Formatting Rules to Live By

Web users are looking for information, not purple prose. Help them control their reading experience by giving them the visual cues they need to scan online documents.

Use ordered lists for sequence or priority. Use bullets where order or preference is irrelevant.

Good:

How to Change a Light Bulb 

1. Unscrew old bulb
2. Screw in new bulb

Top 3 Godzilla Movies of All-Time

1. Destroy All Monsters
2. Son of Godzilla
3. Godzilla vs the Smog Monster

Bad:

Smurfs Featured in this cartoon are:

1. Poppa Smurf
2. Smurfette
3. Handy Smurf

Index: Formatting Rules to Live By

1. Use the Right Type of List for the Information
2. Skip lines between list items that wrap onto more than one line
3. Use Callouts and Bold Them
4. Bold Callouts at the Beginning of Longer Bullet Points
5. Use Subheads for Sections of a Document
6. Don't Overbold
7. Keep paragraphs to 2-4 sentences tops
8. First paragraph sentence should contain the main idea; the rest add detail
9. Indent long quotes (use block quote or shading)
10. Link, but don't overlink