{"id":3416,"date":"2023-11-20T15:18:54","date_gmt":"2023-11-20T20:18:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/university-communications.ncsu.edu\/documentation\/?page_id=3416"},"modified":"2026-03-03T13:59:45","modified_gmt":"2026-03-03T18:59:45","slug":"writing-a-utility-page","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/university-communications.ncsu.edu\/documentation\/build-your-site\/content-strategy\/writing-a-utility-page\/","title":{"rendered":"Writing a Utility Page"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Help Your Users Complete Tasks<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Utility pages<\/strong> are meant for sharing practical information and helping users perform specific tasks. Keep it simple \u2014 avoid fluff and frills that could slow users down from reaching their goals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Characteristics of a utility page:<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Helps users perform a task<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Addresses specific needs<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Linear, skimmable<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Helpful, practical<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Focused content<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Typically a discrete task<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>If successful, ends the session<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>If you&#8217;re looking for something more wide-ranging and designed, try out a <a href=\"https:\/\/university-communications.ncsu.edu\/documentation\/enhance-your-site\/writing-a-marketing-page\/\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/university-communications.ncsu.edu\/documentation\/enhance-your-site\/writing-a-marketing-page\/\">marketing page<\/a>. Marketing pages use persuasive language, varied content and bold imagery to help users explore and learn about a topic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Organizing Your Page&#8217;s Content<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>When it comes to organizing a page&#8217;s content, &#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nngroup.com\/articles\/chunking\/\">chunking<\/a>&#8221; \u2014 or breaking up content into small, distinct units of information \u2014 is a good place to start. Create meaningful, visually distinct units of content that make sense in the context of the whole page. By focusing on one portion of information at a time, you help your users to better scan, understand and retain the information you&#8217;re sharing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>What&#8217;s more, take some time to prioritize your calls to action and elevate the most important links. Think: What are users visiting your utility page page to do? Use labels that are clear, concise and easy to understand. The <strong>Icon Links block<\/strong> below works well for highlighting a few prominent links.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-ncst-resource-links\">\n      \n<div class=\"has-custombg-four-text-color wp-block-ncst-single-resource-link\">\n  <a href=\"#\" class=\"ncst-single-resource-link__url\" >\n    <span class=\"ncst-icon\">\n      <svg viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\">\n<path d=\"M9.10172 11.5209C9.86812 10.9941 10.4433 10.2277 10.7784 9.36469L11.5927 9.55641L12.0239 7.64016L11.3053 7.40063V7.20938C11.3053 6.29953 11.0658 5.48484 10.6828 4.71844L11.3053 4.19156L10.1555 2.65875L9.43734 3.1875C8.71875 2.61094 7.90406 2.17969 6.94594 2.03578V1.17188H5.03016V2.03578C4.11984 2.2275 3.30562 2.65875 2.58703 3.28125L1.91625 2.75437L0.670781 4.28719L1.38937 4.81453C0.958125 5.58094 0.814219 6.39516 0.814219 7.25766V7.49719L0 7.64062L0.335156 9.55688L1.14984 9.36516C1.485 10.2277 2.15578 10.9462 2.87437 11.5214L2.53875 12.2878L4.26562 13.102L4.60125 12.3352C5.05178 12.4693 5.52013 12.534 