This guide establishes standards for grammar, tone, punctuation, formatting, and accessibility across public-facing Travis County websites. It ensures clarity, consistency, and inclusivity in communication. The guide draws from the AP Stylebook, 57th Edition and the Chicago Manual of Style, 18th Edition, while incorporating digital content best practices and accessibility standards.
Travis County follows the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 to ensure digital content is usable by all people, including those with disabilities. This style guide supports that effort by enforcing standards such as:
Color contrast: All text must maintain a contrast ratio of at least 4.5:1 against its background.
Descriptive hyperlinks: Link text must provide context (e.g., View the report rather than Click here).
Consistent headings: Use structured heading levels to support screen reader navigation.
Plain language: Avoid legalese or jargon to make content easier to understand for a wider audience.
Why this matters: Clear, accessible, and respectful language helps all residents engage with county services.
Avoid jargon and bureaucratic phrasing.
Use direct, everyday language.
✅ Apply for a permit online.
❌ Residents are encouraged to facilitate permit applications via the online portal.
Use active voice whenever possible.
✅ The department launched a new program.
❌ A new program was launched by the department.
Use passive voice only when the subject is unknown or irrelevant.
Why this matters: Consistent formatting improves readability and builds trust in the site’s professionalism.
Use Title Case for headers, subheaders, and links.
✅ How to Apply for a Permit
Use Sentence case for body text.
✅ The county offers multiple services to residents.
Use bold to emphasize key terms, instructions, or warnings.
Do not bold full sentences or paragraphs.
Use italics for:
Titles of standalone works (Annual County Report)
Foreign words not commonly used in English (ad hoc)
Scientific names (Homo sapiens)
Avoid italics for general emphasis.
Use “and” unless the ampersand is part of an official name (e.g., Treasurer & Tax Collector).
Do not use alternate font colors for emphasis.
Do not highlight text for visual emphasis.
These practices reduce accessibility and visual consistency.
Spell out acronyms on first use, followed by the acronym in parentheses.
✅ Transportation & Natural Resources (TNR)
Use only the acronym on subsequent references.
Do not use periods within acronyms (e.g., use PDF, not P.D.F.).
Capitalize titles only when they directly precede a name.
✅ County Judge Andy Brown
❌ Andy Brown, County Judge
Do not capitalize job descriptions or titles used generically (the judge, the commissioner).
If unsure, rephrase the sentence to avoid ambiguity.
Why this matters: Images and media must meet accessibility standards and fit the site’s visual identity.
Do not place text over images. This affects readability and screen reader accessibility.
Use 1440 x 345 pixels for all banner images.
Include metadata such as alt text and descriptions to ensure content can be interpreted by assistive technology.
Why this matters: Strong structure allows users to quickly scan and digest content.
Use a full sentence to introduce any list, ending in a colon.
Formal content: Use full sentences and end with periods.
Informal content: Use short phrases; periods are optional.
✅ The food bank needs: Canned goods, rice, baby formula
Use descriptive link text, never raw URLs.
All hyperlinks must be presented as words or phrases providing context for the linked content. Avoid using generic phrases like "click here." Instead, utilize descriptive and meaningful text accurately representing the link’s destination. Study the examples below.
Do | Don’t | Notes |
|---|---|---|
Learn more about our services. | Click here for more info. | Hyperlinking the text “our services” lets readers know they can expect to be taken to a page specific to services. On the other hand, the text “here” can refer to any number of topics or subject matter. |
Learn more about our services. | Learn more about our services. | Lengthy hyperlinked text can cause confusion and negatively impacts the discoverability of content. Short descriptive text helps improve the discoverability and readability of content. |
Once the affidavit is signed by a notary, please submit it to the District Clerk’s Office. | Once the affidavit is signed by a notary, please submit it to the District Clerk’s Office. Visit their website at https://www.traviscountytx.gov/district-clerk | The hyperlinked text “District Clerk’s Office” complies with accessibility standards as the text is easily picked up by users who rely on screen readers. A URL hyperlink impacts the readability of the text as it is not easily or immediately recognizable where the URL redirects. |
Note: Some hyperlinks presented in the examples above aren’t real. The blue and underlined text are only there to demonstrate proper contextual use of hyperlinks.
Why this matters: Proper grammar and punctuation enhance clarity, professionalism, and readability.
Always use the Oxford comma:
✅ Families, veterans, and seniors.
Hyphen (-): Use for compound adjectives (high-quality service)
En dash (–): Use for number ranges (pages 5–10)
Do not use en dashes for time ranges—use “to” instead
✅ February 14, 2025 to February 20, 2025.
Em dash (—): Use sparingly for emphasis
Avoid overuse. Prefer commas or dashes for incidental information when possible.
Periods and commas go inside quotation marks.
Colons and semicolons go outside.
Why this matters: Consistent formatting ensures information is easy to understand at a glance.
Spell out numbers 1 through 9.
Use numerals for 10 and above.
Always spell out numbers at the beginning of sentences.
Use full month names (January 15, 2024).
Use abbreviated months only when space is limited.
Do not use ordinal suffixes (15th, 23rd).
Use 12-hour clock, lowercase am/pm without periods (2:00 pm).
Do not use “12:00 am” or “12:00 pm”—write noon or midnight.
Time ranges should be written as: 9:00 am to 5:00 pm (no hyphens).
Use all-dash format with no parentheses:
✅ 512-555-5555
This improves accessibility and click-to-dial functionality.
Its = possessive (The department updated its policies)
It’s = it is
Its’ is incorrect—do not use
Avoid over- or under-punctuating around quotation marks.
Only quote material that is accurate and attributable.