Rules page template
The Rules template can be used for policy, regulatory or legislation focused content to make it more easily understood. Rules pages are written in a more formal way, with links to the relevant legislation. The Rules template is a variation of the standard page template.
Why use the Rules template
By using the Rules template you can create simple, accessible guides to regulatory, policy and legal content. Use the Rules template to make complex legal content more easily understood, however, still in a formal policy-focused tone.
Rules can be categorised so that they can be filtered in a centralised listing component that is based on agency or topic area. This means that as new rules are added, they will automatically appear in the right context, based on tagging.
Rules pages have the potential to be syndicated to other platforms.
Using the Rules template
Do
- Create 1 rules page for each key piece of legislation, guidance or topic, although this may not be possible for more complex topics.
- Link to other related rules, legislation or information either within the text or by using the dedicated related legislation section or Connections tab.
- Put relevant legislation links in the dedicated section of the template.
How to write the Rules content
Rules pages are written in a different style to other nsw.gov.au site content. The Rules pages must be:
- written in a formal style
- written in third-person
- audience agnostic
- linked to the most relevant legislation – both State and Federal – that can then be reviewed and updated as legislation changes.
Related information links can be added within the page text and/or as links in the Connections tab.
Do
- Write in a formal style.
- Write in the third person. For example, 'the tenant must give notice'. Other site content, such as landing pages that link to your Rules page, can follow the usual nsw.gov.au style and use: first person plural ('we' and 'our') and second person singular ('you').
- Make the language as simple and easy to understand as possible, however you may need to also include specific legal terms and definitions. You should explain any complicated terminology.
- Include links to the most relevant legislation – both State and Federal – that can then be reviewed and updated as legislation changes. Related information links can be added within the page text and/or as links in the Connections tab.
- Break up long and complex information into short, easy-to-understand pieces of content. You may need to create multiple Rules pages for a single piece of legislation.
- Use words that are easy for people to understand.
- If you are creating multiple rules, use a consistent content structure.
- Keep your content up-to-date as legislation changes.
- Provide information that is as complete as possible within the rule so that the user has everything they need to understand their rights and/or responsibilities under that rule.
- If the rule is framing a right or a responsibility, write the page title accordingly, for example 'Tenants' rights'.
Don't
- Write for a specific audience. For example you should say, 'the tenant can ask their landlord', and not 'you can ask your landlord'. This allows Rules content to be flexible and reusable. For example, a Rule can be added to other audience-specific content, such as, both a Tenants Hub and a Landlords Hub. (This is unique to Rules content, other site-content should be audience-specific).
How to create a Rules page
Go to Content > Add content > Standard page, then select Standard Page: Rule.
Set up tabs
You will need to work through the following tabs – Content, Rule, Media, Tags, Connections – to finish creating your page. Some fields are mandatory.
Title (mandatory)
- Use sentence case unless brand names or proper names are in use. No special characters. Try to aim for a maximum of 50 characters.
- The page title forms the end of the URL and appears in the breadcrumb and side navigation.
- The title displays as the H1 heading for the page and is the default meta title for SEO (Search Engine Optimisation).
Importance of page title (meta title) for SEO
The page title (also known as the meta title) is an important page elements for SEO.
- The page title is the text that appears in the browser tab and is also used as the main link text in search engine results pages (SERPs).
- It is the first thing the audience see when they come across your web page in search results.
- It is important to make sure that the page title accurately describes the content of the page and includes relevant keywords to help search engines understand what the page is about.
Summary (mandatory)
- The page summary will appear under the page title on the web page.
- Try to keep it less than 170 characters in length.
- The summary is also the default meta description for SEO.
Importance of the page summary (meta description) for SEO
- The meta description is a brief summary of the content on the web page that appears below the page title in search results.
- It can influence click-through rates (CTR) from search results to your web page.
- A well-crafted meta description can entice users to click through to your page by providing a concise summary of the content, include relevant keywords, and highlighting the benefits of visiting your page.
Callout
You may want to add a page level callout by clicking the Add callout button. A page level callout may be helpful if, for example, you wanted to notify users of upcoming or recent changes to the rule. Find out more about callouts.
Content
Short title (optional)
Use the short title field if you want to shorten your page title for side navigation and breadcrumbs to prevent text wrapping for long page titles. Use sentence case. If no URL slug is used, the short title will also modify the URL.
URL slug (optional)
You can use the URL slug field to modify the end part of your URL. Use the URL slug to create a shorter, SEO-friendly URL and prevent duplication of words.
The URL slug will override the URL that is automatically generated from the page title.
The URL slug:
- must be lowercase
- must separate words with a - (hyphen)
- should include the page's primary keyword
- should not exceed 32 characters.
The media tab is only used when the Rules page forms part of another component, for example, listings.
You’ll need to complete the 3 mandatory tags.
Agency (mandatory)
- Start to type the name of the relevant Cluster or Agency in the Agency field and select from the drop down list.
- You can choose more than one agency however, the first Agency listed will be the main agency for the content and will receive the Google Analytics data for the page.
Audience (mandatory)
- You must select 1 or more audience types, that your content is relevant for.
Topic (mandatory)
- You must select at least 1 of the 20 main Topic tags, that is relevant to your content.
- The list of main topics can be found on the homepage.
Category (recommended)
Adding the Category tag is useful as it allows rules to be filtered within an agency or topic area.
Parent (mandatory)
- Start to type the title for the nominated Parent page for your new web page.
- The Parent you select will determine the URL structure and breadcrumb navigation at the top of the page.
Related information
Relation information links will appear on your Rules page on the right hand side below an H2 heading titled Related links. If, for example, your Rule is about 'Residential tenancy agreements' you could add related link for 'Paying you rent in advance' or 'Sharing a residential rental property.'
There's no limit to how many related links you can add.
Legislation details
Use the NSW legislation link or Federal legislation link field to add links if there is legislation that relates to your Rule. You can add multiple legislation links. You can add links in this section, as well as within the text of your Rules page.
1. Go to the Right hand side page menu > Governance > Editorial group.
2. Select the Editorial group/s that will be responsible for keeping this new web page updated. You can choose more than one group.
Once you have completed all the mandatory fields, scroll to the bottom of the page and click Save.
You can now edit your new agency page by selecting Pre-Published Draft from the page toolbar and selecting Edit content.
How the Rules template displays
Live examples of the Rules page will be available soon.