How Shared Editorial Guidelines Work with Compass Production Across Your Website Content

Learn how Compass Production sets up and maintains shared editorial guidelines so your team and ours write in one consistent voice across all website content.

Overview: Why Shared Editorial Guidelines Matter

When multiple people are writing for your website—your internal team, subject-matter experts, and Compass Production’s writers—shared editorial guidelines keep everything consistent, on-brand, and easy to maintain.

This article explains how we create, document, and use shared editorial guidelines with you, and what you can expect at each step.

What We Mean by “Editorial Guidelines”

Editorial guidelines are a practical reference document that defines how content should look, sound, and function on your site. It usually includes:

• Voice and tone (how you “sound” to visitors)
• Formatting rules (headings, bullets, links, buttons)
• Grammar and style preferences
• Terminology and word lists to use or avoid
• Accessibility and readability expectations
• SEO conventions (titles, meta descriptions, internal links)

How We Create Your Editorial Guidelines

Step 1: Collect Existing Materials

First, we gather what you already have so we build on your strengths instead of starting from zero. Typical inputs include:

• Existing brand or messaging guidelines
• Sample pages or posts you feel “sound right”
• Any internal writing rules your team already follows
• Compliance or legal requirements that affect wording

You can upload these to your shared asset folder or link them in our shared task board. If something is only in your head, we’ll capture it during a short call.

Step 2: Draft the First Version

Using your materials and our discovery notes, we prepare a concise draft. We focus on:

• Voice and tone: e.g., “professional but warm,” “plain language, no jargon.”
• Audience assumptions: who you’re speaking to and what they already know.
• Formatting rules: how to structure headings, lists, and calls to action.
• Key phrases: industry terms, product names, and how to capitalize them.
• Off-limits language: phrases to avoid for clarity, brand, or compliance reasons.

This draft usually lives in a shared document (Google Docs or similar) so both teams can comment easily.

Step 3: Collaborative Review with Your Team

We then walk through the draft with you, either asynchronously via comments or in a short call. During this review we:

• Clarify any wording that feels off-brand or too rigid
• Capture exceptions for specific audiences or content types
• Agree on what is a rule versus a preference
• Note anything that must be approved by legal or compliance

Once we agree on the core rules, we mark the document as Version 1.0 and share it with everyone who will write or approve content.

Where Your Guidelines Live and How to Access Them

To keep things simple, we store your editorial guidelines in two places:

1. Source document: The master guidelines file in your shared folder (for editing and version history).
2. Quick-reference version: A shorter, skimmable version linked from your shared task board or pinned in your communication channel.

We’ll label both clearly, for example:

• “[Client Name] Editorial Guidelines – Master”
• “[Client Name] Editorial Quick Reference – Writers & Editors”

How Guidelines Are Used in Day-to-Day Work

When Compass Production Uses Them

Our team refers to your guidelines at key points in the workflow:

• Before drafting any new page or post
• When editing or rewriting content you provide
• During internal quality checks before we send content to you
• When training new writers or editors on your account

We also embed key rules into our internal checklists so they’re not forgotten during busy periods.

When Your Team Should Use Them

To keep everything consistent, we recommend your team uses the guidelines when:

• Writing new content that you’ll later send to us for layout
• Drafting announcements, blog posts, or landing pages internally
• Reviewing and approving content we’ve prepared
• Onboarding new team members who will touch website copy

How Editorial Guidelines Connect to Your WordPress Site

While the guidelines live outside WordPress, they directly shape how we build and edit your pages.

Applying Guidelines in WordPress

When we create or update content in WordPress, we apply your rules consistently. For example:

• Headings: Using H2 for main sections and H3 for subsections, matching your structure rules.
• Buttons: Using agreed wording patterns like “Get Started” or “Request a Quote.”
• Links: Writing descriptive link text instead of “click here.”
• SEO fields: Following your conventions for titles and meta descriptions.

Example: Editing a Page to Match Guidelines

If you want to adjust an existing page to better follow the guidelines, you can:

1. Log in to WordPress and go to Dashboard ? Pages.
2. Search for the page title and click Edit (or Edit with Elementor if we built it with Elementor).
3. Open your editorial guidelines in another tab for reference.
4. Update headings, paragraphs, and buttons to match the rules.
5. Click Update to save your changes.

What You Should See

After updating, you should see:

• Headings that follow a clear hierarchy (no jumping from H2 to H4)
• Consistent button labels that match your guidelines
• Readable paragraphs with clear, plain-language sentences
• Internal links that use meaningful, descriptive text

Keeping Guidelines Up to Date

When We Recommend an Update

Over time, your brand, offers, or audience may shift. We’ll suggest updating your guidelines when we notice:

• New product or service names that aren’t documented yet
• Repeated questions from your reviewers about tone or wording
• New compliance requirements that affect how we phrase things
• Patterns in analytics that suggest content clarity issues

Versioning and Change Communication

To avoid confusion, we treat your guidelines like a living product:

• Each update gets a new version number (e.g., 1.1, 1.2, 2.0).
• We add a short “Change Log” section at the top of the document.
• We notify your core stakeholders when a new version is ready.
• We update any quick-reference summaries to match.

How Editorial Guidelines Support Faster Approvals

Clear guidelines reduce back-and-forth during reviews. Instead of debating style from scratch each time, reviewers can:

• Check whether content follows the agreed rules
• Flag any exceptions that truly require a deviation
• Focus feedback on substance, not just wording preferences

This leads to faster approvals and more predictable publishing timelines.

What We Need from You to Make This Work

To get the most value from shared editorial guidelines, your team can help by:

• Sharing any existing brand or writing resources early in the project
• Designating one or two people as final decision-makers on style
• Encouraging internal writers to use the guidelines for all web copy
• Letting us know when your brand voice or messaging shifts

Next Steps

If you don’t yet have shared editorial guidelines with us, ask your Compass Production project lead to schedule a short working session. We can usually create a solid Version 1.0 within a single cycle and refine it as we work together.