Adding Guidance to Fields

Guidance notes let template and component authors leave helpful instructions for editors below the relevant field, reducing errors and the need for separate briefs.

You can add guidance to your templates and components either through a "Guidance" field, or as guidance at the bottom of each field.

Adding a Guidance field

A guidance field lets you provide instructions to editors using a rich-text area. For example, add detailed writing instructions or highlight style guidelines. Add headings, bold text, links, and other elements to share contextual tips or link to internal docs.

You can add a Guidance field by:

1. Open the Structure: Select Structure in the project navigation.
2. In the left-hand sidebar, select "Templates" or "Components".
3. Click the Template or Component you wish to edit, or click the edit button .
4. The editor will open, allowing you add fields and make changes.
5. Drag or add a "Guidance" field into the editor.
6. Write your guidance, you can include rich text such as headings, bold, links and other elements to share contextual tips or link to internal docs.
7. When you're finished, click "Save Changes".

Adding guidance to the bottom of a field

Guidance notes appear below the field label in the editor as subtle helper text. They're always visible, editors don't need to hover or expand anything to read them.

You can add guidance to the bottom of a field or group by:

1. Open the Structure: Select Structure in the project navigation.
2. In the left-hand sidebar, select "Templates" or "Components".
3. Click the Template or Component you wish to edit, or click the edit button .
4. The editor will open, allowing you add fields and make changes.
5. At the bottom of the field, you can add guidance.
6. When you're finished, click "Save Changes".

Word count guidance

For rich text and multi-line text fields, you can also add a word count alongside the guidance note. This shows a word count indicator in the editor. See Writing in the Editor for more on word counts.

Example guidance notes

• Title field: "Keep to 60 characters or fewer. Include the primary keyword."
• Meta description: "2–3 sentences summarising the page. 120–160 characters is ideal."
• Hero image: "Upload a 16:9 image, minimum 1200×675px. Include descriptive alt text."