Content Editing and Formatting Guide


To help you get the most out of your website and streamline your content editing process, we’ve put together some essential tips and guidelines to follow when adding or updating content. This will not only improve the quality of your site but also save time in the long run.


1. Pasting Content: Use Plain Text

  • To prevent formatting issues, always paste content as plain text. Many of the sites we build automatically have an option enabled to paste as plain text. This strips away any unnecessary formatting and ensures your content displays correctly.




  • If you need to manually paste as plain text, use the following shortcuts:
    • Windows: Ctrl+Shift+V
    • Mac: Cmd+Shift+V
  • Alternatively, you can paste the content into a plain text editor (such as Notepad) first, then copy and paste it from there into your site’s content editor.

2. Internal VS External Links

  • Whenever possible, use internal links to connect your content to other relevant pages or posts on your site. This enhances the user experience by guiding visitors to more valuable content and helps search engines crawl your site more effectively.
  • To add an internal link, simply highlight the text you want to link, click the link icon in the editor, and search for the relevant page or post within your site.

  • When adding external links (e.g., linking to another website), it’s best to have those links open in a new window. This prevents visitors from leaving your site. You can do this by ticking the "Open link in a new tab" option when adding or editing a link.



3. Headings and Structure (SEO Best Practices)

  • Consistent use of headings helps organise your content, making it easier for readers to navigate and more accessible for search engines.
  • Best SEO Practices for Headings:
    • H1: This should be reserved for your main page title (only one per page).
    • H2: Use these for section titles within your content.
    • H3-H6: These can be used for subheadings within sections (e.g., for further dividing content).
  • Avoid skipping heading levels (e.g., going from H1 to H3 directly) as it can confuse both readers and search engines, affecting your SEO rankings.
  • Proper heading structure enhances your site's accessibility and can help improve its SEO performance by providing clear content hierarchy for search engines to crawl and index.
  • Be sure to use relevant keywords in these headings when possible, but keep it natural. These subheadings help search engines understand the structure of your content and improve your SEO.

  • If the default heading sizes seem too large or small for your sections, you can adjust their appearance using the Formats menu (available on sites built with ACF). You can choose a different style for the heading if necessary, ensuring the design remains consistent while adhering to SEO best practices.


4. Gallery Options

  • When adding images to your site, ensure they follow best practices for web use. Learn more about best practices for images here. Properly formatted images improve page load times and overall site performance.

  • Using the full-width image option provides a better visual appearance and helps maintain the clean design of your site.

  • Please avoid manually inserting images side by side unless absolutely necessary. This may disrupt the design or cause alignment issues. Instead, use the gallery option for displaying multiple images. This ensures images are neatly organised and properly aligned.

5. Missing Options

  • If you're missing certain options on your editing screen, it might be because they’re not enabled in the screen options. You can enable these options by going to the top-right corner of the editor and clicking "Screen Options." From there, tick the boxes for the options you want to appear.



6. Custom Styles and Code:

  • While all of the styles for the sites we build are already set, if you need to apply a specific background colour, adjust the weight of a block, hide a particular block, change alignment, and so on, it’s best to use the settings available under the content block. If you need content formatting options, check the available ones in the Formats menu.



  • Adding custom styles or code directly for specific elements can lead to inconsistencies in the design and affect the overall appearance. Always check the settings first - adding custom code is not good practice. If you can’t find the option you need, feel free to reach out to us. The built-in options are designed to help maintain a consistent, professional look across your site.

7. Password Resets

  • If you need to reset your password, you can do this directly from the login page by clicking on the "Lost your password?" link. This allows you to reset it without needing support.




By following these tips, you can manage your site more efficiently and avoid common mistakes. These guidelines will help you keep your content organised, SEO-friendly, and visually appealing.

If you ever need help or further clarification, don’t hesitate to reach out to us - we’re happy to assist!

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