Creating Your Content

How Do I Write a Copy Doc for Web?
Voice, Tone, and Brand Standards
Reading Level and Accessibility Best Practices
Style and Usage Quick-Check
The “Is it Ready?” Checklist
Page Creation 101

Every new page must start with the standardized template to ensure all technical data is captured.

• The Master Template: Writers must create a copy of the Web Content Template
• Frontmatter: This section at the top of the draft captures “hidden” data that search engines need, including the Slug, Parent page, SEO title (60 characters max), and Meta description (160 characters max).

Before writing final sentences, units should define the structure of the page.

• The H1: Define the main title that users will see first.
• Establishing headings: Create a clear hierarchy of subheadings. This is critical because users typically scan rather than read word-for-word; engaging and short headings improve both scanability and accessibility.
• Outline Audit: Review the structure to ensure every heading fits the page’s core topic and doesn’t veer into unrelated territory.

Once the structure is set, the focus shifts to writing accessible, web-optimized copy

• The “One Breath Rule”: To keep sentences digestible, they should be short enough to read in a single breath. If a sentence is too long, it should be shortened.
• Component Usage: Refer to component entries (accessible via the left hand side navigation) determine which visual “LEGO blocks” (like Cards or Accordions) should be used to present the information. Every component entry has a “Component Cheat Sheet” section with empty fields that can be copy/pasted into your content documents.
• Visual Content: Plan for images and include Alternative (Alt) Text descriptions for accessibility.

U-M Brand Voice Guidelines

The Student Life voice is our permanent personality. Because the services we provide are deeply personal, we should sound like a trusted, knowledgeable peer or mentor—always helpful, direct, encouraging, and non-judgmental.

We are warm and authentic, using less formal language to meet students exactly where they are. This directness builds the trust necessary to guide them through their U-M journey. If you were to describe the Student Life voice as a person, it would be:

Knowledgeable & Inspiring – “We want to share resources that will help you move toward your goals and interests. We also want to help you connect with the U-M community.”

Approachable & Accessible – “You can feel comfortable asking us anything. We’re here to share resources and help you find what you need. And we won’t speak in jargon or write in overly complicated language.”

Accepting & Affirming – “We see and celebrate your individuality.”

While our voice is constant, our tone shifts based on the situation.

Informal – Use this for fun and informative programs, events, and general Student Life offerings.

Formal – Use this for serious topics (health challenges, addiction, or crisis) to reflect the emotional state and concerns of the audience.

Brand alignment isn’t just about logos; it’s about making sure the user feels like they are in the right place.

Visuals – Stick to brand colors and standard fonts. Imagery should feel familiar and high-quality—nothing that would raise a red flag for a parent or prospective student.

Consistency – Your page shouldn’t feel like a total departure from the rest of the site. If the rest of the site is warm and welcoming, a cold and clinical page will confuse people.

• U-M Best Practices
• Understanding WCAG Reading Level Guidelines

On the web, we don’t read; we scan. Good readability creates a path of least resistance for the reader’s eyes. To ensure our programs and services are truly accessible to all students, we prioritize clarity and intuitive design in everything we write.

We speak in plain language. Our services are important to student well-being and success, so our content must be well-organized and easy to understand at a first glance.

The Grade Level Rule – Generally, aim for an 8th or 9th-grade reading level. Use the Hemingway Editor to review your copy. (Only complex scientific or technical terms should skew this higher).

Quality Over Quantity – More words don’t equal more value. Clear, concise copy is actually harder to write, but it’s much better for the user. If you can say it in ten words instead of twenty, do it.

Active & Human-Centric – To best serve our audience, we use “you” instead of “students.” We also think about what they need to know vs. what we’d like to say about ourselves.

• No: Students must show their MCard to enter the event.
• Yes: You will need your MCard to enter the event.
• Yes: Remember your MCard! You’ll need it to enter the event.

