伊人直播

Research from the Nielsen Norman Group shows than they do on paper. This means that the best approach when writing for the web is different from writing for print.

Our guidance on writing for 伊人直播 is based on research into how people read online and how people use 伊人直播. It explains what each rule is based on.

When you write for 伊人直播 you should:

• use writing for the web best practice
• follow the Government Digital Service (GDS) style guide and writing guidance

Meet the user need

Do not publish everything you can online. Publish only what someone needs to know so they can complete their task. Nothing more.

People do not usually read text unless they want information. When you write for the web, start with the same question every time: what does the user want to know?

Meeting that need means being:

• specific
• informative
• clear and to the point

Finding information on the web

An individual鈥檚 process of finding and absorbing information on the web should follow these steps.

1. I have a question

2. I can find the page with the answer easily 鈥� I can see it鈥檚 the right page from the search results listing

3. I have understood the information

4. I have my answer

5. I trust the information

6. I know what to do next/my fears are allayed/I do not need anything else

A website only works if people can find what they need quickly, complete their task and leave without having to think about it too much.

Good content is easy to read

Good online content is easy to read and understand.

It uses:

• short sentences
• sub-headed sections
• simple vocabulary

This helps people find what they need quickly and absorb it effortlessly.

The main purpose of 伊人直播 is to provide information - there鈥檚 no excuse for putting unnecessarily complicated writing in the way of people鈥檚 understanding.

Government experts often say that because they鈥檙e writing technical or complex content for a specialist audience, they do not need to use plain English. This is wrong.

Research shows that because it allows them to understand the information as quickly as possible.

For example, in legal documents found:

• 80% of people preferred sentences written in clear English - and the more complex the issue, the greater that preference (for example, 97% preferred 鈥榓mong other things鈥� over the Latin 鈥榠nter alia鈥�)
• the more educated the person and the more specialist their knowledge, the greater their preference for plain English

People understand complex specialist language, but do not want to read it if there鈥檚 an alternative. This is because people with the highest literacy levels and the greatest expertise tend to have the most to read.

Technical terms

Where you need to use technical terms, you can. They鈥檙e not jargon. You just need to explain what they mean the first time you use them.

Legal content

Legal content can still be written in plain English. It鈥檚 important that users understand content and that we present complicated information simply.

If you have to publish legal jargon, it will be a publication so you鈥檒l be writing a plain English summary.

Where evidence shows there鈥檚 a clear user need for including a legal term, for example 鈥榖ona vacantia鈥�, always explain it in plain English.

If you鈥檙e talking about a legal requirement, use 鈥榤ust鈥�. For example, 鈥榶our employer must pay you the National Minimum Wage (NMW)鈥�.

If you feel that 鈥榤ust鈥� does not have enough emphasis, then use 鈥榣egal requirement鈥�, 鈥榣egally entitled鈥� and so on. For example: 鈥極nce your child is registered at school, you鈥檙e legally responsible for making sure they attend regularly鈥�.

When deciding whether to use 鈥榤ust鈥� or 鈥榣egally entitled鈥�, consider how important it is for us to talk about the legal aspect, as well as the overall tone of voice.

If a requirement is legal, but administrative, or part of a process that will not have criminal repercussions, then use: 鈥榥eed to鈥�. For example: 鈥榊ou will need to provide copies of your marriage certificate鈥�.

This may be a legal requirement, but not completing it would just stop the person from moving on to the next stage of a process, rather than committing a more serious offence.

Footnotes and legal language

Do not use footnotes on documents. They鈥檙e designed for reference in print, not web pages. Always consider the user need first. If the information in the footnotes is important, include it in the body text. If it鈥檚 not, leave it out.

Your writing will be most effective if you understand who you鈥檙e writing for.

To understand your audience you should know:

• how they behave, what they鈥檙e interested in or worried about - so your writing will catch their attention and answer their questions
• their vocabulary - so that you can use the same terms and phrases they鈥檒l use to search for content

When you have more than one audience, make your writing as easy to read as possible so it鈥檚 accessible to everyone.

