Web Writing Style GuideLast updated:7/6/2021

Use this guide to ensure consistency and clarity on esri.com web pages. This guide should be used by anyone who writes content for the web, copyeditors, and AEM authors.

We welcome your feedback on this style guide. Please contact amassey@esri.com.

Table of ContentsEsri’s brand & voice.................................................................................................................2

Writing for the web.................................................................................................................4

Inclusive Language..................................................................................................................4

Writing for AEM......................................................................................................................5

Punctuation............................................................................................................................5

Periods and general punctuation......................................................................................................5

Question marks................................................................................................................................6

Exclamation points...........................................................................................................................7

Italics...............................................................................................................................................7

Oxford or serial comma....................................................................................................................7

Colons and Capitalization.................................................................................................................7

Capitalization..........................................................................................................................8

Sentence case examples...................................................................................................................8Headlines............................................................................................................................................................8

Title case examples..........................................................................................................................9Page Titles..........................................................................................................................................................9Navigation..........................................................................................................................................................9Article Titles........................................................................................................................................................9Title Tags for SEO................................................................................................................................................9SEO Title tags are in title case, though meta descriptions remain in sentence case. Example:..........................9ArcGIS StoryMaps/Maps We Love....................................................................................................................10Calls to action (CTAs)........................................................................................................................................11

Writing for search engine optimization (SEO)........................................................................11

Conduct keyword research.............................................................................................................11

Create high-quality content............................................................................................................12

Use Esri nonbrand focused keywords.............................................................................................13

Fill out optimized SEO fields in AEM...............................................................................................13Title Tag............................................................................................................................................................13

Meta Description..............................................................................................................................................13

Alt Text Requirements...........................................................................................................15

Calls to action and linked text...............................................................................................18

Dates and times....................................................................................................................19

Numbers...............................................................................................................................20

Landing Pages.......................................................................................................................20

Gated Content.......................................................................................................................21

Glossary of common terms for the web.................................................................................21

Privacy and GDPR terminology..............................................................................................22

Helpful Links..........................................................................................................................22

Esri’s brand & voiceRegardless of the type of page you are writing—brand, industry, event, or product—the voice should reflect Esri’s brand personality.

Brand personalityOur personality is authoritative, trustworthy, professional, wise, and leading. We seek to reflect these attributes in our writing and communication.

AUTHORITATIVEIs: factual, decisive, dependableNot: academic, difficult, presumptive, quirky

TRUSTWORTHYIs: experienced, researched, heartfelt, naturalNot: informal, old, slow, risk-averse

PROFESSIONALIs: well qualified, knowledgeable, truthfulNot: cold, distant, formal

WISEIs: intelligent, enlightened, informed, objectiveNot: pedantic, didactic, traditional

LEADINGIs: inspiring, passionate, visionary, influentialNot: domineering, arrogant, bossy, unreachable

Esri’s writing voice

Writing should be: Warm and approachable Helpful and professional Clear and concise—easy to read Considerate of the audience (new visitor, experienced user, industry or product specific,

etc.) Understandable to international audiences, easily translated

Writing should not be: Flippant Cute (no exclamation points or puns) Overly technical or full or jargon (even if you are writing about a technical topic, people

appreciate clear, concise copy) Vague or overly generalized (ask yourself if it withstands the “Does this uniquely apply

to Esri?” test. Could any tech company say the same thing?) Dull Irrelevant

When we write in our brand voice, it strengthens our customer relationships and grows our business by supporting a genuine, accessible, and consistent tone in our communication. Learn more in the Esri Brand Guidelines.

ToneWhile the Esri voice remains the same, it may change tone depending on the situation—just like how you have one personality, but you respond differently to different people and situations. Keep the voice constant and adjust tone as needed to honor the situation and feelings our users may have in certain scenarios. For example, an error message will have a more sober tone than a social media post.

Tagline Our tagline is: The Science of Where Do not include the registered trademark symbol “®” on the web (or any other trademark

symbols). Do not italicize the tagline on the web. Never abbreviate or alter the tagline. Use it sparingly, not gratuitously. Avoid using the tagline in copy or you may dilute its

power and compromise its place as the cornerstone of Esri’s value definition.

