Use the following guidelines when creating or updating your web content.
Write for the Web
- Keep your audience in mind. Consider what information they need, your tone and voice, and how best to organize your writing.
- Make content scannable. Use headers, links, highlighted text, bulleted lists, graphics, captions and pull-quotes to help your user scan your content.
- Be concise. Most users will scan your content, write clearly and concisely so your content is easy to scan and find what they are looking for.
- Write meaningful headings. Choose words for headings and subheadings that clearly describe the content they introduce.
- Use bulleted lists whenever possible. Bulleted lists are easier to scan and read than full paragraphs. Use numbered lists to show when the order of the listed items is important.
- Use active voice. Writing in the active voice is easier to read and is more engaging.
- Use common language. Careful and consistent selection of your words improves findability and SEO (search engine optimization).
- Be professional and human. To make your website more trustworthy, avoid the use of jargon and use more conversational language,
- Include valuable links. Consider what content elsewhere might add value to yours and improve usability. When possible, include links within your page copy to make them contextually relevant.
Make Your Content Accessible
- Use headings and subheadings appropriately. Headings and subheadings should form an outline for your page content. Do not choose a heading based on how it looks.
- Use meaningful text for your links. Screen readers are able to skip from link to link within a web page. Links that have no context, such as “learn more,” make it impossible for people using screen readers to know what information is on the other side of the link.
- Provide captions or a transcript for all multimedia on your website.
- Use adequate color contrast to ensure your text is readable.
- Include descriptive “alt text” to describe any visual elements on your website.