Writing guide

This guide is for employees who create content on behalf of South Lanarkshire Council. It applies to websites, intranet pages, forms, emails, social media, printed materials and other communications.

Good content helps people find information, complete tasks and understand services quickly. It should be clear, easy to read and focused on the needs of the audience.

Use this guide alongside council standards to help create consistent, accessible and professional content.

Understand your audience

Write for the people who will use the information

Before you start writing, think about who the content is for and what they need to do.

Our audiences include:

• residents
• parents and carers
• businesses
• employees
• older people
• people with disabilities
• people whose first language is not English

People have different levels of knowledge, literacy and digital skills. Content should be clear and easy for everyone to understand.

Ask yourself:

• who is this for?
• what do they need to know?
• what action do they need to take?
• what is the best way to help them?

Choose the right format

Match the content to the channel

People access information in different ways, including:

• websites
• mobile apps
• social media
• emails
• leaflets and printed publications

Different channels have different strengths.

Digital content works best when it is short, focused and easy to scan. Printed materials can support more detailed information.

Consider where your audience is most likely to see the content and choose the most appropriate format.

Writing for digital channels

Help users find information quickly

Most people do not read web pages word for word. They scan pages looking for the information they need.

When writing digital content:

• put the most important information first
• use clear headings and subheadings
• keep paragraphs short
• use bullet points where helpful
• focus on the user's task
• remove unnecessary detail

Most visitors come to our websites and apps to complete a task, such as:

• paying a bill
• checking bin collections
• finding school holiday dates
• applying for a service
• reporting a problem

Help people complete their task quickly and easily.