Page writing guidelines

This page is designed to help you write pages that are well structured and consistent. Clear, easy to read pages help get your message across better and are good for search engines too.

People only read about a quarter of a web page, so it is important to write pages that are easy to read and clear. Pages that have a clear hierarchy help your readers engage with your content more easily. Longer sentences can be hard to understand: using shorter sentences about a single point will help to focus your writing and the reader’s mind.

Ensuring a consistent page length is useful for readers as they know what to expect. Having some very long pages and very short pages can be jarring and doesn’t provide a good flow across your site. Sometimes it will be hard to avoid having long or short pages but these should be minimised. It is better to combine shorter pages and split longer ones into multiples.

Key points

  • Introductory paragraphs should give a concise overview of what the page is about.
  • Try to make the key points early in the page.
  • Write shorter sentences that are about a single point.
  • Paragraphs should be three to five sentences in length.
  • Use sub-headings throughout the page, ideally every three or four paragraphs. This breaks the page up into manageable chunks. Avoid using too many levels of headings: stick to two.
  • Use simple language for general audiences and use technical language only for specialist audiences. Avoid jargon if possible.
  • Minimise the use of capitals and only use them where necessary; don’t use them arbitrarily to try and make things look more important.
  • Minimise the use of punctuation – this lets the text flow and avoids complex sentences.
  • Pick out key words in bold but don’t overuse.
  • Spell out acronyms on their first use unless they are very commonly understood.
  • Make sure links are contextual and don’t use ‘click here’. For example: Find out more about Bananadesign and see our portfolio.
  • Use bullet points or numbered lists for key information.
  • Use pull quotes for key take-aways or page highlights.
  • Aim for pages that are a consistent length: too long will put off readers, and too short will appear to lack value.
  • Ensure a single appropriate call-to-action is included on every page.

The text below is dummy copy but shows how to visually structure a page.

 

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Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Nunc et magna ut tellus fringilla ornare commodo eget nunc. Maecenas vitae tellus eu leo bibendum feugiat. Quisque semper, velit et fringilla maximus, justo lacus vehicula elit, vel eleifend massa odio quis enim.

Nam lorem diam, luctus ac rhoncus id, dictum ut ipsum. Nulla sodales purus non lacus gravida, ac euismod sapien eleifend. Suspendisse rhoncus elementum sapien sed venenatis. Aliquam convallis augue sed nibh pretium, posuere egestas orci laoreet.

  • Phasellus accumsan nibh ut venenatis iaculis.
  • Sed venenatis felis urna, at malesuada lacus elementum a.
  • Quisque tincidunt tincidunt nunc, ac congue ex pharetra at
  • Integer varius leo sit amet risus aliquet, sed venenatis massa vehicula.

Morbi tristique semper suscipit. Nulla fringilla erat ante, ut pellentesque augue facilisis quis. Proin semper purus metus, ut maximus lacus elementum non.

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Maecenas tincidunt facilisis ex at interdum. Donec dapibus velit arcu, sed finibus nibh pharetra ut. Orci varius natoque penatibus et magnis dis parturient montes, nascetur ridiculus mus. Duis condimentum ex vel ante sodales mollis.

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Nunc et magna ut tellus fringilla ornare commodo eget nunc. Nulla fringilla erat ante, ut pellentesque augue facilisis quis. Cras euismod lorem blandit mi molestie, et viverra neque imperdiet. Donec viverra fermentum consectetur. 

Morbi lorem ex, accumsan ac mauris ut, dictum dignissim ligula. Quisque semper, velit et fringilla maximus, justo lacus vehicula elit, vel eleifend massa odio quis enim. Aliquam convallis augue sed nibh pretium, posuere egestas orci laoreet.

Aliquam convallis augue sed nibh pretium, posuere egestas orci laoreet. Cras euismod lorem blandit mi molestie, et viverra neque imperdiet. Donec viverra fermentum consectetur. Vivamus vitae aliquam felis

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Integer eu consequat odio. Vestibulum felis arcu, lacinia et erat a, consectetur feugiat lacus. Aenean fermentum vulputate risus. Morbi tristique semper suscipit. Nulla fringilla erat ante, ut pellentesque augue facilisis quis. Proin semper purus metus, ut maximus lacus elementum non.

Aenean vitae turpis nec nibh lacinia hendrerit. Nam ornare mauris vehicula ante molestie, vitae bibendum quam consequat. Nam vel semper lorem. Nunc consectetur. 

Sub-sub headingFusce efficitur lacus enim, ut faucibus dolor ullamcorper sed. Etiam scelerisque velit sed pretium eleifend. Phasellus dapibus eu velit eu pharetra. Integer vehicula metus eu turpis rhoncus vestibulum. Nunc pretium odio et erat luctus hendrerit. Mauris vitae luctus odio.

Orci varius natoque penatibus et magnis dis parturient montes, nascetur ridiculus mus. Duis condimentum ex vel ante sodales mollis. Morbi lorem ex, accumsan ac mauris ut, dictum dignissim ligula.

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