Guidelines forWeb Usage
Document Structure
Use headers, paragraphs, and lists to reinforce the purpose and organization of content, and to facilitate scanning of the page. Use headers (<h2> and <h3>) to organize content into logical sections. There should only be one <h2> on each page, acting as the page title. Each subcategory head on a page should use the <h3> tag. (Think of a traditional outline.) Use paragraphs for blocks of text, lists for lists of items, and tables ONLY for tabular data.
Make sure that the order of content on each page (including navigation and other standard page elements) makes sense when read from top to bottom. If you are using stylesheets, you can easily check the order by disabling the stylesheet. For visitors using screen readers you may want to provide hidden links to skip over navigation and other often repeated page elements.
Linking to External Files
The most widely accepted format for linking documents on the web is PDF format. Files in formats such as .docx, .doc, .xls, etcetera are not always viewable on certain computers. Not everyone has Microsoft Word or other Office applications installed. Convert file to PDF first, and then link to the PDF file. All standard computers have come with a PDF reader pre-installed, and this format is generally viewable by anyone at any computer.
Links
Use descriptive link text so that the destination or function of a link is clear when read out of context. Do not use "Click here".
