This article is a follow-up to Title page best practices and Top tips for creating a Turtl Doc.
For a more technical overview of Content page capabilities, please see Creating a Content page and the whole Content pages section.
Map out your content
If you’re reading this, you’ve probably created a general wireframe of the Doc. These are further suggestions relating specifically to Content page level:
Our Word count guide can help you with word count for various layouts when starting off a blank Doc or using one of our Content page templates.
When mapping out your content, page hierarchy is the most important thing to consider. Having a well-structured page will help your reader easily digest your content and also help with engagement. You can use our heading shortcuts to start laying out your content.
Visuals are another important element to consider when mapping out your content. Visuals process 60,000X faster than text, so make sure you are including relevant imagery to your copy. With a Freeform grid, you have the flexibility to place these visuals anywhere on the page.
Keep your number of Content pages per Chapter to 15-20 to avoid performance issues.
If you’re using Column pages …
Place the copy in a Doc first to see how many pages it sits across for a more natural flow instead of finalizing your designs before text is provided. It's far easier to commit to layouts when you have your text to work with - small wording tweaks later down the line shouldn't be an issue.
In a column structure run text over multiple Content pages. If it's a squeeze to fit everything on one page, use additional Content pages to give your layouts some breathing space.
Use page breaks in Content pages to define natural page splits.
Tip: Try doing all of the above before you start committing to layouts!
Explore column options and different layouts
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Plain text box
Less clutter leads to a better reading experience, research shows.
Enter the plain text box.
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See also:
Using white space article.
Mobile (pre)view
We recommend switching back and forth between mobile and desktop views while editing to make sure both look great.
You can check how your Content page will look to your mobile readers by selecting the mobile preview at the top of the editor, or by testing a draft link on an actual mobile device.
Also, check out this How to get the most of mobile Q&A on the subject of mobile design best practices.
Plan for widgets and interactive elements
As the engagement research shows, one of the factors behind Turtl's higher engagement rates is its ability to provide a two-way interactive experience, which is why we suggest the below guidelines.
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Layering and pinning
Note:
With Freeform pages everything is pinned by default and you can't "unpin" your content, so it is quicker to layer your widgets.
With Column pages you can use a mix of layering with freeflow, so unpinned widgets and text will shift automatically onto a new page if there isn't enough room.
Freeflow text will also wrap around pinned widgets, you can achieve the same effect in Freeform by applying break text in the widget settings.
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Typesetting
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Icons
Icons are funny things. Done right, they can truly elevate a Doc. Done wrong, and they can create a bit of a mess.
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Alternative navigation aids
Contents page
Building a manual contents page on the Content page can boost navigation and is especially recommended for longer pieces of content.
See the Boosting navigation on a Doc by creating a Contents page video for details.
Breadcrumbing
This is done within a text box, with the current chapter name in bold and with deep links attached to the remaining chapter names of the Doc.
Tip: Find out about other navigation options we offer out of the box.
Collaboration
Use Turtl’s commenting feature when sending the Doc over to your wider team for feedback and proofreading.
Next step: Content review
Check out our content review guide or watch our 10-minute video.
See also:
Content score article.