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Web Content Guidelines

Explore key web content guidelines for creating engaging online communication.

Writing for the Web Best Practices

People want web content that is digestible, concise, and scannable. Rather than read word-for-word, people typically only read around 20% of the content on a page. This is true even for well-educated audiences, such as the public health professionals we write for at ASTHO.

Page Organization

Structure content with clear headings and subheadings to aid navigation. This helps people understand the structure of the page at a glance and allows screen readers to provide an overview of the content.

Be Concise

Long paragraphs and complex sentences can make content difficult to understand, especially for readers with cognitive disabilities.

  • Provide shortcuts. Provide summaries and subheadings to help people locate information they need and determine when they want to read more.
  • Cut the fluff. Ask yourself if there is a simpler way to get to the point by getting rid of unnecessary words.
  • Use plain language. Avoid jargon and technical terms that may not be familiar to all readers. This is particularly important for users with cognitive or learning disabilities and non-native speakers.

Scannability

Making the page easy to scan is especially important for people who are skimming the page or using screen readers.

  • Put important information first. Start with the critical content and layer in more detail as you progress.
  • Avoid long, continuous blocks of text. Use bullet points, lists, and short paragraphs to make content easy to scan.
  • Use boldface, italics, and ALL CAPS sparingly. These text treatments are all slower to scan and read. Use them for emphasis or headings.
  • Do not underline non-linked text. Reserve this formatting solely for hyperlinks.
  • Remember the “Rule of Twos.” People visually scan:
    • The first two words in a headline.
    • The first two words in a page title.
    • The first two words in a list item.
    • The first two words in a link.
    • The first two lines in a paragraph.
    • The first two words of a page.

Write Effective Headings and Page Titles

Create descriptive and informative headings to guide readers through the content. Headings should accurately describe the content that follows and help users navigate the page.

  • Keep headings short. Ideally, they should be no more than eight words.
  • Headings should be strong, descriptive, and clear. Avoid weak, generic words (e.g., “Welcome to our page,” “Overview”).
  • Focus on clear communication over creativity. Don’t overcomplicate things, write simply using plain language.

ASTHO Style Guide

As always, to ensure clarity and consistency in your content (and across all ASTHO products), abide by the ASTHO Style Guide, which provides detailed guidance on language and terms, formatting, punctuation, and more.

Image Best Practices

Selecting Appropriate Images

  • Check permissions. Ensure we are legally allowed to use the image. Is it copyright protected? If so, do we have permission to use it?
  • Ensure relevance. Any photos incorporated into the content should be relevant, and add visual interest and additional context.
  • Avoid text-heavy images. Text is best presented in HTML to ensure it is fully accessible.
    • Mobile users. There is no control over the font size for graphic-based text when images change size for various devices, affecting readability.
    • Accessibility. Graphic-based text adds an additional layer of complexity for people with visual impairments or using assistive technology.

Image Use

Image use and permissions can be tricky to navigate so if you are unsure, please err on the side of caution and either refrain from using that image or reach out to a member of the Web team for guidance.

Attribution Is Not Permission

There is a common misconception that you can use any photo if you cite the source. This is not true, even for a nonprofit organization like ASTHO. ASTHO must have permission to use every image that appears in our products, slide decks, videos, social media campaigns, website, etc. This is non-negotiable and violating this policy can lead to fines and expensive lawsuits.

To be safe, assume that every image you come across was published under an All Rights Reserved license, which restricts rights and usage to the creator of the image, unless it is clearly marked otherwise.

For details on image permissions and license types see Best Practices for Image Use.

Visual Components

Be thoughtful when adding visual aids to your content, such as graphs, diagrams, tables, charts, callout boxes, and videos. These should supplement your content, not replace it. Ensure you explain the concept being conveyed by figures thoroughly in your text.

Figures and Tables

  • Purpose and goal. Each table or figure should serve a purpose and have a clear goal.
  • Don’t add figures simply for visual interest. What do you want the user to understand or do with this information? Concepts and theories should still be presented in plain text. Tables and figures help the user understand what you have written.
  • Clearly define the purpose. Determine the objective to ensure the table or figure effectively communicates the intended message.
  • Simplicity and clarity. Keep tables and figures simple to enhance accessibility and understanding.
  • Avoid using tables for layout purposes or text-heavy content. Consider if the information would be better incorporated into the main text flow instead.
  • Label figures and tables. Giving each visual element type a consistent name and a consecutive number (e.g., Table 1, Table 2) makes it easier for people to connect the element to the text reference.

Callouts

  • Highlight key information. Callout boxes can effectively emphasize crucial points, such as important statistics or quotes, ensuring that readers easily remember and understand the most significant aspects of your content.
  • Provide supplementary information. They can present additional context, tips, or related examples that enrich the main article without overwhelming the reader.
  • Encourage action. Including clear calls to action within callout boxes can effectively prompt readers to engage further, such as exploring a key related resource.
  • Use sparingly. Too many callout boxes can distract readers and affect the scannability of a page so it's important to determine if it is necessary.
  • Reconsider. Consider if the information would be better incorporated into the main text flow instead.

Videos

  • Videos for the website must be uploaded to YouTube. They cannot be added directly to the CMS.
  • Don't overdo it. Avoid using an excessive number of videos on your web page.
  • Plan for accessibility from the start. Integrate accessibility features, such as descriptions and transcripts, into the planning, scripting, and storyboarding of the video to save time and money.
  • Transcripts created by humans are best. Human-created transcripts are preferred over auto-captions due to their higher accuracy, especially for complex content, better accessibility, and overall quality and comprehension of the content.

Please work with the CD team on any ASTHOExpert Videos via the standard CB process. They upload all videos to YouTube and bring valuable expertise in video content creation/best practices, and are the go-to resource for all things video-related!

Accessibility

Creating web content with accessibility in mind is critical to reaching a variety of audiences, helps ensure equitable access to our information, and benefits us all. We’ve touched on it at various points throughout this resource, but visit the following ASTHO resources for more specific guidelines on topics such as linking, alt text for images, and accessible documents:

External Resources