Titles, sub-headings and page structure
Titles should be in sentence case (capitalise the first letter only).
✔Caring for someone
X Caring For Someone
They should never be underlined. Underlining should only be used on clickable links.
Page titles should:
- be 65 characters or less
- be unique, clear and informative
- be front-loaded and optimised for search
- use a colon to break up longer titles
- not contain dashes or slashes
- not have a full stop at the end
- not use acronyms unless they are well-known, like EU
Titles on MindWell must be descriptive so that users know which page they are on. Duplicate titles can confuse users. A title should make sense by itself, for example, ‘8 tips to cope with stress’ has more context than just ‘8 tips’. They also need to have keywords that show up in search results.
We break up content with descriptive sub-headings. Sub-headings should be front-loaded and active. The text should still make sense without the sub-headings. Paragraphs should have no more than 5 sentences and include keywords to boost search rankings.
It is important to always use heading levels. Screen readers move around pages using headings so missing one can be confusing. Screen readers can not recognise a header highlighted with just bold.
Capital letters
A tendency towards lower case is more friendly and less formal. It also makes content quicker and easier to read. Generally, we use lower case wherever possible.
X Third Sector organisation
✔ third sector organisation
However, proper nouns (for example, names of organisations, people, services and buildings) should be in uppercase, for example, Leeds and York Partnership NHS Foundation Trust. Other exceptions are listed in the GOV.UK style guide capitalisation list.
We do not write words or phrases in capital letters as this makes content more difficult to read.
Headings should use sentence case (only capitalise the first letter of the first word – like you would in a sentence).
Dashes
We avoid using dashes to indicate a pause too often as they can cause problems for screen readers. We use commas or write shorter sentences instead.
We use ‘to’ instead of dashes in ranges of time, date and numbers.
✔ 4.30pm to 7.30pm
✔ Monday to Friday
X 4.30-7.30pm
X Monday-Friday
Dates
We always write the date in this format:
✔ 19 March 2016
✔ Wednesday 19 March 2016
Do not write dates in any other format such as:
X 19th March 2016, March 19 2016, 14/02/2016 or 02/14/16
Numbers
We use numerals including 1 to 9. People find numerals easier to read and they scan for them.
✔ 1 support group
✔ 5 support groups
✔ 10 support groups
For numbers over 999, use a comma for clarity, for example, 2,000.
For numbers less than 1, use 0 before the decimal point, for example, 0.45.
It’s ok to use numbers at the start of a sentence (as long as it’s not confusing), in lists and in headings.
✔ 5 new dementia support groups to be set up in Leeds
✔ 8 tips for winter wellbeing
For sums of money and units of measurement always use numerals.
✔ £5.50, 3%, 6 metres, 9.8 kilograms, 2 tonnes
However, we do spell out ‘one’ when it means ‘a’ or to avoid repeating a word.
✔ There are 3 different peer support groups. You can decide which is the best one for you.
We use ‘one’ in phrases like where numerals would look strange:
✔ one or the other
✔ one of the most popular
✔ one at a time
✔ one or two of them
We spell out common fractions like one-half and use a % sign for percentages: 50%.
Ordinal numbers (1st, 2nd, 3rd and so on)
We use numerals with letter suffixes for ordinal numbers (including 1st and 2nd) when we are talking about dates, quantities and things in a list or sequence. This makes content easier to scan.
We do not use ordinal numbers in phrases like:
X first aid
X first time
X first visit
X secondhand smoke
X second opinion
Times
We link dates and periods of times with the linking word ‘to’ rather than use dashes as this works better on screen readers.
We always write the time in this format:
✔ 7am to 6.30pm or 8am to 10.30am
Do not write times in any other format such as:
X 7.00-18.30
X 8:00hrs to 16:30hrs
X 6-6.30pm
Show periods of time as:
✔ 19 to 21 March
X 19 March-21 April
Years should be written in this format:
✔ 2016 to 2017
X 2016-2017
Telephone numbers and email addresses
We present contact information in the following format.
Call 0800 657 767
Helpline open: Monday to Friday, 9.00am to 5.30pm
Email: info@helpadvice.org.uk
We write descriptive links to webchat and email:
Talk by webchat
Get help by email
We do not use the abbreviations “tel” and “mob” as they can cause problems for screen readers.
We add a space between city and local exchange in telephone numbers: 0800 657 767.
Hyphens
We avoid hyphens unless they make the meaning of a sentence clearer.
✔ up-to-date resources
✔ part-time course
✔ non-alcoholic
X a three-year-old child
X breast-feeding
Do not use hyphens if the compound involves a word ending in ‘-ly’, for example, ‘rapidly expanding’ has no hyphen.
Do not use hyphens in the following common words:
✔ online, email, website, wellbeing
Italics
Italics should be used with discretion. Using italics to highlight blocks of text can make content difficult to read.
We do use italics for the names of publications.
Bold
We use bold sparingly. It can make it difficult for the site user to know which parts of the content to focus on.
It can be used for technical instructions but we generally avoid using it for emphasis. To create emphasis we:
- front-load sentences
- use headings
- use bullet points
Quotation marks
We generally use double quotes:
- when quoting another source or person
- for a partial quote
- for unusual or colloquial terms
✔ People attending a mental health awareness course said the experience was “extremely helpful”.
✔ John said: “I was apprehensive about attending a stress management course but it has changed the way I think and feel.”
If the end of the quote falls at the end of a sentence, the full stop or comma should come before the closing quote, as in the example above.
We use single quotes for:
- quotes within quotes
- headlines
- captions
- large-type quotes
Contractions
A contraction is a word made by shortening and combining two words. For example, “we will” is often shortened to “we’ll”.
Often contractions make content friendlier and easier to read. We use contractions like it’s, you’ll, we’ll, you’re and what’s.
We do not use negative contractions like “can’t” and “don’t”. When we’re telling users not to do something we use “Can not” and “Do not”. Negative contractions can be hard to read.
We also avoid “should’ve”, “could’ve”, “would’ve” and “they’ve”. These can also be hard to read.
We do not use contractions in URLs (web addresses) as they can be unclear and hard to type and share.
If we can, we also avoid using contractions in page titles.
Full stops
We do not use full stops in headings, buttons and action links.
Links
We make links that are active, specific and concise.
Links should clearly describe where we are taking the user. Where possible, we use some of the same words as the title of the page we’re linking to so the user knows what to expect.
We do not use link text such as “click here” or wording that would not make sense when read out of context. Screen readers can move between links without reading the surrounding text.
X signs
✔ signs of stress
X find out more
✔ find support in Leeds