# Content

#### Voice

**Copywriting Style**

**Purpose**: These recommendations will ensure that the website content remains consistent, accessible, and engaging for a diverse audience

**Tone and Voice**

- Use plain language that is easy to understand.
- Government websites should avoid jargon and overly technical language.
- Find balance between a formal, reliable tone and a friendly, accessible approach.

**Structure and Readability**

- Use descriptive headings and subheadings to break up content and guide the reader.
- Keep paragraphs brief and to the point.
- Use bullet points or numbered lists where necessary.
- Ensure language is inclusive and respectful of all audience segments.

#### Imagery

**Visual Treatment**

**Purpose**: These recommendations will ensure that the website content remains consistent, accessible, and engaging for a diverse audience

**Relevance and Clarity**

- Choose images that clearly reflect the message of the content. Images should be relevant to the subject matter.
- Use imagery that reflects the diversity of the audience. Ensure people, places, and services represented in imagery are inclusive and representative of the community.
- Use high-resolution images that look professional across different devices and screen sizes and ensure they are optimized to maintain fast load times.

**Accessibility**

- Provide descriptive alternative text (alt text) for all images to support screen readers and improve SEO.
- The alt text should describe the image’s purpose.
- Use images that are either government-approved or properly licensed.

#### Call-to-Action (CTA)


**Design & Interaction**

Purpose: These recommendations will ensure that the website content remains consistent, accessible, and engaging for a diverse audience

**Clarity and Messaging**

- Use direct, action-oriented language that clearly tells the user what to do (e.g., “Apply Now,” “Learn More,” “Contact Us”).
- Where possible, explain the benefit of taking the action. For example, “Sign Up for Updates” can be enhanced to “Sign Up to Stay Informed.”

**Design and Visibility**

- Position CTAs where they are easily noticeable without overwhelming the user. Often, CTAs are best placed near related content.
- Ensure that the button size and shape are consistent and align with the design system described in the guideline.

**Usability**

CTAs must be accessible via keyboard navigation and properly announced by screen readers. Use semantic HTML (e.g., <span style="color: rgb(224, 62, 45);">&lt;button&gt;</span> for clickable elements).

#### Translation / Language Support

**Purpose**: Ensure website content is accurate, accessible, and inclusive for users in multiple languages.

**Content Translation**

- All websites should have support the three official languages: Kinyarwanda, English, and French.
- Each institution is responsible for providing and approving the content on its own website, including translations.
- Automatic translation tools must not be used to ensure accuracy, clarity, and cultural relevance.
- Use the content management system’s localization tools to manage multiple languages effectively.

**Consistency and Accessibility**

- Maintain consistent terminology and style across all languages.
- Translated content should follow the same readability, tone, and inclusivity standards as the original content.
- Clearly indicate language options on the website and make switching languages easy for users.

**[Content Document](https://guidelines.risa.gov.rw/attachments/88)**