Specific Language & Usage

Possessive

If you need to indicate the possessive for USPS, use USPS's, not USPS'.

Pronouns

When referring to people, use gender-neutral, third-person pronouns (they, them).

Write to foster dialogue between USPS and the user. When you speak to the user, use second person, singular: the understood you, the pronoun "you", and the possessive pronoun "your." Only use "I" and "my" when users are opting into statements about themselves: "I have read…"

Required Fields

Label required fields on web forms with an asterisk ( ^* ) at the front of the field name's label.

^* First Name

Tabs

When selecting titles for tabs, keep in mind the following "allowable" characters. This may vary slightly depending on which letters are used.

• 3 tabs = total of 50 characters max, including spaces
• 4 tabs = total of 40 characters max, including spaces

Underlining & Bold

Don't underline text for emphasis. If you need to emphasize text with formatting (do this sparingly), use bold.

Don’t use capitalization for emphasis, as screen readers will attempt to read some all caps as acronyms: Use bold formatting instead.

Don't use combinations of underline, bold, and italics.

Ampersand (&)

Only use ampersands in headlines, tab titles, calls to action (CTAs), when space is restricted, and when an ampersand is used in names and/or registered trademarks.

Also used in names and/or registered trademarks.

Colons (:) & Ellipses (…)

When you introduce examples, use a colon when you have a list.

(Ellipses in brackets […] are also used when you need to show you're omitting words from a quote.)

Commas (Oxford Comma)

When you have a sentence with a list of 3 or more items, use the Oxford (or serial) comma—a comma after the second-to-last item: Apples, bananas, and carrots.

(For other, non-list comma usage, follow grammar rules and common sense. Rule of thumb: If you’re unsure, read the sentence out loud; where you find yourself taking a pause, use a comma.)

Dashes & Hyphens

Use a hyphen (-) or en dash (–) without spaces on either side to link words into a single phrase. Use an en dash to indicate a span or range.

Use an em dash (—) (—) without spaces on either side when you need to set off text. Use a true em dash, not hyphens (- or --).

Periods

Periods go inside quotations marks. With parentheses, put periods outside the parenthetical when it's part of a larger sentence. When the parenthetical is a standalone sentence, put the period inside the parentheses.

Measurements

Package measurements will follow the structure [#]″ long x [#]″ high x [#]″ wide. Make sure the ″x″ is lowercase, with a space before and after.

Girth, the distance around the thickest part of the package, is written in inches.

Inches are represented with straight or "dumb" quotes ("), not curly quotes (“)

Numbers are in Numerals

Though it flouts grammatical convention, USPS.com style uses numerals for every number. While typically, any number under 10 would be written out, numerals are more easily scanned online than full words.

When a number is less than 1 (such as 0.5), always include the leading 0. When you use a decimal value, round to 2 figures after the decimal point, using a trailing 0 as needed.

Percent vs. Percent Sign (%)

In body copy, spell out the word "percent," but use the "%" symbol in tables and promos.

Phone Numbers

If you have a phone number that includes both letters and numbers, also provide the number-only version in the first instance.

Use dashes (not periods or spaces) to separate numbers.

Prices

In general, use the dollar sign ($) when writing prices, including 2 figures after the decimal point. In some cases, when the price is under a dollar and it’s the only price on the page, banner, or promo, you can use the ¢ sign. See the following examples:

Time, Dates, & Days

In general, for time, use AM and PM, without periods and with a space after the numerals.

Dates should be written month (spelled out), day (numeral), and year (numeral). If abbreviating month due to space constraints, refer to a Chicago Manual of Style.

Days can be spelled out or abbreviated. Use whatever form makes sense in the context of the text.

Weights

Ounces
When writing a weight in ounces, use the numeral followed by the abbreviation "oz". Don't put a period at the end of the abbreviation.

Pounds
When writing a weight in ounces, use the numeral followed by the abbreviation "lbs". Don't put a period at the end of the abbreviation.

Flat Rate

On USPS.com, nearly all instances of the word Flat Rate are capitalized.

Also, capitalize the words envelope and box in "Flat Rate Box" and "Flat Rate Envelope" phrases.

In addition, for Flat Rate products, add the ™ mark after the product name (unless the product already has a ^® See the examples below and specific guidance on the USPS Blue site (only accessible via the internal USPS network): USPS Law Department Trademark Guidelines and Trademark Lookup tool.

If It Fits, It Ships

Wherever the Flat Rate shipping phrase "If It Fits, It Ships^®" appears, make sure the following disclaimer is visible on the same page or tab.^* The disclaimer will have a different weight depending on if the item is being sent domestically or internationally.

Middle Initial

In forms, the label for the middle initial field is always abbreviated M.I. (if a form allows the input of a full middle name, the field should read "Middle Name or Initial").

Money-Back Guarantee

In this usage, money-back is hyphenated.

