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Content Standards

Good web content is clear, useful, and written with the reader in mind. These standards apply to everyone who writes or edits content on the UHD website. They exist to make sure our site communicates effectively with students, prospective students, faculty, staff, and the public.

University Relations reserves the right to request the removal or revision of any content that does not meet UHD’s standards for clarity, voice, accuracy, or brand consistency.

Writing for the Web

Web users scan before they read. They are looking for specific information and will leave quickly if they cannot find it. Write content that makes it easy to find what they need.

Use the inverted pyramid approach whenever possible, leading with the most important information, then following with supporting details, and saving background or context for the end. This structure mirrors how people actually read content on the web. Assume they may never reach the bottom of your page, so do not bury the point.

  • Put the most important information at the top of the page.
  • Use short paragraphs of two to four sentences when possible.
  • Use H1, H2, H3, H4, H5, and H6 headings with text in-between to break up content and help users scan.
  • Use bullets and lists to present information that would otherwise be buried in a paragraph. If you are listing three or more items, a list is almost always easier to scan than a sentence.
  • Use active voice: "Submit your application by March 1" not "Applications must be submitted by March 1". Write in first and second person: use "we," "our," "you," and "your" instead of referring to the university and its visitors in the third person. This makes our content feel direct and welcoming rather than distant and institutional.

Avoid jargon, acronyms without a description, and internal terminology that a prospective student or member of the public would not recognize. If you must use an acronym, spell it out in full on first reference with the abbreviation in parentheses.

Reading Level and Audience

Write to your audience. Different pages on our site serve different readers, and the appropriate reading level varies.

  • Current and prospective students: Target a 9th to 10th grade reading level. This is the standard for most public-facing content. It does not mean writing is simplistic; it means writing is clear, direct, and free of unnecessary complexity.
  • Faculty, staff, and general university audience: A slightly higher reading level of 10th to 12th grade is appropriate. Content can assume familiarity with higher education terminology but should still prioritize clarity.
  • Specialized academic audiences: Content written for a graduate or faculty audience with deep domain expertise may use higher reading levels and discipline-specific language where appropriate.

When in doubt, write for a broader audience. Content that is clear for a prospective student is still useful for a faculty member. The reverse is rarely true.

Tone of Voice

UHD’s voice is direct, welcoming, and confident. We are a public university in one of the most dynamic cities in the country, serving students who bring a wide range of backgrounds, experiences, and ambitions to everything they do. Our web content should reflect that.

  • Be direct: Say what you mean in plain language. Spell out acronyms on first use and avoid jargon, academic terminology, or insider language that external audiences may not recognize.
  • Be welcoming: Write as if you are speaking to someone you want to help.
  • Be confident: Write directly to your audience as an expert in your subject. Be consistent: Use the same language and terminology across pages.

Avoid content that sounds like it was written for an internal memo or a policy document. Avoid promotional language that feels hollow or overstated.

AP Style and the UHD Style Guide

UHD follows AP Style for web content. The UHD Style Guide provides institution-specific rules that apply alongside AP Style.

Key UHD-specific rules:

  • Always use a hyphen: University of Houston-Downtown.
  • Capitalize "University" when referring specifically to UHD.
  • Use "UHD" on second reference, never "UH-Downtown" or "UH Downtown".
  • Capitalize the President’s title when referring to UHD leadership; do not use "Dr." alongside "President."
  • Seasons are lowercase: fall, spring, summer, winter.
  • Use a.m. and p.m. with periods and lowercase.
  • Spell out numbers one through nine; use numerals for 10 and above.

Hyperlinks

Hyperlinks are one of the most important accessibility elements on a web page. Screen reader users often navigate a page by tabbing through links, so every link must make sense on its own, without surrounding context.

Use descriptive link text that tells the user where they are going or what they will find.

  • Do not use "click here," "read more," or "learn more" without additional context.
    • Use “Read the UHD Admissions FAQs”
      Don't use “Read more”
  • Do not use the URL itself as link text.
  • Link to existing pages rather than duplicating content.
  • External links should go to reputable sources such as other universities, government agencies, and established organizations.
  • University Relations may request the removal of links that pose a brand or security risk.
  • Links should open in the same tab unless there is a clear user benefit to opening in a new tab, such as a form or an external resource mid-process. A clear indicator or screen reader only text must be used if a link opens in a new tab.
  • When linking an image or icon:
    • Images: Use the appropriate alt text to describe the link
    • Icons: Add appropriate ARIA attributes to the link and icon

Metadata and SEO

Metadata helps search engines understand your page and helps users decide whether to click on it in search results. It also powers some of the social sharing and AI integrations that deliver UHD content to wider audiences. Every page must have complete, accurate metadata.

