Using clear, concise, and helpful language in your website doesn’t just make good sense, it’s the law! The Plain Writing Act was signed into law in 2010 and updated in 2014. Although it was written for federal agencies, its application has broad effects across public-facing websites. The goal of this Act, and the goal for your own website should be to communicate clearly so that the public can easily understand and use your information.
Here are some helpful tips to make help you clearly communicate your website information, and you’ll get the bonus of SEO benefits!
Use descriptive text on your buttons and links: Describe the function and purpose of all buttons and links to provide clear, stand-alone instructions for the user.
Use clear and descriptive page titles: Page titles, including the title tag and the visible title heading, should clearly describe the content.
Chunk your information in short sections: Use concise sentences, short, digestible paragraphs, and list information when possible.
Never use images of text (this includes text effects or other difficult to read typography): Use HTML to communicate text, so that it can be read by a screenreader and controlled by browsers.