The 伊人直播 audience

The 伊人直播 audience is potentially anyone living in the UK, British citizens living abroad or people abroad who want to do business in or travel to the UK. This means government must communicate in a way that most people understand.

The best way to do this is by using common words and working with natural reading behaviour.

If you鈥檙e writing for a specialist audience, you still need to make sure everyone can understand what the content is about.

Knowing how people read means you鈥檒l write in a way they can understand easily and quickly - so you do not waste their time.

All of this guidance is based on the learning skills of an average person in the UK, who speaks English as their first language. This guidance also applies when you鈥檙e writing for specialists.

Common words

By the time a child is 5 or 6 years old, they鈥檒l use 2,500 to 5,000 common words. Adults still find these words easier to recognise and understand than words they鈥檝e learned since.

By age 9, you鈥檙e building up your 鈥榗ommon words鈥� vocabulary. Your primary set is around 5,000 words; your secondary set is around 10,000 words. You use these words every day.

Use short words instead of long words

When you use a longer word (8 or 9 letters), users are more likely to skip shorter words (3, 4 or 5 letters) that follow it. So if you use longer, more complicated words, readers will skip more. Keep it simple.

For example:

鈥淭he recently implemented categorical standardisation procedure on waste oil should not be applied before 1 January 2015.鈥�

The 鈥榥ot鈥� is far more obvious in this:

鈥淒o not use the new waste oil standards before 1 January 2015.鈥�

Reading skills

Children quickly learn to read common words (the 5,000 words they use most). They then stop reading these words and start recognising their shape. This allows people to read much faster. Children already read like this by the time they鈥檙e 9 years old.

People also do not read one word at a time. They bounce around - especially online. They anticipate words and fill them in.

Your brain can drop up to 30% of the text and still understand. Your vocabulary will grow but this reading skill stays with you as an adult. You do not need to read every word to understand what is written.

This is why we tell people to write on 伊人直播 for a 9 year old reading age.

Explaining the unusual

We explain all unusual terms on 伊人直播. This is because you can understand 6-letter words as easily as 2-letter words 鈥� if they鈥檙e in context. If the context is right, you can read a short word faster than a single letter.

By giving full information and using common words, we鈥檙e helping people speed up their reading and understand information in the fastest possible way.

Short sentences

People with some learning disabilities read letter for letter - they do not bounce around like other users. They also cannot fully understand a sentence if it鈥檚 too long.

People with moderate learning disabilities can understand sentences of 5 to 8 words without difficulty. By using common words we can help all users understand sentences of around 25 words.

Capital letters are harder to read

When you learn to read, you start with a mix of upper and lower case but you do not start understanding uppercase until you鈥檙e around 6 years old.

At first, you may sound out letters, merge sounds, merge letters and so learn the word.

Then you stop reading it.

At that point, you recognise the shape of the word. This speeds up comprehension and speed of reading.

As writers, we do not want people to read. We want people to recognise the 鈥榮hape鈥� of the word and understand. It鈥檚 a lot faster.

Capital letters are reputed to be 13 to 18% harder for users to read. So we try to avoid them.

Block capitals indicate shouting in common online usage. We are government. We should not be shouting.

Ampersands can be hard to understand

Ampersands are allowed in logos 鈥� the pictorial logo at the top of an organisation page 鈥� but not in body copy.

The reason is that 鈥榓nd鈥� is easier to read and easier to skim. Some people with lower literacy levels also find ampersands harder to understand. As government, we cannot exclude users in any way.

How users read web pages

Users read very differently online than on paper. They do not necessarily read top to bottom or even from word to word.

Instead, according to research from the Nielsen Norman Group. Where users just want to complete their task as quickly as possible, they skim even more out of impatience.

Web-user eye-tracking studies show that . They look across the top, then down the side, reading further across when they find what they need.

What this means is: put the most important information first. So we talk a lot about 鈥榝ront-loading鈥� subheadings, titles and bullet points.

For example, say 鈥楥anteen menu鈥�, not 鈥榃hat鈥檚 on the menu at the canteen today?鈥�

Good example

At the activity centre you can:

• swim
• play
• run

Bad example

At the activity centre:

• you can swim
• you can play
• you can run

Most people who use 伊人直播 start with a search engine. Use the same vocabulary as your audience so they can find your content. This begins with your page title and summary.

