Website content guidelines

Page titles should be unique, user focused and descriptive, and provide full context.

Make your page title unique

Page titles must not be duplicated. 

When page titles are duplicated, it can confuse users. For example, if there are three pages with the same title, users won't know which one to click on in search results.

Make page titles user focused and descriptive

Effective page titles:

• should be user focused, clear and descriptive
• must provide full context so that users can see if they've found what they're looking for, without reading page content
• do not have to reflect the official publication title or campaign name
• should not be just about a general topic – this leaves the user asking 'what is this about?'

'Book now' is not understandable as a page title without reading more of the webpage because it's not clear what you're booking. 'Book a library computer session' is better because the user will understand what content is on the page from the title. 

Be careful if using project names or brand names as page titles

Sometimes the council gives its projects names. This can be helpful for branding. However, a project name may not be a good page title. For example, 'Green Wheels', a project which offers free cycling lessons for adults, would not be a good page title because it's not user focused, clear or descriptive. 'Book free cycling lessons for adults' would be a better page title.

Other tips for page titles

When writing a page title:

• write it in sentence case, so the first word starts with a capital letter
• keep it to below 65 characters where possible (only use more if it's essential to make it clear or unique)
• understand what users are looking for and what words they search for and prioritise these words in the title (and introduction and subheadings)
• do not say the same thing twice
• do not use 'ing' if the page will be used directly to do the thing – use a verb instead
• do not use a date unless it's important for clarity, for example 'Annual report for March 2023 to April 2024'
• do not add a department name unless the page is about the department or it helps to give clarity, for example 'Make a complaint about adult social care'
• do not write it as a question and do not include a question mark in the title