GSD

Global Content Standards

The following content styles, guidelines, and best practices should be followed regardless of the page template or topic.

Editorial Content

Website Copy

Purpose: To become a trusted resource for consumers, we need to use language that’s straightforward, informational, genuine, and relatable. The copy we use needs to sell our product in a natural, enthusiastic manner. It needs to add value to a reader, offering useful details that help them accomplish their trip-planning goals.

Copy should:

Educate - You know your destinations better than anyone. Share them with consumers in a way that educates and inspires them to make a purchase.

Be Quick, Yet Effective - Cut out fluff and get to the point. Use every sentence wisely and provide helpful information that highlights your destination, the brand, and the experience you offer.

Be Natural - Your website communicates with real people every day. Speak to them in a fun, natural way. Every word should be in your brand voice and style, but still relatable to all audiences. Avoid cliches or jargon that would only resonate with a niche group. Our destinations are for everyone, and it’s up to us to show that to guests.

Be Unique - Give customers content that offers a unique perspective on you and your destination that they won’t find anywhere else.

And Don’t Repeat - Duplicating content on multiple pages offers a bad guest experience and a bad search experience. Visitors are reading the same information over and over without gaining any new information. And search engines can penalize websites that do this extensively.

Accurate - Before publishing any copy on your website, make sure it’s correct and carefully edited. As a trusted resource, we want to make sure we’re giving readers the most up-to-date, factual information. This includes checking for:

Times, dates, and prices - these are small details that can sometimes be missed or entered incorrectly. Take the extra minute to double check accuracy before moving to the next page.

Misspellings - take time to re-read your copy or have others check it to avoid misspellings or grammatical errors. This affects readability, quality assurance scores, and user experience.

Broken links - the last thing we want our users to experience is a link that doesn’t work or one that takes them to the wrong place. This is a bad user experience that could result in a lost transaction. It also hurts our quality assurance and SEO scores.

Out-of-date information - many items on our websites have an expiration. It’s our responsibility to remove or update those as soon as the expiration date hits. We don’t want readers stumbling across copy that’s irrelevant, expired, or wrong. Create a weekly reminder to check for outdated information on your websites.

Sentence/Paragraph Structures

Keep paragraphs short (2-4 sentences). Break up paragraphs into easily read, snack-able content .

Write simply and clearly with short words and sentences. Keep sentences under 20 words to speed up copy and make it easier for people to understand.

Show, don’t tell. Remove unnecessary adjectives that don’t add value to the reader. Include concrete examples like “sleek, stainless-steel appliances and granite countertops,” rather than “modern amenities.”

Shorter paragraphs and sentences translate to mobile platforms better and simplify content on phones or tablets.

Tone of Copy

Be creative. Our mountains are fun, and copy should reflect that.

Use active voice:

Avoid phrases such as “it is” or “there is” at the beginning of sentences.

Example: “It was decided that the committee would meet tonight” --> “The committee will meet tonight.”

Example: “There were some Vikings who traded in Samarkand.” --> “Vikings traded in Samarkand.”

Search for “who,” “which,” or “that,” to eliminate from sentences.

Example: “She is the one who booked the trip.” --> “She booked the trip.”

Avoid ‘-ing’ words where possible and infinitives such as “to shout.”

Example: “Dancing is hard for me.” --> “I can’t dance.”

Example: “To dream is soothing.” --> “Dreams soothe.”

Cut the clutter. State your point:

Often, writers bury the main point in the second or third sentence of a paragraph. Start with the main value propositions and avoid adding unnecessary marketing copy around these.

Example: Finding the right care for your child is tough, time consuming, and expensive. We get it. You want the best combination of fun and education, with an emphasis on safety. That’s where we come in. Sunnyside Daycare offers high-rated childcare with convenient hours and prices for parents. Our certified teachers follow a stellar curriculum, while keeping your child’s safety top of mind.

Limit adjectives or adverbs.

If one word suffices, don’t dilute the copy with others.

When a short word works instead of a long word, use it.

Examples: Assistance (help), numerous (many), facilitate (ease), individual (man or woman), the remainder (rest), initial (first), implement (do), sufficient (enough), attempt to (try).

