The Web Team

Titles and Headings

Titles and headings are important; they provide users a glimpse of your content and organize your content into readable "chunks."

Clearly describe what information a user can expect to find on the page using your title/headline.
The H1-Black style tag is used for page titles and is automatically applied by the content management system when the page is created.
Capitalize the first letter of each word in the page title. (This is Dalhousie's standard practice for web page titles and navigation titles - it is different from CP standards for print publications.)
Fit titles on one line. Avoid having titles spill over to the next line.

Headlines should be brief and informative when writing newsletters or articles.
Make sure your headline is understandable out of context. Headlines are often the only line people see in an RSS feed or in a mobile phone browser so avoid using creative puns or clever headlines.
A good rule of thumb is subject-verb-object: Tigers crowned AUS champs.

In one line, subtitles should summarize the content of the page.
The H2-Gold style tag is used for subtitles and is manually applied by the web editor.
Sentence-case* without a period is Dalhousie's standard practice for page subtitles.
*The first letter of the sentence is capitalized, with the rest being lower case.
Subtitles are optional.

Clearly label each section with a heading. Headings organize your content into digestable "chunks."
Tip: Scan your page by reading only the headings. If you can understand the flow and substance of the content, your headings are well-contructed. If it's confusing, try rewriting your headlines and adjusting the order of your paragaphs.
The H3-Green style tag is used for headings and is manually applied by the web editor.
Sentence-case* without a period is Dalhousie's standard practice for page subtitles.
*The first letter of the sentence is capitalized, with the rest being lower case.

Subheadings provide an extra level of organization within a section. For example, if your heading is "Programs," you may need subheadings to group the various programs by interest or audience.
Note: If you need to use more than three levels of headings to organize your content, you may need to pare down your content.
The H4-Black style tag is used for subheadings and must be manually applied by the web editor.
Sentence-case* without a period is Dalhousie's standard practice for page subtitles.
*The first letter of the sentence is capitalized, with the rest being lower case.