How to make web pages accessible

Plain English is easy for everyone to understand. It uses simple wording and does not contain jargon.

You should avoid using italics or block capitals as some people find them hard to read.

We follow the LocalGov Digital content standard. This standard sets out five rules that content should meet before we consider publishing it online:

• Is it easy to read and understand?
• Is it easy find?
• Does it answer a question that visitors are asking?
• Is it original?
• Are images necessary and helpful?

Why web pages should be written in plain English

We must write our web content in a style that's easy for people to read and understand. Our web content must be accessible by law - read more about why we must make content accessible.

16.4% of adults in England, or 7.1 million people, have 'very poor literacy skills' (Source - National Literacy Trust).

An article from Nielsen Norman Group about how users read on the web, says:

"People rarely read web pages word by word; instead, they scan the page, picking out individual words and sentences".

How to write in plain English

There are lots of resources to help you write good web content:

• LocalGov Digital explains how to make your content easy to understand
• The Writer's free readability checker (opens new window) (opens in a new window) - a readability checker will assess the reading age someone needs to be to understand your writing
• GOV.UK have a guide on how to write well for your audience