If people cannot find your page or understand the content, they will not be able to act on it or know it鈥檚 for them.

Make your title unique

Titles on 伊人直播 must be unique and informative so that users know which page they are on.

Duplicate titles can confuse users - for example if they have more than one page open. This is particularly true for those with visual, cognitive or mobility impairments.

If you use the same title as another page on 伊人直播, you may be breaking the law.

In Whitehall Publisher, a message appears at the top of your content after you save it if the title is already being used: 鈥楾his title is already used on 伊人直播. Please create a unique title鈥�.

In Content Publisher, you should check whether the title is already in use before you publish your content for the first time. You can tell if this is the case by checking if the url it creates has a number at the end (for example 鈥�/news-story-1鈥�).

In Manuals Publisher, you will not get a warning that the title is already being used. You鈥檒l need to search for the title you want to use to check it鈥檚 not already in use.

Check your title makes sense

Your title should make sense:

• by itself 鈥� for example 鈥楻egulations鈥� does not say much, but 鈥楻egulations for environmental waste鈥� does
• in search results
• in document collections

Titles do not have to reflect the official publication title. Make them user focused, clear and descriptive so that users can distinguish if it鈥檚 the right content for them.

Find out what the public calls your content by using search tools to look up keywords. Your scheme, organisation or process鈥檚 official or internal name may not be what the public calls it.

1. Check searches on 伊人直播 for any related content. This can tell you what people are struggling to find.
2. Once you know the most popular keywords you can prioritise them in the title, summary, introduction and subheadings

Example

Good title example: Bereavement Allowance (previously widow鈥檚 pension)

Good summary example: Bereavement Allowance (previously widow鈥檚 pension) is a weekly benefit for widows, widowers or surviving civil partners - rates, eligibility, claim form.

Keep your title short, where possible

Your title should be 65 characters or less (including spaces).

You can use more than 65 characters if it鈥檚 essential for making the title clear or unique, but do not do this routinely because:

• Google cuts off the rest of the title at around 65 characters
• longer titles are harder to understand

Make your titles clear and descriptive

The title should provide full context so that users can easily see if they鈥檝e found what they鈥檙e looking for.

By being general about a topic, you leave the user asking 鈥榳hat is this in relation to?鈥�

Example

Bad title example: Hazardous waste - new process

Give the user context around the topic and what this content will tell them:

Good title example: How to dispose of hazardous waste in your area

Avoid saying the same thing twice (tautologies)

Repeating yourself in the title uses up valuable characters that could be used to give more information.

Example

Bad title example: Using and submitting your business expenses

Good title example: Submitting your business expenses

Using 鈥榠ng鈥� in titles

Use the active verb (鈥楽ubmit鈥�) if you use the page to do the thing.

Good form title example: Submit your business expenses

Use the present participle (鈥楽ubmitting鈥�) if the page is about doing the thing, but you do it elsewhere.

Good guidance title example: Submitting your business expenses

Do not include the format type in the title

Do not include the name of the format type, such as 鈥榞uidance鈥� or 鈥榗onsultation鈥�, because it appears automatically at the top of a publication. This will free up space to tell the user what the content is about.

Example

Bad title example: Consultation on furniture fire safety regulations

It鈥檚 better to use the title to explain exactly what the consultation is for.

Good title example: Amendments to furniture fire safety regulations

Bad title example: Potato guidance

It鈥檚 better to explain what the document is about, not its format:

Good title example: How to grow potatoes

Some content types have a specific style, such as:

• news articles
• corporate information (media enquiries)
• government responses

Remove the date unless it makes the title unique

Put the date in the title if the page is part of a series that has the same title.

For example, a list of annual reports:

Title: Government annual report 2020
Title: Government annual report 2019
Title: Government annual report 2018

It鈥檚 helpful to include the date range if you publish multiple versions of the same information for different periods of time.

Do not include your department name unless it makes the title unique

Only add your department or agency name to the title if the content is about your department 鈥� for example annual reports or corporate information.

