Content structure and writing style

How to write and structure content so people can easily find and understand the information they need.

Main heading

The main heading needs to describe the content on the page, so people can confidently select the right page from their search results.

Main headings should:

• be short
  
• use plain English
• be front loaded - “Licences for street cafes” or “Street cafe licences” is better than “Applying for and obtaining a licence for a street cafe”
• be unique
  
• make sense out of context
  
• include relevant search terms
  
• not include dates or time specific information
  

A main heading can change if the search terms people use to get to a page change throughout the year.

Lead sentence

A lead sentence should be used to set out the purpose of a page in a few words. Testing has shown this helps people to tell straight away whether they are in the right page.

If the page has very little content on it, and is described adequately by the title and headings, it’s unlikely to need a lead sentence. When used it will be the first sentence on the page, found directly beneath the main heading, and will use a larger font to other text.

Page content

When designing page content we ensure that it meets a user need and that it does not duplicate information.

We consider the following:

1. 1. Hierarchy of content

   With research and user needs, we know what is important for the audience. With that in mind we put the information that most people are looking for first. 

    
2. 2. Subheadings

   Clear, informative subheadings which break the information up into identifiable sections make scanning a webpage for information much easier for a user, especially if they are on a mobile device. 

   It’s important to front-load subheadings so that people can find what they’re looking for as quickly as possible. For example, we would write “Apply for a discount” rather than “Find out how to apply for a discount”. 

   The text will still make sense with subheadings removed. 

    
3. 3. Short sentences and paragraphs

   We only give people the information they need to complete their task, and we don’t repeat ourselves. We try to break the text up into different paragraphs where appropriate so that it’s easier to read. 

    
4. 4. Plain English

   Being clear in your language is the fastest route to making someone else understand what you’re trying to communicate. 

   We don’t use formal or long words when easy or short ones will do. Using ‘buy’ instead of ‘purchase’, ‘help’ instead of ‘assist’, and ‘about’ instead of ‘approximately’. 

   If we write clearly with good structure, short sentences and plain language we are helping people get the information they need. 

   Jargon, abbreviations and technical terminology can give the impression that a page is written for experts. This may lead to people contacting us unnecessarily and using other websites to find information.  

    
5. 5. Voice and tone

   You and us

   We write in the active voice. Unless we need to do so formally, we refer to services or the council in general, as ‘we’ and ‘us’ and we refer to readers as ‘you’ where appropriate, so they feel we’re talking to them personally.

   Examples:

   Active voice: We launched our website in 2017

   We (subject) are doing the launching (verb)

   Passive voice: The website was launched by the council in 2017

   The website (subject) is being launched (verb)
   

   Gender-neutral text
   

   Text is gender-neutral wherever possible, using ‘them’, ‘their’, ‘they’ for example.