Content & Language Handbook

Content as part of web engineering

From the Dianthos perspective, content was not “text to be filled in later”. It was one of the main structures of a site, on the same level as code and layout.

We treated content as an engineering concern because it determines:

• What users understand and what they miss.
• How easily search engines can interpret the site.
• How navigation, calls-to-action and forms are perceived.
• How consistent the organisation’s voice feels across channels.

Good content aligns expectations, reduces support costs and makes other marketing efforts more effective.

Defining purpose, audience & message

Before writing, we clarified what each page was supposed to do and for whom. Without this, copy tends to become generic and unfocused.

Three basic questions per page

• Purpose: what action or understanding should this page lead to?
• Audience: who is realistically going to read it?
• Message: what is the central idea the reader should take away?

These answers influenced headlines, structure, level of detail and tone. A single site could have different tones for different sections, as long as the underlying voice remained coherent.

Page types & information structure

Not all pages are equal. Clarifying page types helped keep content organised and easier to maintain. Each type had a job and a typical structure.

Common page types

• Homepages: orientation, key value statements, main navigation paths.
• Service pages: what is offered, for whom, benefits, process, next steps.
• Product pages: features, specifications, use cases, pricing or contact.
• Articles / guides: explanations, how-tos, deeper answers to specific questions.
• About / company pages: background, principles, team, credibility signals.
• Contact pages: clear ways to reach the organisation, with expectations.

For each type, we kept informal templates or checklists to ensure that essential information was present and clearly labelled.

Web copy principles – clarity first

Web copy should respect the reader’s time. Most visitors scan before they read. This guided how we wrote and formatted content.

Practical principles

• Use short paragraphs and meaningful subheadings.
• Prefer concrete words over slogans and vague claims.
• Explain terms the first time they appear, or link to definitions.
• Highlight important points using lists instead of dense text blocks.
• Place key information and calls-to-action where they are easy to find.

We aimed to sound professional without becoming abstract. When in doubt, we rewrote sentences until they could be read aloud without effort.

SEO-aware writing without sacrificing readability

Search engines were taken into account, but not allowed to dominate the text. Users remained the primary audience; SEO acted as a constraint and a checklist.

How we balanced SEO & readability

• Identified main topics and phrases per page before writing.
• Used key terms naturally in titles, headings and body copy.
• Included synonyms and related phrases instead of repeating the same words.
• Avoided keyword stuffing, artificial language or hidden text.
• Structured content with clear headings and internal links to related pages.

In practice, writing clearly about a well-defined topic solved much of SEO at the same time.

Tone of voice, style & consistency

Over time, we found that sites felt more trustworthy when their language was consistent: similar situations were described in similar ways.

Elements of tone & style

• Level of formality (from informal to fully formal).
• Preferred pronouns (“we/you”, third person, etc.).
• How benefits and limitations were presented.
• How the organisation referred to itself and its products.

Simple style notes were usually enough: a one- or two-page document with examples of phrases to use and phrases to avoid.

Multilingual content & translation work

Many projects required content in more than one language. We treated translation as a specialised writing task, not as a mechanical conversion of words.

Approach to multilingual sites

• Align structures: keep page hierarchies similar across languages where possible.
• Adapt, do not only translate: adjust examples, terms and references to context.
• Preserve meaning over literal phrasing when the two conflict.
• Coordinate with technical configuration (URLs, language codes, menus).

For critical pages (for example legal texts or service descriptions), translations were reviewed carefully to ensure that promises and obligations remained accurate.

Workflow, collaboration & content maintenance

Content projects involve multiple people: subject experts, writers, translators, reviewers. A simple workflow helps avoid version chaos and outdated information.

Typical content workflow

• Collect raw material from interviews, documents, emails and existing pages.
• Draft copy based on page purpose and audience definitions.
• Review with stakeholders for accuracy and omissions.
• Adjust for layout constraints and accessibility considerations.
• Publish with clear dates and, where relevant, authorship.

Maintenance

• Identify critical pages that require regular review (pricing, policies, key services).
• Note review dates and responsible persons for each section.
• Archive or redirect outdated content instead of leaving it abandoned.

Sustainable content is not about constant change; it is about occasional, deliberate updates.

Common pitfalls & practical checklists

Many content issues were predictable and could be avoided with simple checks before and after publishing.

Frequent pitfalls

• Using internal jargon without explanation for external audiences.
• Overloading pages with information that belongs in separate sections.
• Inconsistent terminology for the same product or service.
• Missing or unclear calls-to-action (“what do I do next?”).
• Copy that is not updated when services or processes change.

Basic pre-publish checklist

• Is the main message of this page obvious within a few seconds of scanning?
• Are headings, links and buttons descriptive and accurate?
• Are important terms explained or linked on first mention?
• Does the tone match the rest of the site?
• Does the page work logically in both desktop and mobile layouts?

These small checks, applied consistently, improved both user experience and search visibility.