Writing for the web

Scanability is key. According to studies by Nielsen Norman Group, people tend to skim or scan on the web, rather than read every word. Often, people read only the first few words of the first few areas of information. Many of our guidelines are influenced by this fact. Web writing should be:

Concise—use only the words you need and prune excess words. Scannable—break up long sentences/paragraphs, use bulleted lists. Objective—avoid jargon, marketing speak, and extra adjectives. To the point—put the most important information at the top of the page. Sentences

should begin with the most important words.

Our audience is internationalOver 50 percent of website visitors to Esri.com come from outside the United States. It’s important to use language that’s both easy to understand and to translate into other languages. For more information, contact translation_services@esri.com.

Keep content globally relevant; avoid culture-specific references. Keep sentences short and simple (20–25 words max). Avoid slang, jargon, humor, sarcasm, colloquialism, metaphor, informal language. Avoid abbreviations and acronyms; if it’s necessary to use one, define it first. Avoid religious references, flags, political symbols. Avoid ampersands and percent signs (unless needed for character count limits or in

Meta Descriptions). When listing 1-800 numbers, the “1” isn’t necessary. Start with 800-xxx-xxxx, but be

sure to include a link to the Contact Us page and direct people there with this linked text: “Contact an office near you”

Link to Contact Us page whenever possible; it will redirect based on the user’s IP address to show the right contact information for their country.

Inclusive LanguageAs a global technology company, Esri strives to be inclusive, diverse, and non-biased in the development of technology and in all communication. We need to watch for bias, prejudice, and cultural assumptions and avoid demeaning, exclusive, and divisive terminology.

The product writing team maintains an inclusive language list . Please make use of it and check back for updates. Also see Esri’s Racial Equity and Social Justice Communication Guidelines.

Writing for AEMAnything written for Esri.com will need to be inputted into Adobe Experience Manager (AEM), our content management system for the website. We build web pages in AEM by stacking components. These components sometimes have specific character count limits. For example, a headline in a “Hero Banner” component might need to be 50 characters or less (including spaces).

Follow these steps so you do not have to rewrite your content later to fit character counts, saving you time. This will also save time when building your web page, as the AEM author will know exactly what text goes where on the web page. Lastly, it will give copyeditors and proofreaders crucial context to help them accurately review your content.

Start by knowing which components you’re writing for. Look those components up in the AEM Reference of   Component Content Elements

(includes instructions for use). Copy/Paste your components into a new, unique Content Template for your web page. Delete any fields that you won’t be using or that don’t apply. Make sure to include “Page Properties” as your first component. This allows you to

determine exactly how your page will appear in search engine results. See “Writing for Search Engine Optimization” in this document for more information.

PunctuationUse punctuation sparingly. Punctuation is not always necessary on the web and can sometimes impede the reader’s flow. Be conservative with punctuation within headlines, like colons and dashes. Keep headlines simple whenever possible.

Periods and general punctuationDo not use periods or punctuation marks in these areas:

Headlines and section titles Subheadlines/Taglines Button (call to action) text Linked text (for example, See all available datasets) Navigation text (in the top navigation bars on Esri.com) Bulleted lists Body copy that is a sentence fragment

Exceptions:

1. When taglines have more than one sentence, or extra emphasis is needed, punctuation may be used.

2. If body copy only has one sentence, even if it’s a complete sentence, you can choose to include a period, or not. The rule is that all instances must match across the web page. Either all sections in the same type of component have periods, or none do. Examples:

Example without periods, consistent across the web page components

Example with periods, consistent across the web page components

Question marksAvoid using questions in headlines or section titles. These are typically not necessary and can be perceived as a sales pitch and not genuine or straightforward. Avoid using a question in a headline or title when you can. For example:

Instead of: Use this:Wondering how to get started? Get startedWant a free trial? Start your free trialWant to know more? Contact us (or omit)

If you must use a question in a headline/section title, include the question mark punctuation.

Exclamation pointsAvoid these on web pages and documentation pages. When writing for the web, remember that exclamation marks or extraneous punctuation marks can affect interpretation and translation and change the way Esri’s brand is perceived.

