Common Mistakes

None are perfect, we all (Administrators included 😊) make mistakes. Below is a list of common mistakes to look out for when editing in Optimizely. The links in each mistake provide more details about the correct way to edit and what to avoid.

Why are you using PDFs?

No matter how tempting it is, you should never use a PDF to display content that users need to read online. Accessing PDF files while browsing too often disrupts our audience flow. The layout of these PDFs are suitable for a sheet of paper but they are not meant for web browser viewing.

They involve a lot of scrolling and zooming due to small fonts, as well as, taking the user away from the website by downloading a file to their device, which oftentimes require a 3rd party software to view the PDFs contents. PDF is meant to facilitate printing therefore any information that needs to be browsed should be converted into our web pages. 

Have you loaded a PDF on your mobile device and enjoyed the experience? Our audience doesn’t like the experience either!

Check out this article explaining the guidelines for using PDFs

Bad Formatting

Simpler is always better. Use proper Heading Hierarchy, bulleted or numbered list and quotes where available. Avoid the overuse of colors, non-contrasting text with backgrounds, too many images and information requiring the user to “click” many times before accessing. Check out our Copy and Paste Do's and Don't for a general understanding of formatting capabilities.

Not reusing content?

Think about how you can reuse content without recreating copies. For example:

• For Offices: You have a contact block featured on your home office page. Instead of creating new RT contact blocks to use on your child pages you only need to drag & drop the CB as needed.
• For Schools: Supply List pages are needed each year. Instead of creating new pages each new school year, simply create one named “Supply Lists” then use the Page title property to detail the current school year and update the page block contents as needed.
• Instead of adding new copies of existing documents you should replace the asset when updating.

Bad Naming convention

Naming Pages

• Page Names should be small or brief, use the Page Title property for longer strings of text.
• Avoid renaming pages. If you name the page incorrectly at creation. We suggest deleting (Move To Trash) the page and creating anew; otherwise, you’d have to edit the Page Name & Name in URL properties which contains its own set of rules that increases the risk of breaking page links.
• If you want to change an existing page name? Contact websupport@pgcps.org to request the update and overview the process.

Naming Blocks

• Block Names should adhere to the Naming Convention. Failing to do so clutters the editor, making it very difficult to decipher the type of assets in your folders.

Naming Documents

• Document Names (PDFs, Docs, XLS, etc.) must be kept simple and readable. Our 1st priority is maintaining and optimizing our search. Use asset names that clearly describe their content, such as "Conference: Parent and Teacher Engagement.pdf". An asset name such as "FY-22-Final Revision_Conference_for Parent_&_Teacher_eff (1.1.2022)(2).pdf" is not helpful for other editors and more importantly the text is displayed in search, confusing our audience. 
• Only add dates (years included) to asset names if absolutely necessary or required.
• Image Names should adhere to the Naming Convention if you plan to use the image for one of our recommended properties, name the image descriptive to its contents.

Using Non-508 compliant images

Avoid text in images. If it is impossible, make sure that this text is repeated in the name of the image. If there is too much information on the picture, put this information in the content. Administrators reserve the right to remove any images that violate 508 Compliance. We suggest using our shared images for image use.

Multiple copies of documents

Keeping unnecessary copies or versions of files not only clutters your folders but it also destroys search. It’s recommended to keep the filename simple and to replace the asset when updating.

Moving pages & Dropping into wrong location

With the ability to Drag & Drop Pages and Assets into Property fields that allow for it, Editors must pay close attention (Especially in the Navigation Pane) that they’re not accidentally grabbing a page (and all its child pages) and moving it to an unintended destination.

Not creating in the correct location

• Pages are only created in the Navigation Pane. See: Create a Supportive Page for linking to external websites
• Only create Blocks in your Blocks folder. You may create sub folders to organize your content
• Drop all your documents into the “Docs - Office/School Name” folder if you want them searchable. You can create subfolders in Docs to organize your content.

Working in the wrong project

Double check your working in the correct project; otherwise, you may have a draft of items “stuck” in the wrong project. To add items to the correct project review Adding previous versions of content.

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