We use navigation boxes on landing pages to link to other content on the website.
When to use this pattern
Use this pattern when using navigation boxes to link to content on the website.
The pattern
When linking to advice content, navigation boxes should:
- link one level down the structure of the website – the website is organised in levels and 'Advice' is at level 1
- link to the first chapter of a guide
- use the title of the guide and a short summary explaining what the advice is about
They should not link:
- across the structure of the website, to something that sits within a different section – for example, linking to something under 'Contracts, pay and wages' from the 'Holiday, sickness and leave' landing page
- to chapters in the middle of guides – if you find you need to do this, consider splitting out that chapter from the guide
- to external websites
There are different patterns depending on what type of content you're linking to.
News stories and press releases
Link text: [title of news story or press release]
Description: [content type], [publish date]
For example:
Acas response
Link text: [name of response]
Description: Response, [publish date]
For example:
Blog posts
Link text: [name of blog post]
Description: [short description], Acas blog, [published date]
For example:
Conferences and events
Make sure that the title makes it clear what it's about, and distinguishes it from news content.
Always include 'book now on our training website' in the link text. This makes it clear to users that the link goes to the training booking website.
If the name of the conference is several words, consider front-loading the title with 'conference'. For example: 'Conference: building a better framework for effective working relationships'.
Make the body text contain a call to action and state:
- who it's for
- date and time
- location – the city or town if it's in person, or 'online' if it's being held online
Link text: [name of conference] – book now on our training website
Description: [short description], [date, time, location / online]
For example:
Acas articles on external websites
On the research and commentary landing pages, we sometimes link to articles that someone from Acas has written on an external website.
Link text: [name of article] – [name of publication] website
Description: [short description], [published date]
For example:
Things to remember
You should add a full stop in all landing page box descriptions, except when the description is the:
- date of a news story, press release or blog
- content type for research and policy papers
The Digital team takes the lead in making sure the items are current. They check with the Communications team for new suggestions to replace outdated promotions if necessary.