Example

Title example: Highways Agency environmental strategy

On its own, 鈥楨nvironmental strategy鈥� could apply to any department or agency. In this case, it鈥檚 better to add the department name to differentiate it.

Along with the title, the summary is usually what users see in search results so it should give them a clear indication of what the content is about. Make sure people can see quickly whether the page will have the information they need.

Keep all summaries to 160 characters (including spaces) as Google usually only shows the first 160 characters in search results. If your summary is longer, make sure you cover the main point of the page in the first 160 characters.

Summaries should end with a full stop. It can help people who use assistive technology like screen readers.

Use plain English to avoid confusion

Use plain English to make the purpose of the content clearer, and write like you鈥檙e talking to your user one-on-one.

Bad summary example: Implementing the government鈥檚 strengthened approach to budget support: technical note

Good summary example: How the government is making budget support more effective in countries supported by the UK

For more examples of words not to use in summaries, read the words to avoid list.

Avoid redundant introductory words

Do not repeat the content type in the summary - for example, do not say 鈥渢his consultation is about鈥︹�� or 鈥渁 form to鈥︹��.

Use as few words from the title as possible, and include keywords that you鈥檝e not used in the title.

Use active language

Keep summaries active and include a verb. You can use words like 鈥楬ow鈥︹��, 鈥榃hat鈥︹�� and 鈥榃hen鈥︹�� to introduce active words, for example 鈥榃hen applying for a鈥︹��.

Page length

There is no minimum or maximum page length for 伊人直播. However:

• anyway
• remember that the pressure on the brain to understand increases for every 100 words you put on a page

This means that the quicker you get to the point, the greater the chance your target audience will see the information you want them to.

It鈥檚 most important that you write well. If you write only a single paragraph but it鈥檚 full of caveats, jargon and things users do not need to know (but you want to say) then it鈥檚 still too much.

Writing body copy

Keep your body copy as focused as possible.

Remember that you鈥檙e likely to be battling outside factors for people鈥檚 attention, not least their mood and situation. They might be looking on a mobile on a train, trying to complete their task online in the middle of a stressful family event or any combination of multiple unknowns. If you want their attention, do not waste their time.

1. Do not repeat the summary in the first paragraph.
2. Use the 鈥樷�� approach with the most important information at the top tapering down to lesser detail.
3. Break up text with descriptive subheadings. The text should still make sense with the subheadings removed.
4. Paragraphs should have no more than 5 sentences each.
5. Includes keywords to boost natural search rankings.

Headings

Use heading levels (subheadings) to break up your content and give it a sensible navigation structure. Each page title is an H1 (heading level 1), so start at H2 and do not use H1 in your content.

Do not skip heading levels when moving from a higher level to a lower level, for example from H2 to H4. Screen reader users may navigate using a list of headings - a missed heading level can make this confusing.

Do not use bold text instead of using subheadings. This is inaccessible because a screen reader will not recognise it as a header.

You do not always need to have text between headings. Missing text between headings is not a Web Content Accessibility Guidance (WCAG) fail, but sometimes adding text between headings is helpful to provide context.

For example, users expect to go from H1, normally the page title, to H2 without any explanatory text.

It鈥檚 usually helpful to have content between an H2 and H3 especially when it鈥檚 not clear how the H3(s) follow from H2.

When you link to a service, make sure the start button is under a heading which relates to the start button鈥檚 task (for example, 鈥楻egister online鈥�). Otherwise it will not be accessible.

You do not always need text between the heading and the start button. View a good example of a start button directly under a heading.

Make sure your subheadings are front-loaded with search terms and make them active.

Make sure start buttons are under a related heading. If the start button is nested under a heading, that heading must relate to the start button鈥檚 task (for example, 鈥楻egister online鈥�). Otherwise it will not be accessible.

Do not use:

• questions - they鈥檙e hard to front-load (putting the most important information first) and users want answers, not questions
• technical terms unless you鈥檝e already explained them
• 鈥榠ntroduction鈥� as your first section 鈥� users do not want an introduction, just give the most important information

Watch this which shows how a screen reader interacts with headings. If you can鈥檛 see the video, you can read the full transcript in the description section.

