Quick wins

"OK," you may be saying, "this was long and informative and long, but what I really want is an short and actionable list of what I'm supposed to do or avoid." We hear you! Here's everything you need to know about writing for Pixel Union—in under 400 words.

Voice and tone

Pixel Union's voice is clear, friendly, and helpful. We write what we know, and we don't waste time getting to the point. Everything we write is undergirded by our mission: Help merchants sell more.

Our tone changes depending on the situation, but it's generally casual and conversational. We have a sense of humour, but we never sacrifice clarity for entertainment.

Language and grammar

Have something to say. Read widely, take notes, and choose your points thoughtfully before you start writing.

Focus your message, and create a hierarchy of information. Lead with the main point or the most important content to ensure it gets read.

Use simple words and short sentences. Avoid highfalutin jargon, and if you must use specialized tech terms, always define them in simple, accessible terms.

Don't make assumptions or generalizations based on age, gender, race, or anything else.

Use Canadian spellings for "company content" (blog and social media posts) and American spellings for "customer content" (product copy and documentation).

Be consistent. Adhere to the conventions outlined in this guide, and don't hesitate to reach out to the team if you're unsure.

Formatting

Give every image, graphic, and button descriptive alt text.

Calls to action should be clear and specific. Focus on the benefit and use sentence case (capitalize only the first letter and proper nouns).

Use headings and subheadings liberally but thoughtfully. Use clear, descriptive terms that relate to the topic, remaining mindful of popular keywords. Use sentence case.

Provide a link whenever you're referring to something on another page or site. Avoid things like "Click here!" or "Read this." Write the sentence as you normally would, and link relevant keywords.

Use lists to present steps, groups, or sets of info. Preface your list with a brief introduction. Use a bulleted list when the order of items doesn't matter and a numbered list when it does.

Don't engage in hacky, shady SEO practices. Use descriptive headings and subheadings, write a quality meta description, customize page URLs, and trust that the Google gods will deliver.