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