You should maintain a consistent voice and tone throughout your website. Content on College websites should be casual and approachable, yet professional. The tone should vary according to the audience and their feelings.

Use pronouns. Address the user as “you” and the department as “we”—unless a page is likely to serve multiple main audiences. It is sometimes necessary to be more formal and use the department’s full name (for example, “Department of English”).

Visualize writing to another person. It makes it easier to focus your content and utilize pronouns.

Write plainly. Use short sentences with straightforward language rather than long sentences containing jargon. This will help your user find the information they need and improve search optimization.

Know your audience. You may use a slightly different tone when writing for prospective undergraduate students and graduate students. Or, when addressing alumni and donors.

Integrate your brand personality. In addition to the College’s brand, your department has a brand–even if it hasn’t been articulated. It’s embedded in the culture of your program and your discipline, and represented by your faculty, students, and staff. Your brand is your department’s story. What are the strengths of your department? What primary messages do you have to share? These should be woven into the voice and tone of your content.