We want to convey thoughtfulness and demonstrate consistency in all our brandcommunications, regardless of platform. In some cases, using exclamation points can dilute or weaken our message or be unappealing to audiences.

However, exclamation points can sometimes be appropriate on blog posts written by specific people, rather than general pages.

Do: Occasionally use on blog posts and social media postsDon’t: Don’t use on call-to-action buttons, linked text, headlines, or on general web pages on Esri.comNever: Don’t use more than one exclamation point in a row!!!!

ItalicsUsing italics on the web can make text harder for readers to scan or skim the copy. It also causes difficulties when translating. Many of our AEM component fields also don’t allow for rich text.

Oxford or serial commaAt Esri, we use the Oxford or serial comma. When listing items, use a comma before the final item.

Examples: Agriculture, government, and utilities all benefit from ArcGIS. We support our users’ important work with a commitment to science, sustainability,

community, education, research, and positive change. Add capabilities to ArcGIS Desktop with extensions for advanced analysis, specialized

data and workflows, and industry-focused solutions. Optimize routing by including your own custom network data (private roads) and

restrictions for weight, turns, or cargo.

Note: You can omit the Oxford comma from Page Properties (the SEO meta description) to save space.

Colons and Capitalization In headings and headlines, capitalize the first word following a colon. When a colon introduces two or more sentences or when it introduces speech in dialog

or an extract, the first word following it is capitalized (e.g., "Many of the police officers

held additional jobs: Thirteen of them, for example, moonlighted as security guards. Four of them worked as part-time coaches. Six held temporary retailjobs.").

Capitalize a word following a lead-in word or phrase (e.g., "XML file parser: The engineers developed a document object model-based XML file parser." or "XML file parser: Fully functional"). The lead-in may be bulleted or not.

CapitalizationUsing consistent capitalization will help make Esri.com more uniform. As a default, items on our website are written in sentence case, with a few exceptions for product names, page titles, article titles, and proper names. This is because sentence case is easier to read when scanning a web page. Since Esri has many products and offerings, sentence case helps our users distinguish product names from other text. It also makes decisions about which words should be capitalized a bit easier, further contributing to a consistent look across Esri.com. When in doubt, use sentence case.

Sentence case is when you only capitalize the first letter of the first word in a sentence or series of words. (Proper nouns are still capitalized)

Title case is capitalizing the first letter of each word except articles (a, an, the), conjunctions (and, but, or…), and prepositions (on, in, with…).

Sentence case examples

HeadlinesHeadlines (that are not page titles) in banners and within a page should be in sentence case. They should not end in a period, even if they could be seen as a complete sentence.

Banner headline

Banner headline

Headline within a web page

Title case examples

Page TitlesThe names of web pages should be title case. In this example, Electric and Gas Utilities is the name of the page.

NavigationNavigation should use title case because it reflects the actual name of the page.

Article Titles The titles of articles in (ArcNews, ArcUser,

blogs, WhereNext Magazine, etc.) should be in title case. They should be enclosed in quotation marks when referenced elsewhere, though not on the original article.

Subheadings in Esri Publications, the Esri Blog, and WhereNext Magazine are also in title case.

When referencing the title of an article, match the case of the article title on the destination page if you can fit the entire exact title in your component field. If not and you need to alter or shorten the title, revert to sentence case.

Title Tags for SEOSEO Title tags are in title case, though meta descriptions remain in sentence case. Example:

Title Tag: Professional 2D & 3D GIS Mapping Software | ArcGIS Pro

Meta Description: Esri’s next-gen 64-bit desktop GIS software is ArcGIS Pro. ArcGIS Pro provides professional 2D and 3D mapping in an intuitive user interface. Try free for 21 days.

ArcGIS StoryMaps/Maps We Love The names of individual ArcGIS StoryMaps, classic Esri Story Maps, and Maps We Love

should be in title case. When referring to a story from another component (such as a standard card), match the

casing of the destination story itself (just like articles). If you must shorten, go to sentence case.

The lowercase words “story map” should not be used for legal reasons. If referring to a story built with ArcGIS StoryMaps, refer to it simply as a story or a narrative map.