5.99016 12.5269C6.46033 12.534 6.92884 12.4693 7.37953 12.3352L7.71469 13.102L9.43969 12.2873L9.10172 11.5209ZM5.98781 10.1798C5.40031 10.1798 4.826 10.0056 4.33751 9.67923C3.84902 9.35283 3.46829 8.88891 3.24346 8.34612C3.01863 7.80334 2.9598 7.20608 3.07442 6.62987C3.18904 6.05365 3.47195 5.52436 3.88737 5.10894C4.3028 4.69351 4.83209 4.4106 5.4083 4.29598C5.98452 4.18137 6.58178 4.24019 7.12456 4.46502C7.66734 4.68985 8.13127 5.07058 8.45767 5.55907C8.78407 6.04756 8.95828 6.62187 8.95828 7.20938C8.95434 7.99598 8.64011 8.74924 8.0839 9.30546C7.52768 9.86168 6.77441 10.1759 5.98781 10.1798Z\" fill=\"currentColor\"\/>\n<path d=\"M5.9878 4.76624C5.5046 4.76624 5.03225 4.90952 4.63048 5.17798C4.22871 5.44643 3.91557 5.82799 3.73065 6.27442C3.54574 6.72084 3.49735 7.21207 3.59162 7.68599C3.68589 8.15991 3.91858 8.59523 4.26025 8.93691C4.60193 9.27859 5.03725 9.51127 5.51117 9.60554C5.98509 9.69981 6.47632 9.65143 6.92275 9.46651C7.36917 9.2816 7.75073 8.96846 8.01919 8.56669C8.28764 8.16492 8.43093 7.69256 8.43093 7.20936C8.42809 6.56228 8.16978 5.94251 7.71222 5.48494C7.25466 5.02738 6.63489 4.76907 5.9878 4.76624ZM5.9878 8.02405C5.50874 8.02405 5.17359 7.68842 5.17359 7.20936C5.17359 6.7303 5.50874 6.39514 5.9878 6.39514C6.46687 6.39514 6.80249 6.7303 6.80249 7.20936C6.80249 7.68842 6.46874 8.02405 5.9878 8.02405Z\" fill=\"currentColor\"\/>\n<path d=\"M23.1374 15.1617L23.9999 14.97L23.5687 13.0538L22.7066 13.2455C22.477 12.689 22.1876 12.159 21.8437 11.6649L22.4666 11.0419L21.1251 9.65252L20.503 10.2755C20.0087 9.93179 19.4786 9.6426 18.922 9.41299L19.1615 8.50315L17.2452 8.0719L17.054 8.93393C16.4788 8.88706 15.8085 8.93393 15.2334 9.02768L14.8982 8.21346L13.078 8.83831L13.4137 9.70081C12.8861 9.98061 12.402 10.3356 11.9765 10.7546L11.2101 10.1799L10.0602 11.7605L10.828 12.3352C10.5407 12.8625 10.3012 13.4372 10.2055 14.0119L9.19961 13.965L9.10352 15.8813L10.0138 15.9281C10.0702 16.5124 10.1824 17.0899 10.349 17.6527L9.53477 18.0839L10.4451 19.8085L11.2593 19.3772C11.6147 19.8777 12.0512 20.3152 12.5507 20.6719L12.0716 21.4866L13.7005 22.3964L14.1796 21.5822C14.467 21.6783 14.7543 21.7739 15.0416 21.8217C15.329 21.8696 15.6168 21.9155 15.9041 21.9155L15.951 22.8258L17.8673 22.7321L17.8204 21.8217C18.3951 21.728 18.9698 21.4866 19.4971 21.1992L20.024 21.9657L21.6046 20.8125L21.0777 20.0461C21.509 19.6149 21.892 19.1836 22.1798 18.6089L23.0418 18.9441L23.7604 17.1239L22.9462 16.8366C23.1374 16.3594 23.1374 15.7364 23.1374 15.1617ZM16.528 19.3294C15.77 19.3295 15.029 19.1048 14.3987 18.6837C13.7684 18.2627 13.2771 17.6641 12.9869 16.9639C12.6968 16.2636 12.6208 15.493 12.7687 14.7495C12.9165 14.006 13.2815 13.3231 13.8174 12.7871C14.3534 12.251 15.0363 11.886 15.7797 11.7381C16.5232 11.5902 17.2938 11.666 17.9941 11.9561C18.6944 12.2461 19.293 12.7374 19.7142 13.3676C20.1353 13.9979 20.3601 14.7389 20.3601 15.4969C20.3626 16.0009 20.2652 16.5005 20.0735 16.9667C19.8818 17.4328 19.5995 17.8563 19.2431 18.2127C18.8866 18.5691 18.4631 18.8513 17.9969 19.043C17.5307 19.2347 17.0312 19.332 16.5271 19.3294H16.528Z\" fill=\"currentColor\"\/>\n<path d=\"M16.5273 12.1917C14.6589 12.1917 13.2217 13.7245 13.2217 15.4969C13.2217 17.2692 14.7545 18.8025 16.5273 18.8025C18.3953 18.8025 19.8325 17.2697 19.8325 15.4969C19.8325 13.7241 18.3953 12.1917 16.5273 12.1917ZM16.5273 16.7906C15.7604 16.7906 15.1857 16.2155 15.1857 15.4491C15.1857 14.6826 15.7604 14.1094 16.5273 14.1094C17.2942 14.1094 17.8684 14.6841 17.8684 15.4505C17.8684 16.2169 17.2937 16.7906 16.5273 16.7906Z\" fill=\"currentColor\"\/>\n<\/svg>\n\n    <\/span>\n    <div class=\"ncst-single-resource-link__content\">\n              <h3 class=\"ncst-single-resource-link__heading\">Utility Link 1<\/h3>\n                    <p class=\"ncst-single-resource-link__teaser\">\n          <span class=\"text\">When you&#8217;re visiting a website to complete a specific task, you want things to be as simple as possible.