The following style points apply to all content published on Plymouth.gov.uk. See also the writing style guide on the Staff Room (for PCC staff)
Abbreviations should not be used unless it is well known by everyone. For example BBC, UK, MP.
Always write the words out in full the first time followed by the abbreviation in brackets.
Do not use full stops in abbreviations.
An accordion allows a user to click to expand headings to reveal or hide content.
They can be useful in allowing people to have control over the content and deciding what to read or ignore but should be used with caution.
It can be annoying to have to click on a heading to display full content and users may need to click more to get the information they need, wasting their time.
Avoid accordions if users need most or all of the content on a page to get the information they need.
Accordions are more suitable when people only need a few key pieces of content on a page.
Do not use an accordion for one only piece of content. Use a heading or the details component instead.
Alerts are used on the website to highlight something important. They are usually temporary.
Alerts can appear on individual pages, on a specific section or across the whole site.
Users can choose to dismiss alerts.
Info - uses a blue border. Use the info alert for general information.
Warning - uses an orange border. Use the warning alert to warn users that there is a problem. For example, if a specific system is down such as payments or online forms.
Use Block quotes as an in-page alert to visually highlight a particular message or point. Keep text short.
This is an example of a block quote
Last updated Friday 3 November 2023
Use bold sparingly. Too much and it will make it difficult for users to know what they need to concentrate on. Do not use bold to highlight links.
Do not use italics or underlining.
Use headings or bullet lists to emphasise words or sections, or ‘single quotation marks’ if referring to a document, scheme or initiative.
You can use warning text to make a sentence stand out.
Buttons are a call to action. Buttons are used for people to:
- apply for something
- pay for something
- book
- download an app
Button text should be short. Try to keep it under 5 words.
Most people use a mobile device, be mindful of how the button text appears on small screens.
Button text should be written in sentence case, describing the action it performs.
If the link will open a new tab, let the user know that this will happen by including (opens new tab) as part of the link.
If there are multiple buttons on a page, use clear headings to distinguish between them or consider simplifying the page or break the content into multiple pages.
Avoid all block capitals, they are hard to read and people will think you are shouting.
Always use sentence case, even in page titles. Capitalise the first word and any proper nouns.
Dates are written in the format 12 May 2023.
Times should be written 9am to 5pm.
Opening times should be written: Monday to Friday: 9am to 5pm.
12am is midnight and 12pm is noon but this is not always understood so we should say 12 noon.
Use the details component to make a page easier to scan when it contains information that only some users will need.
Do not use the details component to hide information that the majority of your users will need.
Write email addresses in full, in lower case and as hyperlinks. Don’t include any other words as part of the link.
Email libraries@plymouth.gov.uk
Avoid using personal emails where possible. Use a generic email address instead.
Depending on the context it is possible to pre-populate the subject line. This will be decided on a case-by-case basis.
We avoid using FAQs. If content is written with user needs in mind, then FAQs should not be needed.
FAQs are discouraged because they:
- duplicate other content on the site
- cannot be front loaded – putting the most important words people will search for at the beginning of the text
- are not frequently asked questions by the public, but important information that needs to be included in the main content
- mean that content is not where people expect to find it – it needs to be in context
- can add to search results with duplicate, competing text
Structure headings logically. People using assistive technologies use headings to navigate a page.
Heading 1 (H1) is the main page title, your page should only have one of these. (See also Titles)
Heading 2 (H2) is a subheading, you can have several of these.
Heading 3 (H3) is a subheading within an H2 section you can have several of these.
Use the inbuilt headings which have been set to meet accessibility standards.
Do not use bold, underlining or different colours for headings. People using assistive technologies will not be able to navigate the page.
Subheadings should be used to break up a page. It makes it easier for people to scan to find the information they need, especially if they are using a mobile device.
We use images when they can add value to a page. Read our guidelines on the use of images.
Link text should be descriptive and include relevant terms.
To meet accessibility regulations, links must make sense from the link text alone. Do not use vague terms such as ‘click here’ or ‘more information’.
People quickly scan pages for links, and they don’t work out of context. They will also not work for anyone using a screen reader who will often scan lists of links to navigate a page
If the link takes the user to a page where they can start a task, start the link with a verb. For example:
Apply for a Blue Badge
Use a button if the action is the main thing you want someone to do on a page.
If the link is to information put the link over the text.
Find out how to join the library.
Do not use the full URL.
