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.
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.
How to measure the impact of content design in Australian government
How to measure content design impact in Australian government: four practical metrics that match how agencies fund the work and report on its delivery outcomes.
A content audit is not your first step
A content audit is the third step. Before you review a single page, you need both a content inventory and an impact assessment. Here is what all three steps do.
How to build a content governance framework for an Australian government website
Content governance for Australian government websites often fails when standards exist but no one owns them. Here's a six-step guide to building one that works.