Page structure

Content should be structured in a way that makes information easy to find and understand. 

Page layout 

People read very differently online than on paper. They do not read every word. They're glancing over your content - scanning. 

Research shows that people only read about 20 to 28 per cent of a web page.  

Customers coming to our website are not generally online to spend a lazy hour or two browsing.  They come to our site to use it - not to visit it. They're there to do a task or get information to help them do a task offline. 

You usually have about 3 seconds to capture attention. Even then you may not get their full attention. They may be multi-tasking, especially if on a mobile. 

Web-user eye-tracking studies show that people tend to ‘read’ a webpage in an ‘F’ shape pattern. They look across the top, then down the side, reading further across when they find what they need. 

What this means is: put the most important information first.  To do this we use ‘front-loading’ headings, sub-headings and bullet points. 

For example, say ‘Canteen menu’, not ‘What’s on the menu at the canteen today?’ 

Good example: 

At the activity centre you can: 

  • swim 

  • play 

  • run 

Bad example: 

At the activity centre: 

  • you can swim 

  • you can play 

  • you can run 

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

Main heading 

The main heading needs to describe the content on the page, so people can confidently select the right page from their search results. 

Main headings should: 

  • be short  

  • use plain English 

  • be front loaded - “Licences for street cafes” or “Street cafe licences” is better than “Applying for and obtaining a licence for a street cafe” 

  • be unique 

  • make sense out of context 

  • include relevant search terms 

  • not include dates or time specific information 

A main heading can change if the search terms people use to get to a page change throughout the year. 

Lead sentences 

A lead sentence should be used to set out the purpose of a page in a few words.  

Testing has shown this helps people to tell straight away whether they are in the right page. 

If the page has very little content on it and is described adequately by the title and headings, it’s unlikely to need a lead sentence.  

When used it will be the first sentence on the page, found directly beneath the main heading, and will use a larger font to other text. 

Lead sentences should: 

  • be 160 characters or less (including spaces) 

  • end with a full stop 

  • not repeat the title or body text 

  • be clear and specific 

Page content 

When designing page content we ensure that it meets a user need and that it does not duplicate information. 

We consider the following: 

Hierarchy of content 

With research and user needs, we know what is important for the audience. With that in mind we put the information that most people are looking for first. 

Short sentences and paragraphs 

We only give people the information they need to complete their task and we don’t repeat ourselves. We try to break the text up into different paragraphs where appropriate so that it’s easier to read.   

Paragraphs should have no more than 5 sentences each.  Do not use long sentences. Check sentences with more than 20 words to see if you can split them to make them clearer. 

Subheadings 

These tell your customers in seconds exactly what information they are going to get. 

  • Use clear, informative subheadings which break the information up into identifiable sections.  This makes scanning a webpage for information much easier for a user, especially if they are on a mobile device. 
  • Front-load subheadings so that people can find what they’re looking for as quickly as possible. For example, we would write “Apply for a licence” rather than “Find out how to apply for a licence”. 
  • Text should still make sense with subheadings removed.