  • Page title: The title tag defines the name of the page as it appears in browser tabs and search results. Titles should be unique to each page. Do not name multiple pages "Home" or "About." Keep titles under 60 characters and put the most important keywords first.
  • Meta description: The meta description is the short paragraph that appears below the page title in search results. It does not directly affect search ranking, but it affects whether a user clicks. Write a clear, accurate description of what the user will find on the page. Target 150 to 160 characters.
  • Open Graph tags: Open Graph tags control how your page appears when it is shared on social media platforms or in texting apps. By default, all pages on UHD.edu will use a branded image and will duplicate SEO meta descriptions in Open Graph. A content owner or author may choose to add custom Open Graph titles, images, and descriptions. Open Graph metadata is available to all content authors.
  • The og:image should be an appropriately sized image at 1200 x 630px while og:title and og:description should accurately describe why the page is being shared and in what context.
  • Schema markup: Schema markup is structured data embedded in your page that helps search engines and AI systems understand your content in more detail. It powers rich results in search engines like event details, FAQ dropdowns, and breadcrumb navigation. It also improves how AI tools interpret and represent UHD content when users ask questions about our programs, events, and services. UHD uses schema markup for key page types including degree programs, events, and contact information. Schema markup editing is built into approved templates and is only available to web technicians and administrators who have been trained on its usage.
  • Keywords meta tag: Do not use the meta keywords tag. It is not a factor in Google’s search algorithm and adds no value.

AI-Assisted Content Creation

AI writing tools can help you draft, edit, and improve content more efficiently. These tools are meant to assist and enhance human work, not replace human judgement, creativity, or accountability. All content published on our website must be substantially human authored, reviewed, and approved before it is published. Content editors using AI tools should familiarize themselves with the UHD AI Guidelines for Marketing and Communication.

Acceptable Uses

AI tools may be used to assist with the following while subject to human review and approval at every stage:

  • Brainstorming content ideas or angles.
  • Drafting outlines, headlines, subheadings, and navigation labels.
  • Editing and proofreading.
  • Verifying brand tone of voice, AP style checks, and audience reading level.
  • Repurposing existing content into new formats like summaries.
  • Light image enhancements in Photoshop or Canva that preserve authenticity and do not misrepresent context or compromise the integrity of the image.

Prohibited Uses

The following uses are not permitted on official UHD content:

  • Full content generation: Do not use AI to generate complete web pages, news articles, or official communications. AI may assist with drafting, outlining, editing, proofreading, style checks, and phrasing, but final content must be substantially human-authored.
  • AI-generated images: Images created entirely or substantially by a generative AI tool may not be used in official UHD web content.
  • AI-generated audio or video: AI-generated voiceovers, music, or videos may not be used in official web content.
  • Unverified facts: Do not rely on AI for facts, research, or citations. All data must be verified by a human before publishing.
  • Sensitive or confidential data: Do not input sensitive, private, proprietary, or confidential data into any AI tool that has not been approved by the UH System.
  • Deceptive or manipulative content: Do not use AI to create false or misleading content of any kind.

Human Review Requirements

Regardless of how it was created, all web content must meet certain standards before publishing:

  • Review all AI-assisted content for accuracy and timeliness.
  • Ensure content follows UHD’s tone of voice as well as AP and UHD Style Guide rules.
  • Ensure content meets the proper reading level of your audience.
  • Content owners are responsible for the accuracy of everything published under their pages. That responsibility does not transfer to an AI tool.

UH System AI Guidelines

For additional guidance on the use of AI on the UHD website, refer to the UH System’s AI Guidelines for Marketing and Communications and Usage of Artificial Intelligence.

UHD Ed-U-Gator chatbot

UHD maintains an approved AI chatbot that is trained on official UHD website content. The quality of content on our website directly affects the quality of the chatbot’s responses. Inaccurate, outdated, or unclear web content becomes inaccurate, outdated, or unclear chatbot responses. Keeping your pages current directly affects how well we serve students who use the chatbot to find information.

Any new AI-powered tool or integration on the UHD website requires University Relations approval and an IT security review before implementation. This includes chatbots, personalization tools, AI-generated imagery, and any tool that interacts with or displays UHD content.

Content Lifecycle

Providing value and content accuracy is the responsibility of all content owners. Before creating or updating a page, content owners should define a clear purpose: the page's goal, its target audience, and the value it provides to that audience.

  • Pages that cannot answer these three questions should not be published.
  • Pages that are no longer accurate or useful should be updated or removed.
  • Stale content harms the user experience, lowers search engine performance, and degrades the quality of our chatbot’s responses.

University Relations conducts regular content audits using a Content ROT framework, evaluating for Redundant, Outdated, and Trivial content. Web pages flagged for Content ROT issues will be cross-referenced against analytics data to identify pages with little or no traffic.

  • Redundant: Content that says the same thing as another page, or that duplicates content that already exists elsewhere on the site, without a clear need to do so.
  • Outdated: Content that is no longer accurate or refers to past events, former programs, expired dates, or previous faculty and staff members outside of a news article, calendar event, or press release format.
  • Trivial: Content that provides little or no value to users and does not serve a clear purpose for the university.

Content owners will be notified when their pages are flagged during a content audit and will be asked to update, consolidate, or request the removal of affected pages.