Do not use FAQs

FAQs are strongly discouraged on 伊人直播. If you write content by starting with user needs, you will not need to use FAQs.

FAQs are discouraged because they:

• duplicate other content on the site
• cannot be front-loaded (putting the most important words people will search for), which makes usability difficult
• are usually not frequently asked questions by the public, but important information dumped by the content editor
• 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

If your call-centres get questions that really are frequently asked, and GDS will help find a way to take care of those user needs.

It鈥檚 important to stick to the style guide. The style guide is based on a lot of user testing.

GDS commissioned research on the impact of style guides. Have a look.

Be concise

To keep content understandable, concise and relevant, it should be:

• specific
• informative
• clear and concise
• brisk but not terse
• incisive (friendliness can lead to a lack of precision and unnecessary words) 鈥� but remain human (not a faceless machine)
• serious but not pompous
• emotionless 鈥� adjectives can be subjective and make the text sound more emotive and like spin

You should:

• use contractions like you鈥檒l (but avoid negative contractions like can鈥檛)
• not let caveats dictate unwieldy grammar 鈥� for example say 鈥榊ou can鈥� rather than 鈥榊ou may be able to鈥�
• use the language people are using 鈥� use to check for terms people search for
• not use long sentences 鈥� check any sentences with more than 25 words to see if you can split them to make them clearer

(Note: words ending in 鈥樷�搃on鈥� and 鈥樷�搈ent鈥� tend to make sentences longer and more complicated than they need to be.)

Active voice

Use the active rather than passive voice. This will help us write concise, clear content.

Addressing the user

Address the user as 鈥榶ou鈥� where possible. Content on the site often makes a direct appeal to citizens and businesses to get involved or take action, for example 鈥榊ou can contact HMRC by phone and email鈥� or 鈥楶ay your car tax鈥�.

Capitalisation

DO NOT USE BLOCK CAPITALS FOR LARGE AMOUNTS OF TEXT. IT鈥橲 HARD TO READ.

Date ranges

Use 鈥榯o鈥� instead of a dash or slash in date ranges. 鈥楾o鈥� is quicker to read than a dash, and it鈥檚 easier for screen readers.

Always explain what your date range represents, for example 鈥榯ax year 2019 to 2020鈥� or 鈥楽eptember 2019 to July 2020鈥�. Date ranges can be the academic year, calendar year or tax year. This is why date ranges must be very, very clear.

If you鈥檙e comparing statistics from 2 different tax or financial years, use 鈥楥omparing the financial year ending 2018 with that ending 2019, there was a 9% decrease鈥�.

Gender-neutral text

Make sure text is gender neutral wherever possible. Use 鈥榯hem鈥�, 鈥榯heir鈥�, 鈥榯hey鈥� etc.

Links

How to add links to content and 伊人直播鈥檚 linking policy

Plain English

Plain English is mandatory for all of 伊人直播. One of the parts most people pick up on is the plain English (or words to avoid) list.

This is not just a list of words to avoid. Plain English is the whole ethos of 伊人直播: it鈥檚 a way of writing.

The list is not exhaustive. It鈥檚 an indicator to show you the sort of language that confuses users.

Do not use formal or long words when easy or short ones will do. Use 鈥榖uy鈥� instead of 鈥榩urchase鈥�, 鈥榟elp鈥� instead of 鈥榓ssist鈥�, and 鈥榓bout鈥� instead of 鈥榓pproximately鈥�.

We also lose trust from people if we write government 鈥榖uzzwords鈥� and jargon. Often, these words are too general and vague and can lead to misinterpretation or empty, meaningless text. We can do without these words.

With all of these words you can generally get rid of them by breaking the term into what you鈥檙e actually doing. Be open and specific.

Write conversationally 鈥� picture your audience and write as if you were talking to them one-to-one but with the authority of someone who can actively help.

Using 鈥榩lease鈥�

There鈥檚 usually no need to say 鈥榩lease鈥� or 鈥榩lease note鈥�. This includes when giving an instruction or explaining what a user needs to do (for example, please contact us).

