This is a Text element. This text style is called Intro. Your Intro text should be short, descriptive, and easy to understand.


On-page SEO overview: This is a heading (H2)

Two glass bottles of cold water
Greg Rosenke - unsplash.com.

To the left is a left-aligned image. When creating text for your new landing page, spend some time thinking about what users might search in order to find it. This is the basic premise of Search Engine Optimization, which is the art/science of predicting what phrases or questions users will Google to find your content. SEO works by positioning phrases that are important to the content and context of your work, like "GMO foods" or "Crumbl Cookie," in key areas of a webpage so search engines can understand what your content is about. The two articles linked in the previous sentence receive high volumes of traffic from search because they are valuable content that readers will search for, and they both have optimal keyword placement in key areas.

It's confusing and a little overwhelming. Here's a slightly deeper dive into on-page SEO, which will also serve as an example of an embedded video (hosted on YouTube). 

Tips for helping new readers find your page (and an example of H3 formatting)

  1. The clearer your content's subject and audience are to Google, the better your page is positioned in search results. Keywords and keyword phrases should be in your page title (or Heading 1 or H1, which for this page is "Elements gallery: Landing page"), any subheadings (labeled H2 and H3 above), and in intro text (at the top of this Text Element) and the first paragraphs of your text. 
  2. Before you submit your copy to Comms for page updates or new page builds, try pasting it into this free SEO Review Tool, which will check your content against the list of important keywords you provide. (For unpublished content, the maximum score is 89 points.) You cannot upload or paste images into the reviewer, but you can and should format your page title, headings, and links to make sure the tool is gathering as much data about your future webpage as possible.
  3. Write naturally and don't force it. "Overstuffing," or cramming as many keywords as possible into every piece of text on your page, is as bad as not prioritizing those keywords. That's because Google flags overstuffed content as potential spam, and ranks it lower in search results. When in doubt, just reread and ask yourself if you can rephrase in areas of keyword overuse. Synonyms and related terms–like using "food additives" and "food chemicals" on the same page–can help readers who do not know the precise terms find your content anyway.
  4. This is an Ordered List. Just another formatting option for your Text Element!

Formatting and visual options to consider (H3)

A glass of orange juice with a straw next to a plate of sweet plantains on a checkered tablecloth
Helio Ha - unsplash.com.

To the right is a right-aligned image. We can also center images across the page, which you'll see below We cannot change the sizes of images in this field, though, so what you see here is what you'll get when you choose to include inline images inside a Text Element.

Immediately following this paragraph is a green Horizontal Rule. Horizontal Rules can help divide long portions of text into smaller, clearer bits of information for readers. 

We can format text here the same as any text module: embedded links (with hover text!), bold, italics, underline, strikethrough, superscript, and subscript all work.


woman picking up a green apple in a grocery store
Vergani Fotografia - stock.adobe.com.

The happy person shopping above is a center-aligned image. Note that this is the maximum width of visual elements inside a Text Element. Also note that all images have a photo credit. If you are supplying images for your new landing page, please ensure that you have permission to use them and that you are crediting them to their creators appropriately. 

This is a blockquote. Blockquotes highlight important quotes or language in your text, and can help readers identify key points even if they are only scanning your page.

Do you have a table of information that you'd like to place here? The good news is that we have the technology. There is no bad news. 

This is the Table Caption
Your table heading goes here.And/or here. You choose!

Your data go in these fields

And so on

and so forth
etcetc.
We can add as many rows as you likeor more columns as needed. 

 

Do you need a larger, prettier table that isn't confined to a Text Element? Great news: We have that technology, too, and we use it for Chemical Cuisine, the Caffeine Chart, and many other pages on the site. When requesting an update or new build, just let us know you'd like a Table, and include all the info you'd like to populate it. 

Final thoughts on landing pages (H2)

Though the Text Element is flexible and functional, a giant wall of text can be very offputting to readers. When possible, utilize the other Elements demonstrated below to make sure you're not losing visitors' interest.

These following Elements can be arranged in any order on a landing page. You can use more than one of the same Element, too. While there are no word limits inside most Elements, be conscious of how much text you're adding, as longer paragraphs will increase the size of an Element. Note also that some Elements require specific information, so you'll need to provide Comms with that info when requesting an update. And above all, have fun! Improving the interactivity and visual appeal of your landing page is fun for us, it's fun for readers, and it makes your page more effective. 

This is an Accordion (and this is an Accordion Title)

Accordions expand and contract. These are great space-savers for a large amount of text. (This field is called Accordion Description.)

This is a Card Grid with Captions

A Card Grid with Captions can help distill lots of info into smaller, bite-sized pieces with visual impact. We can build three across a page, and as many rows of Cards as you like.

