Web Writing Guidelines
These guidelines help ensure website content is consistent. Website moderators proofread pages to judge whether a page is suitable for the public website and editors are sometimes asked to make changes to text prior to publishing.
Jump to: Do's | Don'ts | Word usage | Object formatting
Do: Make text clear, concise and scannable
- Pyramid style - put the most important facts first
- Include the 5w's as appropriate; what, where, who, when, how
- Keep sentences and paragraphs short.
- Link to 'deeper level' pages for detailed/longer info
- Keep page length under approximately one and a half screens unless screen jumps are used
- Language target- ages 20 to 40.
- Use 'active language' such as 'Enter your details here’ rather than 'You should enter your details here'.
- Use bullets/teasers to break up text when appropriate
- Use plain and simple words where possible.
- Avoid clichés
- Capitalise the main words in titles, exclude 'the', 'of', 'or' etc
- If an acronym is used, write the full name/phrase for the first instance accompanied by the acronym in brackets, later in the text the acronym can be used (see word usage for some acronym's not to use).
Don't: Waffle, over-sell or complicate.
- Don't use italics, animated text, or underlines (except for links)
- Don't use capitals unless there is a real reason to, and only use them sparingly – it looks like YOU'RE SHOUTING!
- Don't repeat text unnecessarily.
- Don't over-use adjectives (descriptive words), and avoid technical terms and jargon as much as you can.
- Don't make too many assumptions about prior knowledge, cross-link to other pages if something needs contextualising.
- Don't dumb down (making sure you still use straightforward language)
Word usage
- The first mention of multiple sclerosis should be written in full with MS in brackets afterwards i.e. 'multiple sclerosis (MS)'
- 'Email' or 'email' NOT E-Mail or any other form.
- 'MS' or 'Multiple Sclerosis' NOT M.S. or Ms
- 'A person with MS' or 'A person affected by MS' NOT PwMS, PaMS, MS sufferer or MS patient
- MS Society, MS Society UK or Multiple Sclerosis Society, Multiple Sclerosis Society UK NOT MSS
- The words 'beta interferon' and 'relapsing remitting MS' should not be joined by a hyphen
- Use lower case for 'branch', 'committee' etc, unless you are referring to the name of a particular branch, i.e. 'Newham Branch'
Use of formatting and template objects
- Left hand image objects should only be used for the quote box type images.
- Right hand image objects should not 'overload' the page.
- Right hand teaser/link objects should be condensed into groups of useful/related links if there are a large number of them.
- Teaser objects should indicate if the title will be linking to an external site.
- Summary objects should summarise the content of the page with the most important points. It should be no more than 2 short paragraphs.
- Emails link snippets where possible should link to contact forms if they exist.
- Page description (meta information) should be approx a couple of sentences normally including mention of the section, topic and what is available on the page. These also form the email alerts so should be appropriately structured to be read in the alert form.
- Example: Wessex and West MS Society Region, details of branches in the area. The page includes contact details for all the branches. New details have been added for the Accredited website programme.
- News pages the description should be the summary paragraph for email alert purposes.
- Example: Wessex and West MS Society Region, details of branches in the area. The page includes contact details for all the branches. New details have been added for the Accredited website programme.
