Headings and Text Formatting

The text editor has buttons for headings, bold and italic text, lists, alignment, quotes and buttons. Using them the same way on every page keeps your site consistent and easy to read for everyone, including visitors who use screen readers.

Headings

Headings break a page into sections. Visitors scan them to find what they need, and screen reader users jump from heading to heading the way others skim with their eyes.

To make a line a heading, click anywhere in it, open the Paragraph menu in the toolbar and choose a heading level. Choose Paragraph to turn a heading back into normal text.

Use the levels in order, like an outline:

• Heading 2 for the main sections of the page. The page title is already Heading 1, so start with Heading 2.
• Heading 3 for sections inside a Heading 2 section, Heading 4 inside a Heading 3, and so on.
• Don’t skip levels (for example, from Heading 2 straight to Heading 4), and don’t pick a level for its size.

Don’t make text bold or larger to look like a heading. It may look the same, but screen readers and search engines won’t see it as one.

Bold and Italic

Select the text, then select the B (Bold) or I (Italic) button. You can also press Ctrl + B or Ctrl + I (Cmd on a Mac). Use bold for a few important words, not whole paragraphs.

Avoid underlining text for emphasis. Visitors expect underlined text to be a link.

Lists

Select the Numbered List or Bulleted List button to start a list, or select some lines first to turn them into a list. Press Enter for the next item, and Enter twice to end the list. Use a numbered list for steps in order, and a bulleted list when the order doesn’t matter.

The arrow beside the Numbered List button has two options: Start at sets the first number, and Reversed order counts down.

Alignment

Text is aligned to the left by default, which is easiest to read. To center or right-align a line, click in it and choose an option from the Text alignment menu. Keep long paragraphs left-aligned.

Horizontal Line and Block Quote

The Horizontal line button adds a line across the page to separate content. The Block quote button sets the selected paragraph apart as a quotation. Use it only for quotes, not to indent or highlight text.

Make a Link Look Like a Button

To turn a link into a button, such as “Register for swim lessons”, first add the link (see Adding and Editing Links). Then click in the link, open the Styles menu and choose Primary Button.

The Styles menu then shows Primary Button while your cursor is in the link. The link shows as a button on the page after you save. To change it back, click in the link and select Primary Button again.

Use buttons for the main action on a page, and keep their text short and clear.

Remove Formatting

The Remove Format button clears bold, italic and other formatting from the selected text. It’s useful after pasting text from another document.

Save the page as Published when you are done so the public can see your changes.