Website content policy and accessibility guidance

Introduction

People visit the county council website to interact with us, as and when they need to.

This means users want useful, usable content which meets their needs.

This policy outlines how we will design our content to achieve this. It includes:

the objectives and benefits
best practice and designing digital content
what to publish
accessibility, documents and URL standards
writing digital content
website and content governance
a general style guide
the content workflow process

All content for the website must follow the principles in this document.

This document will be updated every 12 months. It must be kept up to date with changes in technology and user behaviour.

Objectives and benefits

This policy will provide the following objectives and benefits:

Structure and guidance

A central publishing model will ensure a consistent approach to content. This strategy will give everyone a clear framework within which to work.

Ensure content is both useful and usable

No matter how useful, content must be usable to meet our users' needs. We must offer users what they need, when they need it and in the right format. This will result in a site which is simpler, clearer and faster.

Build trust

Our content must be written in a clear, single voice, even if written by many authors. This will help to build trust with our users.

Reduce avoidable contact

Users will contact us via other channels if they cannot find what they need. This costs us both time and money. This strategy will ensure that our content promotes the most appropriate channels.

Designing digital content

Good content design allows people to do, or find, what they need quickly.

We tend to publish content about what we want to say. We do not always think about what users need to know. This can make content difficult to understand and act on.

We can avoid this by designing content based upon research and evidence. We should review user behaviour, analytics and feedback.

User needs

Content should be designed in the best way to meet user needs.

A user need is something that someone needs to do or find out from us. It can include:

finding out who a county councillor is
reporting a pothole
paying for a permit
booking a registrar appointment
working out if their child is eligible for free school meals
applying for free school meals

Publish only what someone needs to know so they can complete their task. Nothing more.

Find out more about user needs on GOV.UK.

How users interact with website content

We are not just writing for the website. Our content is also used by:

search engines
AI agents (for example, Impy chatbot)
search engine AI summaries
services and internal teams that reuse our content as a knowledge source
customer service centre

Best practice

1. Addressing the user

Address the user as ‘you’ where possible. Content on the site often makes a direct appeal to citizens and businesses to get involved or take action, for example ‘you can contact HMRC by phone and email’ or ‘pay your car tax’.

2. Gender-neutral text

Make sure text is gender neutral wherever possible. For example, use ‘them’, ‘their’, ‘they’ and ‘we’ when referring to the council. Gender neutral terminology is more accountable and friendly.

3. Writing body copy

Keep your body copy as focused as possible.

Remember that you’re likely to be battling outside factors for people’s attention, not least their mood and situation. They might be looking on a mobile on a train, trying to complete their task online in the middle of a stressful family event or any combination of multiple unknowns. If you want their attention, do not waste their time.

4. Do not repeat the summary in the first paragraph

Use the ‘inverted pyramid’ approach with the most important information at the top tapering down to lesser detail.

break up text with descriptive subheadings (the text should still make sense with the subheadings removed)
paragraphs should have no more than five sentences each
includes keywords to boost natural search rankings
page length

There is no minimum or maximum page length for GOV.UK. However:

people only read 20 to 28% of text on a web page
remember that the pressure on the brain to understand increases for every 100 words you put on a page

This means that the quicker you get to the point, the greater the chance your target audience will see the information you want them to.

It’s most important that you write well. If you write only a single paragraph but it’s full of caveats, jargon and things users do not need to know (but you want to say) then it’s still too much.

Content design

Depending on what the user needs are, we may need to:

reduce the amount of content we publish
split one big piece of content into smaller pieces
change the format of the content
build a new format for the content
publish content elsewhere, such as partner website or social media
rewrite this from a user experience point of view

We also need to review the content and what happens once it is out of date.

What to publish

All our content should be either:

task focused - guidance which helps users complete a transaction
or, information based - content that helps users understand if and how we can help them

Content that does not do either of these things should not be published.

Task-focused content includes:

an action-based page title (for example, 'Apply for free school meals')
clear information outlining what the user needs to complete the task at the top of the page
a clear call to action

Do not include information that is not directly relevant to the completion of the task.

Information-based content includes:

a single paragraph overview to help the user understand if it is what they need
detailed information broken up into clear sections using sub-headings

We will use templates for different types of content (for example, press releases, policies).

Do not publish:

anything that duplicates or overlaps with existing content
advertising for commercial purposes
information exclusively for staff
national legislation (this should all be linked to on the Government’s legislation website)
information where we are not the primary source (for example, GOV.UK or the NHS)

Accessibility

By law, all local authority websites must meet specific accessibility standards.

Our website provider will help with the technical aspects. We must ensure that our content complies too.

Documents

All documents must comply with the accessibility standards. They must be usable by as many people as possible. This includes those with disabilities.

If a document does not meet these standards, we could be breaking the law.

