As more associations begin using content management systems for their Web sites the pool of content authors grows. With individual departments now responsible for creating and publishing their own content ─ and inexperienced authors creating Web content ─ it is helpful to set some standards to ensure high quality content for your Web site. Following are some basic standards you can use to help content writers/editors create content of which you can all be proud.
· Style ─ If you haven’t already done so already, create a written style guide that specifies the grammar, acronyms, names/titles of persons or entities and graphics rules for your association’s Web site.
· Format ─ Don’t use solid caps, bold or italics within running text for emphasis. Reserve capital letters for the first letter of a sentence or heading, a person’s name or title and acronyms and abbreviations, i.e., ASAE. In addition, do not underline text for emphasis as underlining on a Web site is used solely for links.
· Page structure ─ Begin each page with a unique explanatory headline. Follow with a brief summary, description or key message of the page. Use subheads to break up the copy into more readable chunks and to bolster understanding. Limit page length to avoid excessive scrolling. If pages do run long include subheads at the top and bookmark them; also provide several links to the top of the page throughout. Whenever possible, restrict each page to a single topic or purpose.
· Searchable content ─ Use key words (words that are used by Web surfers who are using search engines to find a particular topic) both within the content as well as the headlines and subheads.
· Timely content ─ Review content on a regular basis and promptly remove all outdated or redundant content. Use specific dates instead of general expressions of time such as “in the next three months” or “soon.” Add a line at the bottom of each page referencing when content was last updated. Wherever possible, use generic contact details or names of offices or roles rather than individuals to avoid confusion when volunteers or staff changes.
· Images ─ Restrict image size to reduce downloading time. Provide a detailed description or caption for complex images (i.e. charts or graphs). Keep tables short and narrow enough to fit easily on the screen without scrolling. Use tables for data only, not for text display.
· Links ─ Make the link text self-explanatory so the reader knows exactly what he or she will find when they click on the link. If the link is to a page on an outside Web be very clear about telling the visitor so (“you are now leaving our site”) and – just as important – provide a link to get visitors back to your site. If the link opens a file type different from html (i.e. PDF), say so and give the visitor a link to any software program that may be needed to access that file.
· Lists ─ It is important that authors list items in logical order for the reader. Provide descriptive headings for your lists. Try to limit the number of items on a list of a maximum of seven and subdivide long lists into shorter lists of related items.
· Metadata ─ Authors should be encouraged to include a unique “search results title” (put specific keywords first, followed by general ones) for each page. This title should tell Web searchers exactly which page they will land upon on your site. Also, a summary metatag should be created to describe or summarize the Web page.
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