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The following are some quick tips and good practices when using Contribute to create and edit your website.
Use Headings (not Bold)
Use headings to signify a heading instead of bolding text. The bold formatting tool should be reserved for emphasizing chunks of text within a paragraph or list. This allows assistive technology users to "scan" the page with a screen reader. For more details visit the section that describes using the Headings tool.
Use List Tools
Use the list tools when creating a list of related items instead of using simple carriage returns or special characters. Like headings, the use of list tools (bulleted, numbered, etc.) help to organize the structure of the web page and thus make it easier to navigate with screen readers.
Images & Alt Text
Alt text must always be entered when inserting an image. Alt or "alternate" text offers a substitution for an image that can be used by screen readers. This is especially helpful for individuals with visual impairments.
Web Page Titles
Be sure to follow the college's naming conventions when entering a title for a new web page. While often overlooked, web page titles provide key information to search engines. The web page title can be found at the top of a web browser (above web address field). The web page title should consist of the department name, followed by a hyphen, and then the content of the page (i.e. Admissions - Undergraduate Students). Your department's home/main page is an exception which should be the department name, followed by a hyphen, and then the full name of the college (not FSC), (i.e. Admissions - Fitchburg State College). Web page titles can easily be changed by following a couple simple steps.
PDF & MS Office Titles
If you are linking to non-HTML files such as Adobe PDF and Microsoft Office files be sure to add descriptive page titles to these files. In most case this can be done by opening the file and choosing File > Document Properties. This information is used by the college search engine to index documents and when search results are returned. Missing or inappropriate page titles make searching for information difficult and convey a less professional image. For more details visit the Linking to PDF or MS Office files section of this guide.
Naming Files
When saving a new HTML file do not use the file name Contribute suggests which is lengthy, uses capital letters and often includes the department name. Instead opt for a file name that is short and concise using lowercase characters and no spaces.
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