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Publishing process

How we handle content requests to ensure an accessible and user-friendly online experience.

The steps to our publishing process:

  1. A request is made through the content request from.
  2. The request is either rejected or prioritised. If the content is rejected, an explanation is sent to the requester.
  3. A content designer is assigned to the request.
  4. Content designer drafts the content and sends the draft to the content owner for fact check. 
  5. The content is reviewed by another content designer in the team.
  6. Content is published.

After the content is published, we may ask the content owner to set a review date.

The content request form

All requests for the council's website go through our web content request form. 

The form helps to:

  • reduce the time spent clarifying each request over email
  • open up collaboration and visibility of content changes across the organisation, giving us a more holistic view of our output on each website
  • ensure that all content published is user-friendly, relevant and accessible
  • ensure your request is dealt with by the right team

Service and content designer responsibilities

The service team or content owner is responsible for making sure the content is factually correct and up to date.

The web team is responsible for the usability and accessibility of the content – making sure it is in the best possible format to meet the user's needs.

Content may be drafted by appointed editors but can only be published once approved by the web team.

Reviewing content

You should never publish content you have written yourself, you should always get a second person to review the content before publishing, this avoid mistakes.

The person reviewing the content should check:

  • if it should be on our website
  • does not already exist on the website
  • has a clear user need
  • is in the right content type

They should also check:

  • grammar
  • summaries
  • style and structure
  • HTML code

Pair working

Collaborative working is always encouraged within the web team and services, because it helps to:

  • make sure you're starting on the same page
  • agree on a sensible structure
  • write in plain English and remove jargon

For more details on how pair working with a content designer works read GOV.UK's blog post.

Planning content

In order to plan content changes, the web team will:

  • maintain calendar of predictable content changes, increased demand and council priorities – for example, for schools this could include updated admission requirements, application deadlines and OFSTED audits
  • prioritise unplanned needs for content - for example, for schools, this could include a new headmaster needing contact details updating

We ask services and content owners to get in touch with the web team as early as possible to make sure we have the time to create user-friendly and accessible content.