By making content easy to scan, we help everyone—including people with cognitive disabilities or those using screen readers—navigate our site with ease. We achieve this through:

Page Titles – Keep them descriptive, accurate, and under 60 characters.

Headings – Use headings as a roadmap. Front-load them with keywords and use real H1, H2, and H3 tags. Do not just bold text; true tags help screen readers navigate and allow skimmers to get the gist of your page in seconds.

Bullet Points and Lists – If you have more than two related items, put them in a list to create vertical white space, which reduces eye strain and makes complex information feel less overwhelming.

Chunked Content – Break copy into small, manageable chunks. Aim for one main idea per paragraph (3–4 sentences max) to avoid the wall of text effect.

Meta Descriptions – These act as your sales pitch in search results. Keep them around 160 characters.

Imagery and Alt Text – Every image, video, or audio file needs descriptive Alternative (Alt) Text so users with visual or auditory impairments don’t miss out on the context. Only use visuals that reinforce your message. How to write Alt Text.

Call to Action (CTA) – CTAs guide the user to the next step. Be direct (e.g., “Register for Orientation” vs. “Start Your Journey”) and avoid vague links like “Click Here.”

Wayfinding – Ensure the page is listed in navigation and cross-linked within the site for easy discovery.

To keep things consistent across the university, remember these common standards:

• Ampersands: Avoid in body copy; use “and” unless it’s part of an official unit name.
• Unit Names: A good rule of thumb is to refer to the unit logo as your guide for official name usage and whether to include an ampersand.
• Case Style: Use sentence case for buttons and headlines (Capitalize only the first word).
• Well-being: Always hyphenated.
• U-M: Always hyphenated.
• University: Always lowercase.

✓ Short sentences
✓ Active phrasing
✓ User-centric, not maker-centric
✓ Minimal hype, buzzwords, and jargon
✓ Spell-checked and proofread
✓ No unnecessary words
✓ No ambiguous words or phrases
✓ No repetitive ideas

✓ Bulleted lists
✓ Tables
✓ Highlighted keywords
✓ Front-loaded titles, headings, lists, and links

✓ First two paragraphs contain most important info
✓ Summary paragraph briefly outlines main points
✓ Titles, subheadings, and navigation provide context
✓ Headlines and subheadings (visual hierarchy)

Taking your approved content from the Web Content Template and “assembling” it on the web using our WordPress component library.

• Frontmatter first: Start by entering the “hidden” data you defined in your draft: the Slug, SEO Title, and Meta Description. These can be found in the “Page Settings” in the right hand sidebar.
• Copy Paste: Be sure to “Paste as Plain Text” (Ctrl+Shift+V) to avoid bringing in any Google Doc formatting.

• Add your components: Most components are added using the “Blue Plus” button at the top left. Reference the documentation site for the “How To” on adding any components you can’t find.
• Hierarchy Check: Ensure that the H1 is correct and that subheadings follow a logical order for accessibility.

• Uploading images is restricted to file sizes below 24MB. Enter alt text for each image. Clicking the “edit” icon on images will allow you to access alt text and caption fields.
• Media Library Etiquette: Name image files clearly before uploading so they are more easily searchable later. More on Image Naming and File Guidelines

Almost all links should open in the same tab for accessibility. Exceptions would be if a link will “interrupt” a user, like when they’re filling out a form or watching/listening to media.

• The “One Breath” Final Check: Read the live preview version of the page to ensure the line breaks and sentence lengths still feel readable.
• Link Testing: Click every button and hyperlink to ensure they open in the correct tabs and aren’t broken.

• The Sign-off: Once your page is ready to be published, it will be sent to CMD/SLTS for a final review and we will publish your page!

Each page can be assigned a status

Draft: – Not ready to publish. Use “draft” status while actively editing or building your page
Pending – Waiting for review before publishing. Use “pending” when sending for final review
Private – Only visible to site admins and editors.
Scheduled – Publish automatically on a chosen date.
Published – Visible to everyone.