Use this checklist to help you review content for quality, consistency and accessibility before publishing on nsw.gov.au.
Readability
- Is the reading age for this content between 9 and 14 years (or grade 5 and grade 9)?
- Have you used:
- Plain and inclusive language?
- Active voice?
- Second and/or first-person perspective? (Wherever possible, avoid third person.)
- Present tense?
- Numerals for all numbers, except at the beginning of a sentence (spell these out)?
Tip: Check readability using Hemingway. This will give you pointers for improving content, as well as measuring the reading age for you.
Headings
Is the page title:
- brief?
- descriptive? ('Renewing your driver licence' not 'Renewing')
- clear? ('Early learning and development support' not 'Smart Start')
Are the headings (including the title):
- formatted to correct hierarchy? (H1 title, H2 heading, H3 subheading, etc.)
- in sentence case, not title case?
- front-loaded and easy to scan?
Links
Are the hyperlinks:
- based on meaningful text (not something generic like ‘click here’)?
- succinct and phrased as a call to action? (Link the relevant phrase, not the whole sentence)
- linked to specific and relevant content (rather than a homepage)?
Lists
Are the lists:
- numbered for sequenced information?
- bulleted for unordered information?
- short enough for reader to scan (preferably 6 items or fewer)?
- nested appropriately if there’s extra info attached to some items?
- written in lowercase, with no punctuation except a full-stop only on the last item? (Note: full sentences are an exception)
Images
Have you:
- chosen high quality, colour images that are relevant to the page content?
- checked you have the rights to use the images, and credited appropriately?
- written alt text for all images that aren’t decorative?
Tip: For more guidance on choosing and using images, see our full Image guidelines.
Need any more help?
If you have any questions, or require assistance with anything mentioned on this article, submit a request via the webform.