ArcGIS StoryMaps example Maps We Love example

Calls to action (CTAs)CTAs use sentence case and should not end in a period, even if they are a complete sentence. For example:

Read the case study

Watch the video

Start a trial

The only time words in a CTA are capitalized is when the text contains a proper noun.

Writing for search engine optimization (SEO)People often find our content by performing a Google search, rather than typing Esri.com into their web browser. SEO improves web pages so they are more likely to rank high in search engines, and thus be found by our intended audiences (users and potential customers). SEO is important because

93 percent of online experiences begin with a search engine. 71 percent of B2B consumers start their research with a nonbrand search. This means

that people are Googling a keyword without an associated brand. For Esri, brand keywords include “Esri,” “ArcGIS,” and “CityEngine,” while nonbrand keywords include “GIS software,” “mapping,” and “location intelligence.”

75 percent of consumers won’t go further than the first page of Google. If we are not ranking on page 1 in Google, most consumers will not see our web pages.

SEO can help us increase traffic to our website, build more brand awareness, acquire new customers, and break into new markets.

For SEO questions, please contact Tiffany Okada at tokada@esri.com.

Here’s how you can help SEO when writing for the web:Conduct keyword researchWhether writing new content or editing current content, start with keyword research. This is one of the most important and high return activities a writer can do to get Esri’s content to rank well in search engines.

Keyword research process

1. When conducting keyword research, think about your audience and the topic you are writing about, with the goal to uncover the words and phrases that your searchers are actually using.

2. Create a list of 5–10 keywords that you want to be found for.3. Conduct a Google search and check keyword relevance for each keyword. (Does it make

sense for your content to show up in search results for each searched keyword?)4. Expand your initial keyword list by reviewing keywords shown in the “Searches related

to” feature and other Google Search Engine Results Page (SERP) features, in addition to competitive listings, for related keywords and content ideas.

5. Enter keywords into Ubersuggest or Google Keyword Planner to view search volume, as well as get other keyword ideas, keyword variations, and semantically related keywords.

a. Example: If your targeted keyword is ‘location intelligence,’ a keyword variation would be ‘location intelligence technology,’ and a semantically related keyword would be ‘visual analytics.’

6. Choose 2–3 targeted keywords to focus on in content. Make sure you are targeting realistic and relevant keywords that users are searching for.

Create high-quality contentA key factor to SEO success, quality content is content that is more credible and valuable than other sources. Here’s how to increase the quality of your web content.

1. Minimize duplicate content. Content must be unique from other pages on our websites and other external sources. A high percentage of duplicate or spun content compromises content quality.

2. Use main targeted keyword in first 100 words of content. This will ensure users and search engines clearly identify the main topic of the page.

3. Incorporate targeted keywords, keyword variations, and semantically related keywords you discovered during keyword research. Make content keyword rich, but do not “keyword stuff.”

4. Include a minimum of 250-350 words per page. Content should be comprehensive and not “thin.” Adjust length to fit user intent for the topic, keeping in mind that longer content typically performs better in search.

5. Connect relevant content by linking to 1–3 internal pages within content, when appropriate. Internal links help Google crawl our site and help provide users with further reading options, which can help reduce bounce rate, increase pages per visit, and increase time on-site.

Use Esri nonbrand focused keywordsEsri currently has strategies in place to rank in Google searches for certain keywords. Incorporate these nonbranded keywords within your content to help increase Esri’s relevance

and rankings for these topics. For a current list of these keywords, check with Tiffany Okada, who updates the list regularly.

Fill out optimized SEO fields in AEMThis is known in AEM and in the AEM Reference Component Content Elements document as “Page Properties”. Create a thoughtful, strategic title tag and meta description for every new web page you create. Optimize these properties for older pages whenever you’re reviewing or revising their content.

Title TagThe title tag is one of the most important SEO factors as it influences keyword rankings. The title tag is displayed in (1) search results (2) web browsers, and (3) social networks when the page is shared.

Accurately and concisely describe the content on the page. Ensure the title tag is unique and not a duplicate from other pages. Include targeted keyword at/near the beginning of the title tag. Use title case. Use a pipe (|) or hyphen (-) to separate keywords. Ideal length is 60—65 characters. Google is now showing title tags longer than 65

characters on some searches. However, your title tag may get truncated (or cut off) if in a normal search result, and Google will show “…” (ellipsis)

It’s ok to use ampersands and omit the use of Oxford commas in title tags to save space and include more keyword content.

