Content
Writing and designing content in a thoughtful way makes your app usable, accessible, and readable.
Voice and tone
Anchor link to section titled "Voice and tone"Your written content's voice and tone help you talk to merchants in a consistent, recognizable way.
Voice is a reflection of who you are. It's the aspects of your writing that are consistent across all contexts and audiences.
Tone is like aspects of your personality. It can change based on the audience and their current context.
Voice and tone is important
Expressing your brand through written content shouldn't contradict Shopify's voice and tone. This helps maintain a cohesive experience for merchants.
Shopify's voice and tone
Anchor link to section titled "Shopify voice and tone"Shopify's voice reflects that we're a company built by real people who understand the business and care about helping merchants succeed.
These examples illustrate each of Shopify's voice principles.
Be real, but not too tough or overly familiar
“There was an issue processing your payment. A support representative will reach out within 30 minutes to help resolve this issue.”
Be proactive, but not needy or pushy
“You can upload images now, and start building templates when you're ready.”
Be dynamic, but not scattered or impulsive
“Start adding customers to view order history, send personalized communications, and more.”
Guide, but don't handhold or prescribe
“64% of customers look for shipping costs on the product page. Easy-to-find shipping details encourage them to shop with you.”
Shopify adapts our tone to the merchant experience. Here's a few situations where tone can vary.
Shopify's own guidelines are available in the Polaris voice and tone documentation.
Errors
“This account has been deactivated. If this is a mistake, contact support@shopify.com.”
Education
“Based on state requirements, you might need to start collecting sales tax in 2 states.”
Acknowledgement of progress
“You've added new products. Add more products or continue to another task.”
Announcements and updates
“Send customers the right message at the right time. Introducing automation templates.”
Product content
Anchor link to section titled "Product content"The following are some principles behind writing product content for a quality merchant experience.
Use plain language
Anchor link to section titled "Use plain language"Shopify merchants are located all over the world, have varying levels of literacy, and may not speak English as their first language. Content can easily be mistranslated or misinterpreted.
Structure your content in a clear, efficient way.
Mandatory
Use headings, bullets, and short sentences to make your content more scannable.
Mandatory
Use clear terms that are easily understood. As a benchmark, aim for a United States grade 7 reading level. You can check reading levels with tools like Hemingway App.
Caution
Be careful when using industry jargon and technical terms. Only use them if it helps clarify something for the merchant.
Unacceptable
Avoid large blocks of text, as it's hard to scan and gather the most important information quickly.
Unacceptable
Avoid idioms and phrases with indirect or ironic meanings, as they can be misinterpreted or mistranslated.Be consistent
Anchor link to section titled "Be consistent"To help merchants understand key concepts and actions, use terms in a consistent way.
One way to ensure consistency is to identify and eliminate synonyms for key concepts and actions.
Mandatory
Use a single noun, verb, or phrase to describe a specific thing, action, or concept.
Unacceptable
Don't use multiple synonyms to describe a specific thing, action, or concept.Encourage action
Anchor link to section titled "Encourage action"Merchants use Shopify to get things done for their businesses. Write content that helps merchants understand and take the most important actions.
Mandatory
For calls to action (CTAs), start with a strong verb that describes the action. Use active voice to clarify the subject and the action.
Mandatory
Prioritize the most important information and tasks. Break complicated tasks into steps that focus on individual actions.Guide, don't prescribe
Anchor link to section titled "Guide, don't prescribe"Write in a way that puts your merchant at the center and in control. Provide merchants with tools and knowledge for making the best decision.
Mandatory
Give merchants enough information to make the right decision on their own.
Unacceptable
Don't oversell or overpromise. This can break trust with customers.Grammar and mechanics
Anchor link to section titled "Grammar and mechanics"For spelling, punctuation, and other grammatical considerations, refer to the Polaris grammar and mechanics guidelines.
