5.0 Content structure: Canada.ca Content Style Guide

Make the page title unique

Most search engines identify relevant search results based on:

• page title
• headings
• subheadings

They display the page title as a link on the results page.

Unique page titles help search engines tell the difference between similar pages. They also help ensure that people don't need to look at many pages with the same name to find the information they need.

Check whether your page title is unique by using a search engine. Search for the title of the page followed by "site:" and the domain extension (for example, "food safety site:gc.ca" or "food safety site:canada.ca").

Use a page title, headings and subheadings to show structure

The page title, headings and subheadings help people find information on the screen easily. Use headings to divide text into logical sections approximately every 200 words.

Structuring headings clearly helps establish the authority of one heading over another.

For the page title:

• use this style: Heading 1
• apply a Heading 1 only once per page

For the main sections:

• use this style: Heading 2
• can appear many times

For subsections:

• use this style: Heading 3
• can appear many times and in many main sections

For sub-subsections:

• use this style: Heading 4 (and so on)
• can appear many times in many subsections

Structure your content with automated style features

Having clear and consistently formatted headings helps your web team produce the web pages more quickly and with fewer errors.

Use the automated styles feature of your word processing software to structure headings. The styles feature clearly differentiates headings from content and helps you format headings consistently.

Table of contents

Use the table of contents feature from your Word processing software to automatically generate a table of contents based on the heading levels in your document. Then, check the table of contents to make sure you've correctly structured the page title, headings and subheadings.

Delete the table of contents before you send the document for approval if it isn't required for the final online version.

Navigation pane

Use the navigation pane feature in Microsoft Word. When you select Find (or press Control + F), a small window will display all the headings in your document.

Publication and program titles usually don't make good web page titles

Using the titles of reports, brochures, publications or programs as the web page title can make it difficult for people to find your content, even if it relates to their task.

The titles of publications are usually not written in plain language, short enough or descriptive enough.

To help make sure your page ranks high in search results, use page titles that:

• are short
• describe the page accurately
• are relevant to what people type into search engines

When you post a publication online, you must adapt it for the web. Here are some things you can do to get better results:

Write a title that describes the contents of the page

The web page title (Heading1) is the title you see at the top of the page when you're looking at it. Make sure that it accurately describes, in plain language, what your publication is about.

Use the first paragraph to introduce your publication

The first paragraph of your web page should introduce your publication in plain language. It helps people who've landed on the page decide whether they've found what they are looking for. You can include the title of your publication here.

Include keywords in the page's metadata

Use the title tag and the description metadata field to improve where your publication ranks in search results. Here's what you can do:

Title tag: The page title tag is the blue hyperlinked text you see when a search engine generates a list of results. Write an effective page title (Heading1), and use it as your title tag.

Description metadata field: The description metatdata is the content you see under the blue hyperlinked text in search results. Avoid listing only keywords, because search engines might ignore these. Write 1 or 2 short sentences that summarize the page. Make sure they contain keywords that people use when searching for your content (for example, abbreviations familiar to your audience).

Refer to the section on plain language for tips on using simple and common words as keywords.

Lead-in sentence

If you need to clarify the relationship between each element, start the list with a lead-in paragraph that:

• introduces or applies to all the list items
• emphasizes the common element between all the items

If necessary, specify "all" or "or" in the introductory paragraph to clarify whether the list is comprehensive or conditional. For example, you can write:

• "You must meet all of the following requirements:"
• "To be eligible, you must meet 1 or more of the following requirements:"

Numbered lists

Use numbered lists to show:

• ranking
• order
• priority
• step-by-step instructions

Bulleted lists

Place only one idea in each bulleted item. If you need to include more information to explain an idea, use sub-bullets, but use them sparingly.

Example of bulleted list items

Write:
To draft a high-quality source document:

• organize your ideas
  • arrange your ideas from most to least important to the task
  • test your order with a representative audience
• use the active voice
• use the right words
• write short sentences and paragraphs
• follow the guidelines in the Canada.ca Content Style Guide

Instead of:
To draft a high-quality source document:

• organize your ideas
• arrange your ideas from most to least important to the task
• test your order with a representative audience
• do not use the passive voice
• it is important to use the right words
• use only short sentences and paragraphs
• use the Canada.ca Content Style Guide to ensure you have followed the guidelines

Take a look at the section on capitalization and punctuation rules that apply to lists.

Alphabetical lists

Only present your web content in an alphabetical order if it's the most logical and intuitive approach for the audience.

For example, listing provinces and territories in alphabetical order could be appropriate.

If you present content in alphabetical order in English, also present it in alphabetical order in French to provide the same intuitive experience.

Use column and row headers

Each column and row of a table must have a header that describes the information in that column or row.

Column and row headers are different from headings and subheadings:

• column and row headers appear in the cells at the top and on the far left of a table
• headings and subheadings refer to the title of a table or a section of content that appears on a web page

Check that there is a consistent relationship between the columns and rows.

For example, to check the table above, ask yourself whether you can align the information that appears in:

• the column, with the column header that appears directly above it ("Vote 1," "2011 to 2012" ($ millions) and "2012 to 2013" ($ millions))
• a row, with the row header that defines it ("Net budgetary authorities" and "Year-to-date expenditures ending December 31")

Your web team will use the information in the headers to code the table. Afterwards, screen readers will be able to correctly interpret the data within the table.

In the following example, all the cells in the first:

• row are column headers and appear bolded and in grey 
• column are row headers (except the top-left cell) and appear bolded

By looking at the column headers "Date contract was awarded," "Vendor name" and "Value," people can understand that on February 23, 2010, Management Consulting Group Limited was awarded a contract valued at $285,575.89.

Use the simplest structure possible

It can be difficult to make tables accessible and easy to read for people using screen readers or mobile devices.

To make information useful to the widest possible audience:

• turn a complex table into one or more simple tables
• convert a table to a list if the data is simple

Before: complex table

The following table is complex and poorly designed. It would be difficult for someone using a screen reader or a mobile device to access and understand the information.

Example of a complex table

After: simple tables

The complex table easily converts into simple tables.

Example: one simple table

If it's important to highlight Stanley Cup championships by NHL conference (region), present the information using 2 simpler tables, and use table titles to clarify which conference the teams represent.

Example: multiple simple tables

The complex table also easily converts into 2 lists.

Example: convert tables to text

Eastern conference National Hockey League:

The Stanley Cup Canadian winning teams from 1927 to 2013

• Montreal Canadiens: 22
• Toronto Maple Leafs: 11
• Ottawa Senators: 1

Western conference National Hockey League :

The Stanley Cup Canadian winning teams from 1927 to 2013

• Edmonton Oilers: 5
• Calgary Flames: 1

Limit the use of texture and colour

Avoid formatting cells with textures or colours, because it can make text difficult to read.

If you must use textures and colours in a table, explain what they mean (for example, in a table note or in a legend). Make sure you comply with the minimum colour contrast rules (1.4.3) from the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0.

Never rely on colour or texture alone to convey important information.

Avoid having blank cells

Assistive technologies like a screen reader will notify the person if the cell is blank. If a cell has no value, explain why in your table's:

• notes
• legend
• caption
• surrounding content

You may also write one of the following in the cell, as long as it's clear and doesn't create visual noise that would distract your audience:

• "no data"
• "0" (zero)
• "n/a" (not applicable)