Introduction
We want to write engaging and effective web content, so we try to follow the ‘inverted pyramid’ style of web writing. This means we put the most important information at the top of our web pages. We want to give the key facts to our users quickly, so they know they are on the right page and have found the right information. We then follow the important information by less essential details and background.
Why we use this style
People read less on the web than they would on paper. It is important to get their attention as soon as they start reading a page. By starting our pages with the most important information it gets what we need to say across straight away and explains clearly what the rest of the page is about.
Other benefits of using this style
- It helps the users decide if they want to read more and how much to read
- Improves our website search with the most important content at the top of results using keywords and phrases for a weighted impact
- It makes the content easier to scan
- Makes it easier for the page to be read and understood
- Content is in a logical order and concise
- Makes us avoid burying the main points with irrelevant information
- Makes content more consistent and professional by following a standard format
- Encourages action by the user where needed
How we structure our pages
We structure our pages, so they start with a summary of the most important information. Then we provide the detail and any background information further down.
Other things we do
- Make sure we know what the main message is and if there is a call to action
- Make sure the page name and description are clear and descriptive. The guidelines we try to follow for titles are on GOV.UK.
- Use keywords so that the page can be found easier when searched for
- Use subheadings and short paragraphs to split the content into small readable chunks
- Use bullet points to help split the content up and make it more scannable and easier to follow