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Web Publishing Best Practices

Who is your audience?

A webpage can’t be all things for all people. Organize your information in a way that will make the most sense to your audience, even if that conflicts with the way that your office is organized.

  • Who is your primary audience?
  • What information do they need?
  • What are the key messages you want to communicate?
  • What tasks do you want them to complete?

Current and accurate content is essential.
  • If something on your website is obviously outdated, your audience will not trust your information.
  • It’s useful to have a schedule of what you need to update, and when.
  • Review links to make sure they are valid.

On the web, short and simple is best

Nothing puts users off faster than a wall of text.
Use headings, bulleted lists and short paragraphs.

  • Headings are vital - they provide users with an idea of what’s on the page
  • Easy-to-read chunks of information allow your audience can quickly scan the page
  • Bulleted lists are a great way to display compact yet informative text. Bullets attract the eye when scanning and allow you outline key points concisely.

If you have questions about the best way to present content on your website, please contact Esena Jackson in the Office of Communications.

Don't use "click here" as link text.

When calling the user to action, use brief but meaningful link text that:

Don't replicate information that already exists.

Think about information that might be useful to your audience, and link to it. Trying to replicate it on your site just makes more work for you! 

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