Structuring web content with AI in mind

Our web content is now not only read by people but also by digital systems, including search engines and AI tools such as large language models (LLMs). These include ChatGPT, Google, Copilot, Claude and Perplexity, which rely on clear structure to understand a page’s meaning and context. Well‑structured content is more likely to be understood correctly, cited accurately and appear in relevant results, improving visibility and the overall user experience.

This matters even more as increasing numbers of prospective students now use AI tools to help decide where to study. Overall, AI and chat‑driven impressions increased on the University of Essex webpages by around 405%, between February 2025 and October 2025.

As a University, we have spent many years encouraging good accessibility practice among web authors, and preparing content for AI is an extension of that same work.

If you create or update webpages as a University web author, it is a good idea to check the following before publishing.

Headings and structure

• Use clear, descriptive headings that explain what each section is about
• Apply headings in the correct order (H1, H2, H3 – don’t skip levels)
• Make sure the page makes sense if someone only reads the headings

Content layout

• Break long content into short sections so it’s easy to read and digest
• Avoid large blocks of uninterrupted text, which can feel very dense on a webpage
• Use bullet points where they genuinely improve clarity

Communicating clearly

• Lead with the most important point first and try and keep it to one key area on each page
• Explain or avoid specialist terms where possible – think about a broad audience, including prospective students, current students and staff
• Keep sentences short, focused and to the point
• AI can’t read videos or captions, so put the important details in the text and use the visuals just to add extra context.

Organising the structure of your content

• Check that headings reflect the actual content underneath them or the main idea of the section
• Ensure each section could be understood out of context
• Remember: clear structure helps people, screen readers and AI interpret the content

Final checks

• Would this page be easy to scan on a screen?
• Would someone outside your discipline understand the key message?
• If this content were reused or summarised, would it still be accurate?

If most answers are “yes”, then you’re doing a good job.  If you haven’t already, it’s also worth familiarising yourself with our existing guidance on writing for the web, which covers these areas in more detail and supports the creation of accessible, effective content. If you'd like help reviewing a page, contact the Web team.