Writing about disability

Words to use and avoid when writing about disability.

When to use 鈥榳e鈥�

In the 鈥榓bout us鈥� section of the organisation page, lead with 鈥榳e鈥� 鈥� it will be very obvious who the 鈥榳e鈥� is on this page.

In policies, 鈥榳e鈥� is also used, for example, 鈥榃e announced our intention to do x as part of the coalition agreement.鈥�

However, it鈥檚 not obvious who 鈥榳e鈥� is in all content. For example, in a publication or detailed guide, users might enter the content in the middle of a page. They could arrive at an H2 heading from the navigation bar on the side, or skim read from the top until they find the section they want.

Each time you use 鈥榳e鈥�, make sure you鈥檝e already used the full name of the department or agency in that specific section. Do not assume the audience will know who the 鈥榳e鈥� is.

Offensive language

You must not use offensive words or terms in 伊人直播 content, including attachments.

This includes using swear words and words in an offensive context about:

• race
• ethnicity
• nationality
• religion
• disability
• mental health
• gender identity
• sexual orientation
• body parts
• sexual references

Tribunal decisions published by HM Courts and Tribunals Service are exempt. This is because decisions include quotes from people involved in a case.

Read more about:

• words to use and avoid when writing about disability

Check your content is working for your users

Confirm regularly that your content works for your users. Use to check:

• the number of searches from the page (a high number may be an indication people did not find what they were looking for)
• the amount of user feedback left on 伊人直播
• the proportion of users who found the page useful

It鈥檚 also worth checking:

• Google Analytics to see how users got to your page and where they clicked next (check if they鈥檙e going where you expected or wanted them to)
• feedback from any offline channels, for example helplines

When you add, change or remove information on some pages you鈥檒l need to write a change note, unless it鈥檚 a minor edit like a typo or style change.

Examples of formats that need change notes for updates include publications, detailed guides, document collections, news stories and press releases.

Who can see change notes

Change notes are public. They are emailed to subscribers and for some content types they are published along with the time and date on the page where the change is made. This helps the government be transparent about any changes made to public information.

The text of each change note is emailed to users who have signed up for email alerts about changes to a page or any taxonomy topics the page is tagged to.

For example, if you sign up for email alerts on the education taxonomy topic you鈥檒l be emailed when any of the related pages are updated.聽

This means change notes need to be:

• very clear about what has changed and where the change appears on the page
• used carefully so users are not being sent emails about changes that are irrelevant to them

You can sign up to an email alert to get an idea of what they look like when a user gets them.

When to write a change note

You do not need to write a change note for the following types of changes:

• fixing typos鈥�
• style changes like changing a heading or layout鈥�
• adding or removing broken links (unless they are links to something that is crucial to the task or knowledge that users need)鈥�

You should write a change note when:

• adding new information that means a user has to do something differently or know something new
• removing guidance that is out of date or misleading
• updating changes to fees or deadlines鈥�

How to write a change note

Before you write a change note make sure that you:

• understand what has changed and how this is important for the user
• get any policy or comms input needed to make sure you鈥檙e able to clearly explain what has changed and any potential impact for the user

Include the changed information in the change note itself if possible so users can see what has changed without having to go to the page itself.聽

If a lot of content is being changed at once, write a summary of what has changed and where (for example, page number, chapter or section). Apply the same principles if you are adding or updating attachments.聽

Change notes should follow the style guide and content design principles:

• be as specific as possible
• write in full sentences
• include the most important information about what has changed first

Do not say the page has been updated without saying what has changed.

Good examples

Potatoes are now on the banned vegetable import list from outside the EU.

Edited chapter 6 - centres in Cardiff and Aberystwyth have closed. There鈥檚 only one service centre now, in Merthyr Tydfil.

Form A123 - question 4 on page 2 now asks for your previous address.

New guidance on school meal procedures that apply from 1 March 2019 added to the 鈥楳eal planning for primary schools鈥� section.

Bad examples

Guidance updated.

Updated the collection page to inform users of the name of the publication.

Updated to add social media graphics for Twitter and Facebook.

Removed broken link.