Remove words from phrases that don’t serve an active purpose.

Examples: Order up a meal; give out advice.

Eliminate redundancy and avoid repetition.

Examples: “full” and “complete.”

Adjectives that carry the same meaning as the noun: Tall skyscraper; unexpected surprise

Adverbs that carry the same meaning as the verb: Ran quickly; yawned sleepily; boasted arrogantly.

Refine sentences where possible:

Example: “Imagine someone trying to learn the rules for playing the game of chess.” --> “Imagine learning chess.”

In most cases, independent clauses should stand alone.

Stay positive and avoid negative connotations.

Do not use exclamation points.

Do not use “Learn More” as a CTA.

Call-to-action buttons and links are powerful eCommerce tools essential to conversions. We want to optimize these to make them punchier and more compelling. “Learn More” is a common fallback for CTAs, because usually it’s exactly what we want people to do. But it’s not very interesting, and doesn’t instill excitement or curiosity for most users, even if you have good context built around it.

Do not instruct guests to “Click here.”

Content Hierarchy

Your website and the content within it should be structured as a funnel. Your high-level pages like the homepage, and main navigation landing pages (e.g. Explore, Plan Your Trip, Mountain Information), are top-of-the-funnel entries designed to capture attention with your brand voice and value props. ECommerce and detail pages narrow the focus to specific products, activities, and useful information to drive a transaction or help customers plan their visit.

Page Content Hierarchy

Content on a page should follow a similar funnel hierarchy.

Include a high-quality, relevant image. If there are a few photos that really tell a story or paint the picture about a product or experience, then include those in a carousel.

Avoid including photos or videos that do not add to the context.

Start with a quick, effective introduction. Include one to two value props that give customers a reason to continue with their journey.

List the products and information that will help consumers make a decision.

Include a strong and clear call to action (CTA) so consumers have an easy way to purchase or to find additional information they may need.

Provide cross-sells to ancillary products that may be of interest to consumers.

Include additional information in the form of an FAQ to address common concerns or questions.

Grammatical Standards

Please note: We follow AP Style grammar rules unless an exception is noted below.

Avoid “whether” at the beginning of sentences.

Do not use “false ranges” to describe your breadth of offerings.

Example: We’ve got something for everyone, from outdoor ice rinks to relaxing spa packages.

Instead, use a list: We’ve got so many activities — ice skating, tubing, carriage rides, spa packages — there’s something for everyone.

Use the serial or Oxford comma

Example: We have lessons for beginner, intermediate, and advanced skiers.

Ampersands can be used in page titles (e.g. Tickets & Passes; Snowboard & Ski Rentals), but they should not replace ‘and’ in headlines or body copy on the page.

Date and Time

This format aligns with structured data fields for eCommerce.

Date in copy: October 10, 2023 – January 4, 2024; January 10 – 14, 2024; January 10 – February 4, 2024

If space is limited, longer months can be abbreviated as follows: Jan., Feb., Aug., Sept., Oct., Nov., and Dec.

Date in calendar selector: DD/MM/YYYY (e.g. 06/23/2025)

NOTE: Do not use this format in sentences, only in a date selector. This format could be problematic for users outside of the US but it is currently the standard on Aspenware and Inntopia.

Time: 3:00 PM – 5:00 PM

Days of the Week: Days of the week should be spelled out when possible. To save space, they should be abbreviated to: Mon, Tue, Wed, Thu, Fri, Sat, Sun

Numbers

Spell out numbers one through nine, use figures for 10 and up.

Exceptions: ages (3-year-old), product descriptions/names (3-day ticket), and ranges (3 of 5 days).

Hyphenation:

Numbers should be hyphenated when used for an age (3-year-old) or when creating a modifier for a product (3-day ticket).

Phone Numbers

+1 (562) 981-0055

Bullet Points

End bullet points with periods when they are complete sentences.

Omit periods if you use fragments or single words.

Either use complete sentences for bullet points or fragments. Don’t use both.

If you use fragments for bullet points, ensure they make sense.

Dictionary

“Toward” not “towards.”

cancel, canceled, cancellation

Slopeside - not slope side or slope-side

Midweek - not Mid-Week or Mid-week

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