A pile of paper mailers from supporters of CSPI's petition to ban Red 3, addressed to FDA Commissioner Robert Califf

This is a CTA Panel Eyebrow

This is a CTA Panel Title

This is a CTA Panel Description. CTA means "call to action." You should provide the text for each field labeled here, as well as 1) the URL of the page you'd like to link to, 2) text for the link button, and 3) an image if you'd like one. (Images are not required.) This box can be GREEN, BLUE, or YELLOW; please indicate your preference.

Link text goes here

This is a CTA Panel without an image (Eyebrow)

Note the width of this element (Title)

(Description) CTA Panels without images stretch the full width of the page, but the text is a narrow field. Please provide an Eyebrow (optional), Title (mandatory), Description (mandatory), and a preference for color. This example is BLUE, but you may also choose GREEN or YELLOW.

Sign a petition

Slim CTA Panel (Title)

Slim CTA panels stretch the text into a wider field, and are much more compact than standard CTA Panels. (See "Donate to CSPI" on our homepage for another example.) This one is GREEN. Please provide text and information for all labeled fields.

Donate to CSPI
older woman wearing an orange scarf running in a road race.

Impact Story (Title)

“"Bone cells are extremely responsive to gravitational force. So exercise in the upright position is critical for bone health. Swimming or biking isn’t as good as doing something in a standing position." (Impact Story Quote)”

Bess Dawson-Hughes, Tufts University (Attribution)
corn with a DNA helix

Promo Splitter (Eyebrow)

Understanding the new bioengineered disclosure (Title)

Promo Splitter Body: This version has a right-aligned image. We can format text here the same as any text module: embedded links (with hover text!), bold, italics, underline, strikethrough, superscript, and subscript all work here, as do bulleted lists:

  • GMO (bioengineered) foods currently available are safe. According to the National Academy of Sciences and the FDA, eating them poses no risk to your health.
  • Many foods will now have to disclose that they contain “bioengineered” ingredients. 
  • Disclosing “derived from” ingredients is voluntary. 
  • Restaurants, “very small” companies, most alcohol, and foods with meat, poultry, or eggs as a major ingredient aren’t required to disclose bioengineered ingredients. The disclosures are required on supplements.
Link Text

This is a Text Block

Think of this as a more compact Text Element. It works the same way as the Text Element at the top of this page, with one limitation: We cannot add images or video to this Element. We can format text here, though: embedded links (with hover text!), bold, italics, underline, strikethrough, superscript, and subscript all work.

This is a Three-Up Publication (Title)

This is a Three-Up Publication Description. Eyebrow and Sub Text are OPTIONAL. URLs and Titles for each publication/page are MANDATORY. Briefly describe the relationship between these three pieces of content and why it matters to your audience: The FDA knew in 1990 that Red 3 causes cancer, yet they still allow food manufacturers to add it to any foods they like. Here's what you should know.

Bio Slider (Title)

People can be added individually to this list. Please provide a Title and Descripton (text for this field), as well as the list of staff you'd like to feature and the order in which they should appear below. (There does not appear to be a limit to the number of people we can add.)

Contact Promo (Body) - A Contact Promo is a way to add a single Person (with a published Person page) to a page with additional information. Unlike the Bio Slider above, we can add only one Person to a Contact Promo. 

Card Grid with Slider (Title)

(Description) Cards can be a useful way to link to multiple pages of content. Cards are arranged in groups of three across the width of a page. We can add an unlimited number of Cards. For the Slider, you'll need a Title and Description. For each Card, you'll need Eyebrow (OPTIONAL), Title (MANDATORY), Image (MANDATORY), Description (OPTIONAL), and a URL or Referenced Content (MANDATORY).

Masonry Grid (Title)

(Description)

Latest News (Dynamic)

bowl of rotini with cucumber, tomatoes, olives, basil and lemon wedges

Two-Up Builder CTA PANEL (Eyebrow)

Two-Up Builder (Title)

Two-Up Builder CTA PANEL Description - You will need a link (URL) for each CTA PANEL in your two-up builder (you can also do one CTA PANEL and one LINK LIST, or two LINK LISTS), along with the text you would like on the link button. OPTIONAL components include an Eyebrow, Title, Description, Image, and color preference for each of the two components. These can be BLUE, YELLOW, or GREEN.

Read our Quick Tip for pasta and veggies

Seasonal Eating

As each new month arrives, it’s fun (and healthy!) to consider creative ways to incorporate seasonal produce into your routine. These peak-ripeness fruits and veggies are often grown closer to where you’re buying them, and for a variety of reasons, in-season produce can be more affordable than its hot-house or imported counterparts.