great tips and techniques to employ in my day-to-day writing tasks."

Laura Swanton

PTV

Who's teaching the course?

The training will be taught by myself, Dan Kaufman: a former Sydney Morning Herald editor who combines over 30 years of writing and editing experience with a deep knowledge of web usability and digital marketing.

I also have over 15 years’ experience in training a wide range of organisations, from government departments, councils and health services to law and financial firms, not for profits and universities.

What makes this writing for the web course so special?

Although all writing for the web courses show how to write and format web content, I go further by also teaching the key skills and techniques that make writing engaging and easy to read – and as a former SMH editor, this is an area I specialise in.

This training then goes further by taking a holistic approach, which means covering all the key disciplines required for effective websites, namely:

usability
accessibility
SEO (and AI search)
as well as well-written copy.

I continually update this course to keep up with trends, tech developments and the perpetually changing landscape of SEO and AI search.

Finally, I bring real world experience with me, having helped a wide range of organisations over the past 15 years to improve their websites, newsletters, email marketing and social media content.

Train your staff before – or after – your website transformation project

If you’re redesigning your site, you need to train your staff to create effective, usable and accessible content: because if not, it won’t take long before the new site’s quality drops.

Furthermore, this course isn’t just for content teams: it’s suitable for anyone who needs to write for your site, from project and office managers to those in HR, admin and marketing.

Need more information?

Let me know if you have any questions or would like a quote.

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