Title Tag Examples:

ArcGIS Pro page: esri.com/en-us/arcgis/products/arcgis-pro/overviewo Professional 2D & 3D GIS Mapping Software | ArcGIS Pro

Real Estate page: esri.com/en-us/industries/real-estate/overview o GIS for Real Estate | Get Detailed Location-Based Insight & Drive Growth

Consulting Services page: esri.com/en-us/arcgis/services/ consulting o GIS Consulting Services | Project, Business & Technical Consulting

Meta DescriptionThe meta description, while not important to search engine rankings, is extremely important in getting users to click on search results. The meta description is displayed in (1) search results and (2) social networks when the page is shared.

Accurately and concisely describe the content on the page. Ensure the meta description is unique and not a duplicate from other pages.

Include the same targeted keyword used in the title tag in the meta description. Use sentence case. Write complete sentences or phrases with proper punctuation. Ideal length is 160–165 characters. Google is now showing meta descriptions longer

than 165 characters on some searches. However, your meta description may get truncated (or cut off) if in a normal search result, and Google will show “…” (ellipsis).

Don’t include double quotation marks. When quotation marks are used in a meta description, Google cuts off that description at the quotation mark when it appears in search results.

Meta Description Examples

ArcGIS Pro page: esri.com/en-us/arcgis/products/arcgis-pro/overviewo Esri’s next-gen 64-bit desktop GIS software is ArcGIS Pro. ArcGIS Pro provides

professional 2D and 3D mapping in an intuitive user interface. Try free for 21 days.

Real Estate page: esri.com/en-us/industries/real-estate/overview o ArcGIS software amplifies market knowledge with the best location-based data

to help real estate companies better understand factors that drive growth. Learn more about GIS for real estate.

Consulting Services page: esri.com/en-us/arcgis/services/ consulting o Esri’s GIS consulting services offers project work, business, and technical levels of

engagement. Find out how our professional consultants can help your business.

Alt Text Requirements

1. Definitiona. Alt text (aka “image alt text” or “img alt text” refers to alternative text that

accompanies and refers to an image on the web. b. Alt text describes the image to search engines, since they can’t fully decipher

images yet.c. When websites can't render an image, the alt text will be shown in place of the

image.

2. Importancea. Necessary for compliance with WCAG standards. Esri is required as a US

government contractor to be WCAG compliant. b. Used by screen readers and other assistive devices, usually for people with visual

impairments.c. Increases chance of Esri being found online, part of Search Engine Optimization

(SEO). d. If it’s important to include the image, it’s important to describe it.

3. Basic guidelinesa. Length: Limit to 16 words or about 125 characters max, including spaces. b. Describe the content of the image as it relates to the context of the web page.c. Don’t include “image of,” “picture of,” in your alt text. It’s already assumed your

alt text is referring to an image.d. Do not duplicate any other surrounding text, including image captions.e. Write as a phrase; do not use punctuation like a period to end a sentence.f. Use at least one primary keyword in at least one instance of alt text relevant to

what you would want the web page to be found for in a Google search. i. This does not mean you need to include a keyword in every instance of

alt text on the page. Be careful not to “keyword stuff.”

4. When to usea. In blog posts, when uploading an image to Wordpress asset libraryb. In blog posts, when including an image in a postc. On general web pages, for any image that isn’t a background imaged. Decorative images or background images that are part of the design don’t

require an alt text. e. Images that don’t have a purpose don’t require an alt text.

5. More resourcesa. https://yoast.com/image-seo/ b. https://moz.com/learn/seo/alt-text

c. https://support.siteimprove.com/hc/en-gb/articles/115000013031-Accessibility-Image- Alt-text-best-practices

d. https://uxdesign.cc/how-to-write-an-image-description-2f30d3bf5546

6. Alt text examplesFor an article about attending business school:

Alt text that relates to context of article (preferred): A business school professor pointing to a student’s computer screen

Alt text with no relation to context of article: Person pointing to someone else’s computer screen

Alt text with various contexts:

Alt-text with no context: A mostly empty stadium. Alt-text on a page about recent turnout for track tryouts: Harvard Stadium with two

lone runners bounding up the steps. Alt-text on page about renovation projects: Harvard Stadium with cracked concrete

pillars.