<\/span><span class=\"arrow-indicator\"><svg class=\"wolficon wolficon-arrow-right-light\" role=\"img\"  aria-hidden=\"true\">\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<use xlink:href=\"#wolficon-arrow-right-light\">\n\t\t<\/svg><\/span>\n        <\/p>\n          <\/div>\n  <\/a>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<div class=\"has-custombg-four-text-color wp-block-ncst-single-resource-link\">\n  <a href=\"#\" class=\"ncst-single-resource-link__url\" >\n    <span class=\"ncst-icon\">\n      <svg viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\">\n<path d=\"M3.34541 10.8478H1.0415V11.7117H3.34541V10.8478Z\" fill=\"currentColor\"\/>\n<path d=\"M22.9585 10.8478H20.7024V11.7117H22.9585V10.8478Z\" fill=\"currentColor\"\/>\n<path d=\"M14.0061 19.3922H13.5599V18.0338H12.1344V19.7231H11.6877V18.0338H10.2669V19.3922H9.82066V18.0338H8.48145V19.9922L9.86379 20.6592V21.24H14.0497V20.6592L15.4321 19.9922V18.0338H14.0061V19.3922Z\" fill=\"currentColor\"\/>\n<path d=\"M9.86401 23.333H10.6656L11.064 24H12.85L13.2479 23.333H14.05V22.7522H9.86401V23.333Z\" fill=\"currentColor\"\/>\n<path d=\"M14.0495 21.6862H9.86401V22.3102H14.0495V21.6862Z\" fill=\"currentColor\"\/>\n<path d=\"M12.0239 4.22859C10.6225 4.22552 9.25662 4.66994 8.12531 5.49713C6.99399 6.32432 6.1563 7.49108 5.73424 8.82748C5.31217 10.1639 5.32777 11.6001 5.77876 12.927C6.22975 14.254 7.09258 15.4023 8.24159 16.2047H8.21768L8.48159 17.5781H15.4322L15.8306 16.2052C16.6962 15.5984 17.4032 14.7924 17.8918 13.8551C18.3805 12.9178 18.6366 11.8767 18.6385 10.8197C18.6172 9.07418 17.9127 7.40651 16.6762 6.17435C15.4397 4.94219 13.7695 4.24367 12.0239 4.22859Z\" fill=\"currentColor\"\/>\n<path d=\"M19.6524 2.61715L18.0139 4.23685L18.6213 4.85123L20.2597 3.23153L19.6524 2.61715Z\" fill=\"currentColor\"\/>\n<path d=\"M12.5277 0H11.6638V2.30391H12.5277V0Z\" fill=\"currentColor\"\/>\n<path d=\"M4.35442 2.61456L3.74707 3.22894L5.38553 4.84864L5.99288 4.23426L4.35442 2.61456Z\" fill=\"currentColor\"\/>\n<\/svg>\n\n    <\/span>\n    <div class=\"ncst-single-resource-link__content\">\n              <h3 class=\"ncst-single-resource-link__heading\">Utility Link 2<\/h3>\n                    <p class=\"ncst-single-resource-link__teaser\">\n          <span class=\"text\">Ask questions and use analytics to learn your users&#8217; key goals, then elevate the content that will help.<\/span><span class=\"arrow-indicator\"><svg class=\"wolficon wolficon-arrow-right-light\" role=\"img\"  aria-hidden=\"true\">\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<use xlink:href=\"#wolficon-arrow-right-light\">\n\t\t<\/svg><\/span>\n        <\/p>\n          <\/div>\n  <\/a>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<div class=\"has-custombg-four-text-color wp-block-ncst-single-resource-link\">\n  <a href=\"#\" class=\"ncst-single-resource-link__url\" >\n    <span class=\"ncst-icon\">\n      <svg viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\">\n<path d=\"M5.43746 12.329H18.5596V14.3137H19.4161V11.4731H12.4279V9.68341H11.572V11.4731H4.58105V14.3137H5.43746V12.329Z\" fill=\"currentColor\"\/>\n<path d=\"M10.0186 14.8847H0V22.5572H10.0186V14.8847Z\" fill=\"currentColor\"\/>\n<path d=\"M23.9999 14.8847H13.9785V22.5572H23.9999V14.8847Z\" fill=\"currentColor\"\/>\n<path d=\"M17.0096 1.44281H6.99097V9.11203H17.0096V1.44281Z\" fill=\"currentColor\"\/>\n<\/svg>\n\n    <\/span>\n    <div class=\"ncst-single-resource-link__content\">\n              <h3 class=\"ncst-single-resource-link__heading\">Utility Link 3<\/h3>\n                    <p class=\"ncst-single-resource-link__teaser\">\n          <span class=\"text\">Trust us, a motivated user will invest in reading content they know will help them reach their goals &#8230;<\/span><span class=\"arrow-indicator\"><svg class=\"wolficon wolficon-arrow-right-light\" role=\"img\"  aria-hidden=\"true\">\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<use xlink:href=\"#wolficon-arrow-right-light\">\n\t\t<\/svg><\/span>\n        <\/p>\n          <\/div>\n  <\/a>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<div