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Web content
Say it with words
We follow the overarching Autodesk brand voice (access required), while also writing with best practices specific to the web.
The guidelines here work together, with each style guide focusing on a particular area. Most of your questions will likely be answered in the Autodesk Editorial Style Guide or the Web Editorial Style Guide.
Some of these resources require a login.
Questions or comments? Email the Editorial Style Guide team. We welcome your feedback.
Web editorial style guide
The Web Editorial Style Guide is now a subset of the new universal Autodesk Editorial Style Guide.
- Use the web style guide for web-specific guidelines for our global website and external web properties.
- For general rules and Autodesk guidelines—on punctuation, style, branded terms, trademarks, and more—for any customer-facing content, refer to the universal Autodesk Editorial Style Guide.
For issues not covered in these guides, refer to The Chicago Manual of Style.
Web editorial quick reference
This quick reference is available as a downloadable PDF (access required).
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All caps |
NOBODY LIKES BEING YELLED AT. Don't use all caps in body copy, headlines, and subheads. Note: Visual design may sometimes use all caps for certain design elements. |
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Autodesk: we, us, our |
Use we and other first-person plural for Autodesk. Except in legal content, don’t refer to Autodesk as it, its, the company, or other third-person forms. |
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Bulleted lists |
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Em dash |
The em dash—which signifies emphasis or a break in thought—should not have spaces on either side. Do not make an em dash with two hyphens. |
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Exclamation points |
Don’t use exclamation points. |
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Hyphens and spelling |
Refer to the spelling list in the Autodesk Editorial Style Guide, including common hyphenated words. If the word you’re looking for is not there, use the spelling that’s listed first in Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary. If it's not in the dictionary, use Google to determine common usage. |
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Numbers |
In body copy, use numerals except for the number 1, which should be spelled out “one.” Exceptions:
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Product names and trademarks |
Use the symbol (® or ™) with the product name on first reference in body copy, and only on the product center’s Overview, Features category, and Buy/Subscribe pages. On Autodesk.com, drop Autodesk from most product names in copy. Exceptions:
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Serial comma |
We use the serial comma on Autodesk.com. EX: Use a comma before and in a series: red, white, and blue. |
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Sentence-style capitalization |
Capitalize the text as if it were a sentence, whether or not it receives punctuation. We use sentence case—or sentence-style—capitalization for most content on Autodesk.com, including:
Exceptions that use title capitalization:
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You |
Speak directly to customers by using the second person (you) on Autodesk.com. |
Global writing style guide
Autodesk serves millions of customers around the world, and more than 70% of visitors to Autodesk.com are from outside the United States. When our site is written in an easy-to-understand and culturally inclusive style, international customers feel welcomed and valued.
The global writing style guide (access required) includes concrete writing tips and examples to help you do just this.
Writing in an international style helps us:
- Communicate more clearly with international audiences.
- Speed up the localization process. Localization-friendly text improves machine translations, and reduces the time and cost of linguistic troubleshooting on our localized sites.
- Ensure that translations across languages are consistent, and retain the meaning of the original content.
- Protect our brand beyond the U.S. Content that’s riddled with errors and inconsistencies erodes trust and confidence. The same is true for translations.
Web copydeck templates
Unless you’re working on a custom design page, submit new content in a web copydeck template (access required). A copydeck is available for many types of content, including:
- Product center pages. For everything in a typical product center, such as Overview, Features, Free trial, product end-of-life, and more.
- Non-product center pages. For generic web pages, search landing pages, campaign or nurture pages, gateways, and more.
- Change copydeck template. For requesting changes to existing web pages.
The templates and patterns library (access required) may be a helpful visual reference when you’re filling out a product center copydeck.
Product noun phrases
Product noun phrases (access required) are used to refer to a product consistently for both clarity and organic search. Product noun phrases are formulated by the product’s IMM, SEO, and Digital Content teams.
Product noun phrases:
- Highlight the top differentiating functionality of the software.
- Helps us follow legal requirements to use trademarks as adjectives.
- Optimize content for search.
Using consistent product noun phrases is especially important for new products with little brand recognition or new products that are in competitive spaces.
Other editorial resources
Some of these resources require a login.