Alt text that includes a primary keyword:

URL: https://www.esri.com/en-us/arcgis/services/overview

Primary keywords:1. esri services2. gis professional services3. gis training services4. gis support services

Alt text: A consultant providing GIS training services via a virtual class

Images or screenshots of Esri software in action:

Note: Be descriptive but don’t try to do any sort of interpretation of what the product image is showing (no need to get too technical). Alt text: ArcGIS Pro tools analyzing a building image

For more examples and tips, view the Alt Text Training slide deck

Calls to action and linked text

Calls to action direct our visitors to take the next step, moving them toward deeper content, related content, contacting us, or making a purchase. They provide purpose to each page on Esri.com.

What is a call to action (CTA)?A CTA is the main action you want a visitor to take on a web page. Adding a CTA makes it clear what visitors should do next and encourages them to continue their journey on our website instead of hitting a dead end. This is different from other clickable buttons or linked text on the page.

A CTA is usually the most prominent button on the page and may appear at the top, throughout, and at the bottom of the web page. Web pages often include our AEM CTA Container component, which can contain more than one CTA. However, the fewer CTAs on a page, the more likely it is the visitor will take the desired action. Focus on one primary CTA whenever possible.

CTAs, buttons, and linked textA call to action button, other clickable buttons, or any text that is hyperlinked should be descriptive and clearly state what will happen when someone selects it. This text sets the expectation for the visitor about what they will see once they select it. The text is also indexed by search engines like Google and Bing to help inform them about what will be on the page being linked to, so it’s important to be descriptive.

Whenever possible, make your CTAs and hyperlinks distinct from each other, rather than repeating the same phrase throughout the page. For example, saying “Learn more” at the end of each section doesn’t give the user much information about what they will find when they click. Using more specific wording helps us get more accurate data about where on your page people are clicking.

Also, when we look at Adobe Analytics, if the same CTA copy displays throughout the page, we have no way of determining which specific link the user clicked on.

Set the expectation of what will happen. Be descriptive (“Explore the training catalog” instead of “Learn more” or “Email me”

instead of “Notify me” so that users know exactly how they will be notified). Never use “click here” for linked text or CTAs and avoid “learn more” when possible. Make CTAs on the same page distinct from each other; avoid repeating the same one. When possible, use an imperative or command statement (“Explore the case study”

instead of “Case study”). This increases the chances that the visitor will take action. Use sentence case (“Explore the article” instead of “Explore the Article”). When text is on a button, limit the length to 30 characters when possible. Do not use punctuation.

For instances where character count is an issue, use “Go to” (e.g.,” Go to the video” or “Go to the podcast”)

Avoid hyperlinked text within the body copy—These types of links can get missed. Important CTAs should be pulled out as links within the relevant AEM component. Exceptions: blog posts, trial page, documentation, FAQ pages.

CTAs use sentence case and should not end in a period, even if they are a complete sentence. For example:

Explore the case study

Launch the video (good for videos that launch in modal)

Start a trial

The only time a CTA will use title case is when the text contains a proper noun.

Common CTAs and links Explore the article Explore the story (great for links that go to ArcGIS StoryMaps stories) Launch the video Go to the map Access the webinar recording Download the ebook Send an email Get started Start the chat Go to the event Access the agenda Subscribe Start your free trial Register for the class Sign up Go to the podcast

Dates and times Avoid using seasons. We have an international audience, so, for example, summer falls

at a different time of year for some visitors. Use format hh:mm a.m. and p.m., do not use “noon” or “midnight.”

Use month, date, year format. International pages may follow the date, month, year format instead, where appropriate.

When sharing an upcoming date, such as for upcoming webinars and events, always include the year. This helps readers know the page is up-to-date, and they can count on the event taking place.

Use Pacific time (PT) or Eastern time (ET) instead of referencing Standard (PST, EST) or Daylight Savings (PDT, EDT) time zones.

o If you do use PDT/PST/EDT/EST, ensure that the time zone is referenced correctly and that is consistent across the page(s).

