Viterbo University Web Style Guide

The Viterbo University Web Style Guide has been developed to help ensure that Viterbo University’s website is effectively utilized in the recruitment and retention of students, that continuity and cohesiveness exists across the entire website, and that the site promotes a ­positive image of the university.

This page contains some points from the more comprehensive Viterbo University Web Style Guide.

• This guide is meant to be used in conjunction with the ­Viterbo University Communications Style Guide (pdf). 

• Your introductory/home page should provide contact ­information, including address, phone, fax, and email (with link). Alternatively, a clear link to this contact information may be used.

• Long blocks of text should not be used on Web pages.
• Use headings and subheadings appropriately.
• Make the information you wish to provide easy to find and use.
• Make sure editorial style, grammar, and spelling are ­correct.

• Make your content easy to scan.
• Each page should start with a pertinent headline with a Headline 1 (H1) tag.
• Use space between paragraphs for better readability, not an indent.
• Use the bullets and numbering that are available in the CMS
• Left justify all type on the Web to make content easier to read.

• Keep your content current.
• Check your links.
• Always proofread edited content before final publishing.
• If a department page is not being maintained you will be contacted by communications and marketing.

• Make your navigation clear, concise, and useful.
• Do not underline any text that’s not a hyperlink.
• Do not use “click here” for links included in text.
• Link names should be consistent across your site.

• Overuse of graphics and images should be avoided.
• Images should be sized appropriately.

• Write numbers with digits, not letters (e.g., 8, not eight).

• Use pdfs when information is intended specifically to be printed.
• If you must use a PDF, always identify that the link leads to a pdf so the user isn’t surprised by what they get.

• Make content block names clear and understandable.
• Multiple tables on a page should be 95% wide, 1 pixel border, 3 pixel padding, so that they all line up and are consistent across the page.
• Don’t capitalize indiscriminately.
• One space after a period in the content.
• Use numerals for times except for noon and midnight. Always put a space between the numeral(s) and the a.m./p.m. (always lower case with periods and no space) 8 a.m., 9:30 p.m., etc.
• Use a period when abbreviating degrees: B.A., M.A., M.F.A., Ph.D. However, while M.B.A. is correct with or without periods, Viterbo’s style is to use it without periods.

Web Terminology

• email (no hyphen, capitalize at the beginning of a sentence only)
• Internet (always capitalize)
• log in, log out (verb)
• log-in (noun, adjective)
• online (one word, no hyphen)
• the Web (capital W)
• website (one word, no capital W)
• World Wide Web (capital Ws)