Guarantee comes with a disclaimer. If one isn’t provided, confirm with the content owners or legal department if one is needed.

Product & Service Descriptions

Write product and service descriptions in a way that focuses on the customer and helps them solve a problem, complete a transaction, or learn more about a product or service. Avoid talking about USPS organizational concerns or objectives.

Product & Service Names

Always use title case for USPS product and service names unless they are officially registered or trademarked a different way.

For example, Priority Mail^® is an adjective, not a noun, and should almost always be followed by the words "service," "box," or "envelope."

For additional information on official product and service names
visit http://blue.usps.gov/uspslaw/Trademark.htm.

Registration & Trademarks

The USPS legal department maintains a list of correct trademark and registrations on the USPS intranet: http://blue.usps.gov/uspslaw/Trademark.htm

Registration (®) and trademarks (™) only need to appear on the first instance of a qualifying word. Typically, this means you only need to mark a word once on a page. (Note: The USPS.com logo in the global header includes its registration mark, so you don’t need to mark "USPS.com" in body copy.)

Global header, global top navigation, local left navigation, page titles, page headers, and tab titles should NOT have registration or trademarks. However, the USPS.com logo in the global header does include its registration mark thereby eliminating the need to mark the use of the "USPS.com" phrase in the body copy.

However, in the case of dynamic and tabbed content, you need to mark the first visible instance of a product/service for each different view.

Rules of Registration & Trademarks

Can I put a registration or trademark on:

• Global navigation labels? - NO
• Local navigation labels? - NO
• Page title/Header 1 in content area? - NO
• Tab navigation labels? - NO
• Tab interior titles? - YES
• First instance on a page [within the content area] outside of above (i.e., header & subtext)? - YES
• Additional instances on a page [within the content area] outside of above? - NO

Calls to Action (CTAs)

Calls to action (CTAs) typically tell users to click on a link or button. The context and surrounding content should let users know where they'll go after they click on the CTA.

• Begin CTAs with an active verb (whenever possible and natural).
• Make your CTAs concise and easy to digest.
• The ideal CTA is 3 words or less.

Ecommerce Guidelines

The following guidelines apply to ecommerce pages, where customers are purchasing a product or service on USPS.com or the Postal Store.

Ecommerce Calls to Action (CTAs)

• "Check Out" is two words when it's being used as a verb (action)
• "Checkout" is one word when it's being used as an adjective or noun. "Checkout” is the correct way to refer to the “Checkout Screens” or any reference to the on-screen checkout process.
• Also, see the general rules on Calls to Action (CTA): They should be short, focused, and begin with an active verb whenever possible.

Other Ecommerce Tips

• Spell out Shipping & Handling. Do not use "S&H"
• Add colons after table row headers in the Order Summary box
• Keep CTAs consistent throughout screens. If we use "Edit" on a screen, do not introduce a new term such as "Modify" later.

URLs

Write all domain names are in lower case letters, except for USPS.com when it’s used by itself. When it’s part of an URL (e.g. www.usps.com/eddm), write it in lowercase

Use hyphens in static and/or “vanity” redirect URLs to separate keywords for simplicity, increased readability, and support for search engine optimization (SEO).

Resources

http://www.seomoz.org/learn-seo/url

http://support.google.com/webmasters/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=76329

http://www.searchenginejournal.com/url-naming-best-practices/46740/

Here’s how we write commonly used USPS.com words:

• add-on (noun, adjective), add on (verb)
• back end (noun), back-end (adjective)
• beta
• checkbox
• checkout (noun, adjective), check out (verb)
• coworker
• double-click
• drop-down (noun, adjective), drop down (verb)
• ecommerce (the industry)
• email (never hyphenate, never capitalize unless it begins a sentence)
• front end (noun), front-end (adjective)
• homepage
• integrate
• Internet
• login (noun, adjective), log in (verb)
• mailpiece
• money-back
• nonmachinable
• online (never capitalize unless it begins a sentence)
• opt-in (noun, adjective), opt in (verb)
• pickup (noun), pick up (verb)
• pop-up (noun, adjective), pop up (verb)
• signup (noun, adjective), sign up (verb)
• username
• URL (e.g., USPS.com, usps.com/tracking)
• web page
• website
• WiFi

Words to Avoid (legal Concerns)

We avoid many of these words because they are phrases trademarked by another company.

• A Post Office in Your Palm
• Boost (if it implies guarantee)
• Coming Soon (in the context of implying that a product or service is “coming soon”)
• New (a new product/service is only “new” for a short time; if you use “new,” you’re committing to update the text when it’s no longer new, so be aware.)
• Shipping Solutions
• Global Shipping Solutions
• Mobile Solutions

Other Words to Avoid

Use shorter, simpler words unless you have a specific need.

• Utilize (write “use” wherever you can)