Voice & tone

Unless an image is purely decorative, it should have an alt tag: a short bit of text explaining the content of the image to those who can't see it, whether due to vision issues or a poor connection.

Be helpful, informative, and concrete. Always cite your sources and provide real-world examples.

Keep body copy short and succinct, and always use the active voice. If you can cut a word, cut it.

Sentence case buttons, and keep them as clear as possible in 3–4 words or less.

Keep it short, sweet, and focused. One email = one task. (Except for the newsletter.)

Explain what went wrong and how to fix it.

Use sparingly, except with the #MadeInWebflow tag.

We sentence case headlines in marketing content, but use title case within the product.

Use frequent subheads to structure your documents and break large tasks into clear, discrete steps.

1. Don’t use icons or shortened forms — always spell out the full key name
2. Use sentence case for each key name
3. Use the + sign with spaces between key names
4. Use (on Mac) and (on Windows) when the key names differ

Always embed links in clear, specific language that tells the user about the destination. Never embed in generic terms like here or learn more.

Use numbered lists where order or hierarchy matters, bulleted lists otherwise. And don't end list items with periods unless the item runs to two sentences.

Tell people what's happening, and ask how to handle the issue.

Use numerals (1, 5, 653) instead of spelling out numbers in all but idiomatic usages, like "one in a million." 

Directly address readers and users with you, and use the gender-neutral they rather than he or he/she in generic references.

Always get permission, cite your source, and respect the original content. If you need to edit, get the provider's approval before you publish.

Before sharing on social, always ask yourself: does this message serve me, the user? 

Clearly describe what's in the email, as succinctly as possible. Tell, don't sell.

We unpublish sites that violate our Terms of Service, but we also let customers who built them know why we did it. Learn how.

Show people what we'll be building, build it, then show them what we built.