Wherever possible, publish documents as an HTML webpage, rather than as a PDF. It’s the best way to reach as many people as possible.

PDFs make our content harder to find, use and maintain.

Read the Government Digital Service (GDS) blog - Why content should be published in HTML and not PDF.

When PDFs should be used

Only use PDFs when it is not practical to add as HTML. The digital engagement team will suggest best practice on adding this to the website. However, they must still be formatted to meet accessibility standards.

They must not duplicate content already on the website (for example, a flyer about how to apply for free school meals).

Open data

Avoid publishing statistical tables or datasets within a PDF.

For these, use an open format such as .ods or .csv. Do not use .xls, as it requires Microsoft Excel to open and may not be accessible to everyone. However, using the correct file format alone does not guarantee accessibility. Every document published on the website must be reviewed properly to ensure it is accessible from the outset.

URL standards

Our main URLs are designed to be more user and search engine friendly.

To help with this, we must use meaningful page titles. For example, the page title 'Register a birth' will result in the URL www.lincolshire.gov.uk/register-birth.

This will reduce the need to manually create links, known as 'friendly URLs', which redirect elsewhere.

They will:

be clear, unambiguous, easy to read, easy to type and easy to share
always be in lower case
not contain acronyms, wherever possible
use dashes to separate the words
have articles (a, an, the) and other superfluous words removed
use the verb stem, where possible (for example, /apply instead of /applying)
be based upon user need

Friendly URLs

With more content at the top level on our website, fewer friendly URLs will be needed.

The digital engagement team (DET) will create them, but only with evidence of a user need.

When permitted, they must:

conform to all other URL requirements
be specific and make sense forever
be used for significant offline marketing and promotion
clear and simple
lowercase
use dashes to separate words (e.g.gov.uk/set-up-business).
They should be descriptive
reflect the action or content on the page
avoid acronyms
be based on user needs rather than services requirements

Campaign site URLs must be aligned with the marketing campaign (for example, www.lincolnshire.gov.uk/fairer-funding).

Service URLs

If a service is not covered by a natural URL, they can request a single, short URL. Typically, this would be used to promote themselves (for example, www.lincolnshire.gov.uk/registrars).

If approved, this would take the shortest version of the service's name in common use by the public.

Writing digital content

The purpose of our website is to present clear, user-focused information. This enables people to interact with us efficiently.

We should avoid publishing content which is:

overly detailed
about something we are not responsible for
does not directly help people to complete a task

We should always carry out these basic checks:

1. Only publish original content

Do not copy content, especially from private sector sources. It can cause copyright issues.

Changes to the source information may also not be reflected on our web pages.

Always link to third-party content where they are the primary source (for example, GOV.UK).

2. Make sure it's easy to read

The average reading age in the UK is about nine years old. By writing with this age group in mind, we are being inclusive.

The average reading age is not about intelligence – it’s about speed of understanding.

Example one

Constantly observing cold water rising in temperature until it arrives at the boiling point of 100 degrees, will not, in fact, make it come to that temperature faster than staring at the nearest wall.

Example two

Watching water boil won’t make it boil any faster.

Most nine-year-olds can read both, but the second example is quicker and easier to digest.

This approach also applies to technical or complex content for a specialist audience.

Clear language is the fastest route to helping someone understand content. You should use:

simple vocabulary
'you' and 'we'. For example, instead of 'Lincolnshire County Council will' say 'We will'
clear and meaningful page titles and sub-headings
one idea per paragraph
short sentences (fewer than 25 words)
bullet points to draw attention to important points
no block capitals, italics or underlines for emphasis

Find out more about writing good digital content on GOV.UK.

3. Ensure it answers a question that people are asking

Every piece of content must meet a valid user need. It should not be published just because we have the information.

You must check if the content:

relates to a specific council service
meets the needs of the user, as well as the council
has a potential audience large enough to justify publishing the information
has a potential audience able to, or likely to access the information online
meets a statutory requirement related to the publishing of this information

Always ask why a user would visit the webpage and what you would expect them to do next. If you cannot answer this question, then the content should not be published.

Content that does not meet a user need will clutter the website. This makes it harder for people to find what they're looking for. It also wastes our time having to manage it.

4. Use search words that make sense to the public

When writing content, use language that the public would use and search for. This will help boost your content ranking in searches as the text will match the terms that people are searching for.

For example, on our website there is a page called ‘Find a recycling centre’. The correct term is ‘Find a Household Waste Recycling Centre’, but very few people search for that.

5. Avoid images and graphics

Do not use images or graphics for task-based or information-based content. People do not want ‘decorative’ images that add no meaning.

Images hinder the user by increasing page load times, especially on mobile devices. They also cause problems for people with accessibility issues, if not applied properly.

If an image would help people understand the content, we can make exceptions. We must have direct permission to use them. Do not copy them from search engines.

