Blog guidelines

How to prepare a blog for the Acas website.

Titles

Titles of a blog should:

  • be a maximum of 65 characters including spaces (so that search engines like Google display the whole title in search results)
  • be clear and meaningful to help users find the blog – titles should make sense in search results or when read out of context
  • clearly tell readers what the post is about and entice them to read it

Writing the blog content

To make your blog accessible and easy to read, you should:

  • keep sentences a reasonable length – a maximum of 25 words if possible
  • break up the text into short paragraphs – 5 lines maximum are easiest to read
  • use clear sub headings that describe the content beneath
  • use bullets to list information, to help users scan the text
  • link to related Acas web content or external website content if appropriate
  • use meaningful text for links to help screen reader users – avoid 'click here' and make sure that users know where they're being taken to
  • follow the Acas style guide
  • try to keep the blog length under 500 words

Style and tone of voice

When writing a blog, you should:

  • be personal and professional, without being 'corporate' – this adds credibility and a sense of openness for users
  • write clear content – you should write like you speak to avoid jargon and read it out loud to check it sounds authentic
  • stick to Acas brand values – be factual and knowledgeable

Ending your blog post

You should end your blog post with a call to action, for example:

  • sign up for updates
  • visit X
  • book places on course Y

This is so users have a clear way to:

  • follow up on any action you suggest taking
  • find out more about the topic

Author profile

You'll need to provide an author profile with the blog.

Author profiles must:

  • be a maximum of 350 characters including spaces – this will display alongside the author's photo
  • state the blogger's full name, job title and who they work for – you should outline what their job involves and any biographical details that are relevant to the blog

Author photo

You should provide a portrait photo which is:

  • a minimum of 135px wide x 175px high
  • well-lit, set against a plain background

Publishing your blog post

Once you're ready to publish, you can email your blog as a Word document or Google doc to digital@acas.org.uk

The email should include:

  • the preferred date for publication – if there's a deadline, please explain the reasons why
  • the author profile and image if they're new to the Acas website
  • any contextual information, for example, if the blog relates to an Acas publication, event or government initiative – this will help us identify the user need

What the Digital team will do

The Digital team will review your blog request and prioritise it, before assigning it to a content designer.

We'll let you know once we start working on your request.

The content designer will:

  • review the blog to make sure it follows our style guide
  • write a short summary for the blog – this will appear in search and on the blogs listing page
  • check you're happy with any amendments they make
  • let you know when the blog is live
  • add a link to the blog from our homepage