Before finalizing new content for the website, check whether your content is…
Scannable
- Have you broken up text with visual cues, like subheads, lists, and images?
- Are subheads descriptive, enabling readers to quickly understand what’s on a page?
- Are link text and navigation labels concise and specific? Do they define what a user can expect behind them? (Make sure you’re not using “click here.”)
- Have you organized instructions, options, and resources as bulleted/numbered lists?
Understandable
- Is task-oriented content, like event signups, as simple as possible—so users spend their valuable time on articles or videos, not trying to understand directions?
- Do you define (or link to definitions of) niche terms or specialized vocabulary?
- Is your content in plain language? Does it avoid complex words for simple things?
- Is it layered for gradual discovery, rather than starting with academic information?
- Have you used images or charts to enhance meaning (where possible)?
- Do images have alt text?
On brand
- Does your writing align with our voice and tone guide: direct and bold, not passive?
- Have you eliminated any partisan, angry, or combative language?
- Are all claims backed up with details, facts, and data?
- Have you removed slang, buzzwords, and jargon wherever possible?
- Do you refer to users as “you”?
- Is your punctuation buttoned-up, with few exclamations, dashes, or parentheticals?
Precise
- Does every sentence contribute to the purpose of your page? If not, cut it.
- Are sentences as short as possible, especially in overviews for general audiences?
- Is each paragraph focused around a single idea? Don’t be afraid of short paragraphs!
Structured and tagged
- Have you selected tags and made sure they match the topics, regions, etc. you need?
- Have you tagged your content’s authors, speakers, or presenters in this content?
- Can your summary/overview stand alone (e.g. as an excerpt on a landing page)?