The main exceptions are news stories and press releases. These are specific content types with a different purpose.

If you must use visual content, add alternative text (alt text). This provides a description for those people who cannot view it. Right click on the image and select edit alt text.

Do not use text in images. If you cannot avoid doing this, repeat the text in the alt text.

If your document has a graph or diagram, explain what it is conveying in the document text.

6. Weblinks

Use meaningful text and highlight this for context for hyperlinks; usually this is the title of the page you are linking to. Screen readers scan documents to find a list of links. Do not use 'click here' or ‘read more’, as there is no indication of where it is linking.

7. Colour

Do not use colour alone to convey information. For example, a colour-blind person may not distinguish between a green button or a red button. Put explanatory text with each button to say what they mean.

Any text colour used must have sufficient contrast to the background. The higher the contrast, the more people can see the content. To check, use a colour contrast checker.

No frequently asked questions

Do not use frequently asked questions (FAQs). If our content meets our users' needs, they will not have any FAQs. If we do get asked frequent questions, we must review the content.

FAQs show that we've thought about the content but not the user. They also lead to duplicate content. This competes in search with the pages people need.

The Government Digital Service (GDS) has a blog about this – read FAQs: why we don’t have them.

Website and content governance

All content will be written and published by the digital engagement team (DET).

It will align with the priorities set by the design authority.

The DET will:

manage website structure (for example, homepages, landing pages and microsites)
build and select content types
write support delivery of the content, alongside members of the working groups
publish all content to agreed deadlines
communicate content changes to stakeholders (for example, the customer service centre)
set review dates for content

The digital engagement team will ensure that all content published on the website:

meets a customer need
conforms to style guidelines
remains relevant and up-to-date
helps to reduce internal workloads and customer frustration
helps reduce contact via other, more expensive, channels

Content owners

Every item of content must have a nominated 'content owner' from the relevant service area.

Each service is responsible for the accuracy and accessibility of its own information and data. If you are unsure how to make your document accessible, please contact the digital engagement team at the earliest point of the document draft.

This digital engagement team is responsible for how it is written and presented.

Content workflow

All content is subject to workflow approval, managed by the digital engagement team.

Services must submit content or change requests by emailing digital@lincolnshire.gov.uk.

There are two types of change request:

minor changes – these include spelling errors, broken links, document updates
major changes – these include new content or wholesale page changes

Minor change requests will be approved or rejected within five days of submission. Major changes are subject to requirements.

Minor changes

These will be made on the live site. These will be completed as quickly as possible once approved.

The 'content owner' will be notified when they are complete. They will be contacted if there is an issue or delay.

Major changes

These will be made on a test site first.

The 'content owner' must supply all new content and wholesale page changes to the DET. You must follow the content policy when writing digital content.

It will be reviewed by the digital engagement team and amended to ensure that it complies with the policy.

The 'content owner' will review and discuss all changes with the digital engagement team.

Once agreed, the digital engagement team will provide all stakeholders with a go-live date.

Important: Please give at least two weeks' notice for major change requests. They will be reviewed and prioritised within five days of being submitted.

Rejected content

When content is rejected by the digital engagement team, the 'content owner' will be told why.

When rejected content is re-submitted, the five-day turnaround period will apply again.

Urgent content

Where content is deemed to be urgent, send your request to digital@lincolnshire.gov.uk and mark your email high importance. Please state the reason why, for example:

senior approval
legislation of the need
explanation of the requirement

The decision on an urgent go-live date will be made on a case-by-case basis.

Content appeals

The digital engagement team have the final say in all matters relating to online content. In exceptional cases, this can be escalated to the head of communications and engagement.

Content reviews

A review or expiry date must be set for every item of content.

This must be included by the services on all requests for major changes to content.

All content must be reviewed annually. This can be more often, if necessary.

All content with a fixed lifespan must have an expiry date (for example, a campaign).

General style guide

This guide covers some of the most common style issues within our published content.

For a full list of styles, spelling and grammar conventions, follow the GOV.UK style guide.

use initial capitals for full names of organisations or places (for example, Lincolnshire County Council; Lincoln Castle)
use lower case for commonly used names of organisations or places (for example, the council; the castle)
British English standard spelling, -ise not –ize
write in an active voice, not passive (avoid the use of ‘please’)
use built-in headings:
- in Microsoft Word for all headings and subheadings (under Home tab – default black and white)
- in the website CMS, a page must include only one 'heading level one'. Jadu typically applies the 'heading level one' automatically, therefore, documents should start with 'heading level two' onwards
‘website’, ‘email’ and ‘internet’ are one word, lower case (except at the start of a sentence)
use double quotes for reported speech and when referring to an excerpt from a quote
single quotes are only used in page titles
all common nouns should be written in lower case. For example, ‘headteacher’. Proper nouns should be capitalised, for example, ‘Mr Smith’ which can also be used as meta tags – concise and descriptive
no exclamation marks, block capitals, italics or underlines for emphasis
use left justify for text
do not use footnotes - insert the additional note at the relevant point in the main body of text. For example, do not use an asterisk (*) to indicate there is a further explanation at the bottom of the page, instead, put the further information immediately next to the relevant part of the text
bold text should be used sparingly. It is intended to help users identify key information or interface elements, not for general emphasis. Excessive bolding reduces readability for users, including those with dyslexia or using screen reader