Do not duplicate information. If it exists elsewhere on plymouth.gov.uk or on another organisation’s website, link to it instead. Duplicating information just means more has to be maintained and we will not always know when it has been updated.
Internal and external links should be set to open in the same tab.
Buttons to forms should open in a new tab and include (opens new tab) in the link text. (This is based on an assumption that people like to keep the previous window open to refer back to, especially with forms.)
Check external links occasionally to make sure they still go to where you would expect them to and that the information is still relevant.
Don’t link to PDFs or documents on external websites, link to the page they are hosted on instead.
Use lists to make text easier to read.
- always have a lead in line (A sentence before the bullet point list)
- make sure they make sense running on from the lead in line
- use lower case at the start of the bullet
- do not use more than one sentence per bullet point
- do not end bullet points with a full stop
Bullet lists (unordered lists)
When using bullet points:
Numbered lists (ordered lists)
Use a numbered list for logical sequence of things, like a series of steps that need to be done in a certain order. For example, instructions or policy documents.
The directories component of Council Platform can be used to produce map-based listings.
For example:
Library locations and opening hours
Google Maps can be used to present a set of points on a map.
For example: Help points
Google Maps can also be used for showing routes.
For example: Winter gritting map
and zones
For example: Parking zones
We try not to use PDFs of maps for accessibility reasons and also, they are very difficult to use on mobile devices.
Avoid using individual names or personal contact details. Use contact details for the team or service instead.
Numerals are easier to scan.
Use ‘one’ unless you’re talking about a step, a point in a list or another situation where using the numeral makes more sense: ‘in point 1 of the design instructions’, for example.
Other numbers should be written in numerals, unless they are at the start of a sentence. The exception to this is where it’s part of a common expression like ‘one or two of them’ where numerals would look strange.
Evidence to support this is on Readability Guidelines.
Numbers over four figures have commas.
2,500 not 2500
Money
Prices should be written: £5 not £5.00; or £2.50 not £2.50p.
Percentages
Use the % sign for percentages.
Phone numbers
It is possible to mark-up telephone numbers as links, like this:
<a href="tel:+442079476330">020 7947 6330</a>
However, doing this will style telephone numbers as links, which is confusing on devices that do not support telephone calls.
Most mobile browsers automatically detect telephone numbers and display them as links.
Telephone numbers are not automatically hyperlinked by the device if following the link from social media
Most people start their search for information on a search engine.
Creating well-structured content with good titles, summaries and headings will help users to find what they need.
We add keywords to pages to boost content in the internal site search to make sure content can be found.
We use data and research to find the terms that people use.
Try not to use sensory directions.
For example, click on the green button below or use the links on the right.
People who use assistive technology may not be able to tell where things are on the page.
People with colour blindness may not be able to tell which button you mean.
Links that appear in one place on a desktop PC or laptop may appear in a different place on a mobile device.
One space after a full stop, not two.
Along with the title, summary text is usually what people see in search results. It should give a clear indication of what the content is about.
On plymouth.gov.uk summary text appears under page titles on landing pages.
Keep summary text to 120 characters (including spaces). This should take up no more than three lines when it appears on a landing page.
Do not repeat the content type - for example this form is…
Use as few words from the title as possible and include keywords that have not been used in the title.
Do not use different formatting or links in summaries.
Use plain English and keep summaries free from jargon. Do not use a full stop at the end of summary text.
If summary text is linking to a landing page, list pages. If summary text is to basic page describe what’s on the page
We only use tables for data and not for laying out text.
Tables can be hard to read on mobile so must be simple and avoid splitting or merging cells.
Most people who use plymouth.gov.uk start with a search engine. Page titles and summaries are what appear in search engine results.
Page titles must be unique and informative. When creating a new page, we check first to make sure the page title does not already exist.
The page title helps users to know that they are in the right place.
Page titles should be:
- clear and descriptive
- use plain English
- clearly say what the page is about
- use sentence case (only capitalise the first word and the first letter of any proper nouns)
The ideal length for a page title is 65 characters. More than this and search engines will cut off the rest of the title.
If you share or promote Council information in letters or posters, it can be helpful for the URL to be memorable.
Council Platform automatically shortens the URL.
If you are promoting your service offline, Digital Services can set up short or ‘friendly’ URLs.
We do not use plymouth.gov.uk URLs to link to external sites.
We can embed videos onto pages. Read our guidelines on images and videos.