Content design: planning, writing and managing content

Planning and managing digital content to meet the needs the public has of government.

• What is content design?

  Introduction to content design.

• User needs

  How to write and record a user need for GOV.UK.

• Planning content

  Find out how to decide if something is suitable for GOV.UK, what the content lifecycle is and why accessibility must be planned for.

• Helping users prepare for change

  How to plan and create guidance about a change to a policy, scheme or process so that users know what they must do and when.

• Content types

  When and how to use the GOV.UK formats.

• Organising and grouping content on GOV.UK

  When to use the different options for grouping content on GOV.UK: topics, mainstream browse and collections.

• Writing for GOV.UK

  How to write well for your audience, including specialists.

• Content maintenance

  How to manage your content.

• Withdrawing or unpublishing content, and content from previous governments

  When you should withdraw content, when you should unpublish content, and what content gets labelled as from a previous government.

• Research and evidence

  Tools and evidence to back up content design decisions.

• Welsh language on GOV.UK

  The policy governing use of Welsh language on GOV.UK.

• Links

  Adding links to content, making them accessible and GOV.UK's external linking policy.

• URL standards for GOV.UK

  You must meet these standards when creating URLs to be used on GOV.UK

• Data and analytics

  Find out how to use tools like Google Analytics and Content Data to get data on how users are interacting with GOV.UK content and improve search engine optimisation (SEO).

• Images

  Guidance for GOV.UK content publishers on how to use images and make them accessible. This chapter also includes the copyright standards for GOV.UK.

• Campaigns on GOV.UK: standards and guidelines

  Options to support promotions and marketing campaigns, from short URLs to standalone websites.

• Guidance for publishing on GOV.UK during a general election

  Find out what can and cannot be published during a pre-election period.

• Guidance for publishing on GOV.UK, exempt websites and service domains after a royal death (a 'Bridge' event)

  Find out what can and cannot be published.

• Use of government logos on GOV.UK

  When government logos can be used on GOV.UK.

• Use of European Union funding logos on GOV.UK

  GOV.UK policy on use of the EU logos for EU funding schemes.

• Blogging

  How and when to publish a blog.

• Tables

  When to use tables and how to make them accessible.

• Feedback

  How to send the Government Digital Service comments and suggestions about this manual.