Content design Guides, templates and articles
Guides, templates and articles about content design, government communications, digital experience with a few case studies thrown in for fun.
Turn your house style into rules a machine can check
Your house style only works if people apply it. How to turn your mechanical style decisions into rules a browser tool checks on every page before it goes live.
WCAG 2.2 for writers: what you can fix without a developer
You don't need a developer to fix most content accessibility issues. What WCAG 2.2 asks of writers: headings, link text, acronyms, direction-free wording, more.
The Style Manual rules that slip through review
Single quotes, sentence case, numerals from 2: the small Style Manual conventions that slip through careful review, and ways to catch them before you publish.
How to run a 10-minute readability check before you publish
A practical pre-publish routine: check reading grade, passive voice and Style Manual basics in about 10 minutes, using one free checker built into your browser.
Retrofitting existing services to the Digital Inclusion Standard
Digital Inclusion Standard existing services: how to retrofit a live estate you cannot take down, triage the gaps by harm, and know when to apply for exemption.
AI procurement for government content
DTA AI procurement guidance covers risk, not content. Here are the accessibility, plain language, and accountability requirements to put in the contract itself.
You cannot outsource accountability for accessible content
When a vendor builds your government website, the agency still owns accessibility. Put accessibility requirements in the brief and contract before you sign off.
The eight decisions a content governance model has to make
Content governance for Australian government is eight decisions, not a document. Who owns, who approves, what standard, what triggers retirement, and who answers.
Your website content is a Commonwealth record. What that means before you delete a page.
Deleting a page on an Australian government website is a disposal decision. Here is what records management really asks of your content team, and in what order.
How to manage content during a government website consolidation
Australian government website consolidation is more than a technical migration. Here's the guide to content decisions that determine whether the new site works.
WCAG 2.2 content requirements for government: the criteria your content team owns, not developers
WCAG 2.2 content requirements for government: the new success criteria your content team owns, not developers, and the content fix for help, forms, and sign-in.
Working with policy subject matter experts: a content design guide for Australian government
Most Australian government content design fails at the SME relationship, not the writing. A practical guide for working with policy experts across APS contexts.
Government letters and notices: a content design guide for Australian agencies
Government letters decide whether people pay, appeal or miss deadlines. A practical content design guide to writing letters and notices for Australian agencies.
How to refresh your content audit for the AI era
Most content audit templates predate AI. Add five columns for the AI era, and learn to test how AI systems read and cite your government content. No paid tools.
Keeping government website content up to date: build a currency system, not another audit
Keeping government website content up to date takes a system, not another audit. Set review dates, name one owner per page, and retire stale content by default.
Writing microcopy for Australian government forms: labels, help text, errors
Most Australian government forms fail at the microcopy layer. A practical content design guide for writing useful labels, help text, and clearer error messages.
How to write alt text for (Australian government) websites
How to write alt text for Australian government websites: when an image actually needs it, how to describe its purpose, and who should own it in your workflows.
How to brief AI for content: the three layers of context it needs
Generic AI content is a briefing failure, not a model failure. How to brief AI for content using the three layers of context it genuinely needs to get it right.
Content modelling, explained for non-technical content teams
A plain-language guide to content modelling for content teams. Six steps to lead the model that decides whether your CMS and AI strategy actually works in 2026.
How to write for the web for Australian government: a practical guide for content teams
A practical guide to writing for the web for Australian government. Seven steps, from defining the user task to publishing a page that works.