Page titles
Write page titles using sentence case, not title case.
For example, 'Care and support for adults', not 'Care and Support for Adults'.
Make page titles clear, descriptive but concise (fewer than 56 characters).
Use the active verb (for example ‘Apply’) if people use the page to start a task.
Use the gerund ('Applying’) if the page is about doing the thing, but you do it elsewhere.
Lead text
Use the lead text to tell users what they can expect to find on the page.
For example, on a 'Apply for a licence' page the lead text might be 'Find out how to apply for a licence, what it costs and how long it takes.'
Avoid redundant phrases such as 'Information on...' or 'Guidance about...' as this could describe every page on suffolk.gov.uk.
Lead text should be limited to 160 characters, and end with a full stop.
Headings
Use headings to structure your content. This helps users, search engines and assistive technology like screen readers understand the structure of the page.
Headings should be clear, descriptive and front-loaded (keywords first).
Set headings like this:
- Heading 1 is for the page title only
- Heading 2 is used to structure the page into sections
- Heading 3 is used to structure content under Heading 2
- Heading 4 is used to structure content under Heading 3
Do not link any part of the headings.
Do not underline any headings.
Bold text
You can use bold to help users scan for important information, such as dates or costs.
Example: 'The deadline for applications is Friday 30 October'.
It can also be used for emphasis.
Example: 'Do not report this online if it's an emergency'.
Use bold sparingly to avoid it becoming meaningless and distracting. Some pages do not need any bold text.
Do not bold a whole sentence, paragraph or link.
Bullet points
Use bullet points to make lists easier to scan. Bullets are appropriate when the order of list items does not matter.
When using bullets:
- write a lead-in line ending in a colon, for example ‘When using bullets:’
- use lowercase at the start of each bullet if continuing the sentence
- do not use ‘or’, ‘and’ or a semi-colon after each bullet
- do not add a full stop after the last bullet point
- limit yourself to 5-10 items per bullet list
Good example
On suffolk.gov.uk you can:
Bad example
On suffolk.gov.uk:
- you can report;
- you can apply;
- you can pay.
Number lists
Use numbered lists to present ordered information.
For example, step-by-step instructions to complete a task:
- This is step 1
- Here's step 2
- And now step
Tables
Use tables to present tabular data.
Tables should be simple enough that you can tab through them.
Avoid complex tables with nested, merged or blank cells.
Do not use tables for page layout.
Tabbed content
Tabs allow you to break sections of text into tabbed headings. Try to use tabbed content when you have a lot of text-based content that all needs to be presented on a single page.
Try and keep tabbed content to a minimum of two and a maximum of three tabs.
Accordions
Accordions allow you to condense lots of content into collapsible headings.
They can be used where a page must contain a lot of information, but each user may only be interested in a few specific bits of content. For example, a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) list.
Avoid using too many accordions as this becomes difficult to use on mobile devices due to increased scrolling.