Military/24-hour time is ok to use when required for international events. If using, do not use am/pm references. Ensure that all time references are consistent throughout the related web pages—do not combine military and 12-hour terminology on the same page.

When listing the location for webinars or virtual conferences, use “Virtual” - not “online”

Numbers When referring to a list or icon series, always use numerals (1, 2, 3, etc.) Within the text when character counts allow, spell out 1–9 (one, two, etc.), and use

numerals from 10 on up.

Landing PagesA landing page is a web page that is targeted to a specific audience and has one goal, one message, and one call to action.

It is often accessible via a direct link, such as through an email or ad, and not necessarily through navigation of Esri.com. The look of the landing page should be consistent with the email or ad that drives people to it. A landing page should not have navigation because each navigation option you provide dilutes attention from the call to action. There are two types of landing pages:

1. Click Through—The goal is to persuade visitors to click through to an Esri.com page. The landing page warms up a visitor to a point where they are closer to a buying decision.

2. Lead Generation—The goal is to capture user data, such as name and email address, that allows us to market and connect with a prospect in the future. Use caution when combining this type of landing page with gated content; see the Gated Content section in this guide for more information.

Gated ContentGated content is any online material (ebook, technical paper, report, article) that requires visitors to provide an email address or fill out a longer form to gain access to the material. In general, we are moving away from gated content for the following reasons:

SEO considerations: Content shouldn’t be gated if your main goal is to establish

stronger thought leadership, increase site traffic, and improve SEO. Search engines usually can’t see content behind gates, so it’s best to keep content within view if you want to make it findable.

Customer journey considerations: Site visitors are most apt to complete forms when

they can’t get the information elsewhere and when the purchase intent is high. People in the initial stages of the buying cycle have lower commitment and a higher propensity to abandon forms than people in later buying stages.

In rare cases when we might use gating, ensure that the content is stellar and gives enough information to understand the value of the content before they pass through the gate.

Glossary of common terms for the web

Below are the preferred uses of common web terms.

FAQ: Stands for frequently asked questions. Do not use “FAQs” or spell out “frequently asked questions. This should be followed by a series of two or more questions.

ebook (Ebook if capitalization is needed). NOT e-Book, E-book, E-Book, or eBook basemap real-time vs. real time: Use “real-time” when it acts as an adjective, preceding and

describing a noun, for example “real-time GIS”. Omit the hyphen when it acts as a noun for example, “monitor supply chains in real time”.

Remote sensing (no hyphen, not remote-sensing, even when a modifier) sign in, sign out: use these terms instead of log in, log out, sign off. internet (not capitalized Internet) In form fields and where appropriate, use “Country/Region” instead of “Country” alone. The Esri Geospatial Cloud is capitalized, but in normal body text the general term should

be lowercase geospatial cloud

Further terminology resources: Esri Product Naming Guide Esri Term Browser GIS Dictionary

Privacy and GDPR terminology

Reference and use this wording when General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) statements are required.

Privacy requirements for web forms on all Esri web properties

To comply with the European Union GDPR and other privacy legislation around the world, the following are requirements for all forms on all Esri web properties.

Privacy Statement

We shall obtain agreement to Esri’s Privacy Statement before collecting any personal information. Include the following on the form with the go forward button disabled until the user checks the box. Exception: if the form is only available to signed in users, the user would have already agreed to the Privacy Statement and this shall not be displayed.

I agree to Esri’s Privacy Statement. Learn more about privacy at Esri.

Terms of Use For new accounts (e.g., Esri Accounts, ArcGIS Online Accounts, Developer Accounts, etc.), we shall also obtain agreement to Esri’s Terms of Use. Include the following on the new account form with the go forward button disabled until the user checks the box.

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AEM Reference Content Template : Word document Authoring Guide : Internal web page for understanding our layouts and components

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AEM Sites PASC page : Internal Compass page for help with authoring pages Inclusive Language Guide Racial Equity Guidelines Writing Compelling Digital Copy – webinar course available

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o Watch a recording here: https://web.microsoftstream.com/video/de3f3643-f0b6-4f41-b8cd-1e0be0d713df

o Slides can be found here.