Addresses

write street numbers, names and postcodes
do not use punctuation
always write out Street (not St), Road (not Rd)
when letters are included, always lower case (221b Baker Street)

Numbers

one to nine written out, 10 upwards in numbers with the following exceptions:
- you are talking about a step or point in a list (for example, in point 5 of the text)
- century always write out (for example, nineteenth century)
- bus numbers (for example, bus 5, 6, 7 or 27)
- times, 6pm, 9pm, 5.30pm (for example, to event starts at 6.30pm but finishes at 8pm)
- where it would be inconsistent (for example, children aged 4-10 rather than four-10)
- where unit of measurement is abbreviated (for example, km)
- a name of software (for example, Internet Explorer 5)
- 60s not 1960s, and not 60's
always use figures with decimal points and percentages
use symbols with figures (for example, £243.57)
spell out amounts of objects over one hundred thousand (for example, three million people). The rule of figures over 10 still applies (for example, 12 billion people)
use figures for amounts of money over one hundred thousand (for example, £3 million, £5 billion)
avoid numbers at the beginning of sentences. If this is not possible always write it in full

Currency

prices should have the currency first, then number (for example, £9.99, £10,000)
do not include a decimal point for whole number (for example, £5)
millions should be written as £1 million, £1.5 million

Tables

apply header rows to tables:
- in Microsoft word ensure header rows repeat between pages (within a table, select layout tab and repeat header rows)
- in the website CMS ensure table headers include the 'scope' attribute for assistive technology
do not split or merge cells
do not have any blank cells, rows or columns
do not use nested tables
use tables for presenting data, not layout
write all words in full, for example ‘No.’ should say ‘number’

Example

Here is a table showing the number of different animals in three different farms.

Type of animal	Woodchurch	Moat	Jenkey
Sheep	50	60	80
Cows	200	38	75
Pigs	150	70	35

Woodchurch, Moat and Jenkey are the column headers. Together they form the header row.

Sheep, Cows and Pigs are the row headers. Together they form the header column.

Dates

should follow the format: day date month year (Monday 1 January 2024)
do not use date suffixes st, nd, rd, th

Times

use am or pm, no space (for example, 9am, 7pm)
use a full stop to separate hours and minutes (for example, 5.30pm)
Use 12 noon and 12 midnight, not 12am or 12pm
don’t use 24-hour format to present time

Distances and measurements

conversions (in brackets) should be provided where useful - for example, 16km (10 miles)
write out measurements when using numbers (one to nine) - for example, eight kilometres (five miles)
use abbreviations (mm, cm, m, km) when using numbers 10 and over – for example 80km (50 miles)
always write out miles, inches, hectares and acres
when describing area metrics – use sq ft, sq metres, sq miles, sq kilometres

Abbreviations

do not abbreviate days and months
do not use full stops in abbreviations or spaces between initials, (for example, BBC, mph)
spell out less well-known abbreviations first time followed by the abbreviation in brackets
it is not necessary to spell out well-known ones, such as EU, UN, US, BBC, CD
acronyms take initial cap: Aids, Isa, Mori, Unison
use all caps only if the abbreviation is pronounced as the individual letters

And or &

only use & where it is part of an official title or name (for example, Marks & Spencer)
do not use & for services (for example fire and rescue)

Bullet points

useful for breaking up chunks of text and clarifying it
they serve the same purpose as a semi-colon or comma in continuous text
should start with initial lower-case, no full stop (including for final point)
should have no double-line spacing between them
should be prioritised and, where possible, should not run to more than one line and contain one sentence
do not put ‘or’ or ‘and’ after the bullets
do not put a semicolon at the end of a bullet

Buttons

We use buttons to help users carry out an action like starting an application or saving their information. You can read more about button styles and writing button text on the GOV.UK website.

Underlining

Do not underline text or headings as this could be confused with a hyperlink.

Common mistakes

council is singular (for example, ‘the council is’ not ‘the council are’)
do not use self-referential terms such as 'click here' or 'follow this link'
do not use words that date content such as ‘new’ and ‘tomorrow’
do not use named emailed addresses or phone numbers. Team email addresses only
do not use 'see below' or 'see on the right' as different devices show content in different places

Last reviewed: Wednesday 1 July