class=\"has-custombg-four-text-color wp-block-ncst-single-resource-link\">\n  <a href=\"#\" class=\"ncst-single-resource-link__url\" >\n    <span class=\"ncst-icon\">\n      <svg viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\">\n<path d=\"M22.5409 17.6728L20.0715 20.1427L19.345 19.4166L21.8153 16.9462L20.8618 15.9919L19.8418 17.0123L19.1153 16.2863L20.1362 15.2653L19.1411 14.2687L18.1196 15.2902L17.3931 14.5641L18.415 13.5422L17.3265 12.4519L14.8534 14.925L14.1273 14.1984L16.6004 11.7253L15.557 10.6809L14.5337 11.7042L13.8071 10.9781L14.8314 9.95391L13.8362 8.95781L12.8115 9.98203L12.0854 9.25594L13.1101 8.23078L12.2012 7.32094L9.72527 9.79688L8.99918 9.07031L11.4756 6.59437L10.5221 5.64L9.49559 6.66656L8.76949 5.94L9.79652 4.91297L8.80137 3.91687L7.77387 4.94438L7.0473 4.21828L8.07574 3.18984L6.98684 2.1L4.50762 4.57922L3.78152 3.85266L6.26074 1.37344L4.98293 0.09375L0.108398 4.97438L19.0173 23.9062L23.8918 19.0256L22.5409 17.6728Z\" fill=\"currentColor\"\/>\n<\/svg>\n\n    <\/span>\n    <div class=\"ncst-single-resource-link__content\">\n              <h3 class=\"ncst-single-resource-link__heading\">Utility Link 4<\/h3>\n                    <p class=\"ncst-single-resource-link__teaser\">\n          <span class=\"text\">&#8230; But simplifying things for your users improves their experience \u2014 and reduces inquiries for you.<\/span><span class=\"arrow-indicator\"><svg class=\"wolficon wolficon-arrow-right-light\" role=\"img\"  aria-hidden=\"true\">\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<use xlink:href=\"#wolficon-arrow-right-light\">\n\t\t<\/svg><\/span>\n        <\/p>\n          <\/div>\n  <\/a>\n<\/div>\n\n\n    <\/div>\n  \n\n\n<p>The <strong>Text Links block<\/strong> below is better suited for secondary links.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"layout-one-column is-text wp-block-ncst-link-list\">\n        <ul class=\"link-list__container\">\n      \n<li class=\"ncst-component__bold-link-container wp-block-ncst-bold-link\">\n      <a \n      href=\"https:\/\/university-communications.ncsu.edu\/documentation\/\"\n      class=\"ncst-component__bold-link text-link\"\n                >\n    <span class=\"text\">Web Platform Documentation<\/span><span class=\"arrow-indicator\"><svg class=\"wolficon wolficon-arrow-right-bold\" role=\"img\"  aria-hidden=\"true\">\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<use xlink:href=\"#wolficon-arrow-right-bold\">\n\t\t<\/svg><\/span>\n    <\/a>\n      <\/li>\n  \n\n<li class=\"ncst-component__bold-link-container wp-block-ncst-bold-link\">\n      <a \n      href=\"https:\/\/university-communications.ncsu.edu\/documentation\/enhance-your-site\/inspiration-gallery\/\"\n      class=\"ncst-component__bold-link text-link\"\n                >\n    <span class=\"text\">Inspiration Gallery<\/span><span class=\"arrow-indicator\"><svg class=\"wolficon wolficon-arrow-right-bold\" role=\"img\"  aria-hidden=\"true\">\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<use xlink:href=\"#wolficon-arrow-right-bold\">\n\t\t<\/svg><\/span>\n    <\/a>\n      <\/li>\n  \n\n<li class=\"ncst-component__bold-link-container wp-block-ncst-bold-link\">\n      <a \n      href=\"https:\/\/university-communications.ncsu.edu\/nc-state-photos\/\"\n      class=\"ncst-component__bold-link text-link\"\n                >\n    <span class=\"text\">NC State Photos<\/span><span class=\"arrow-indicator\"><svg class=\"wolficon wolficon-arrow-right-bold\" role=\"img\"  aria-hidden=\"true\">\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<use xlink:href=\"#wolficon-arrow-right-bold\">\n\t\t<\/svg><\/span>\n    <\/a>\n      <\/li>\n  \n\n    <\/ul>\n  <\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Display Your Content Wisely<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Depending on the content you&#8217;re sharing, a Paragraph block isn&#8217;t always the best way to communicate complex information. Consider using a <strong>List block<\/strong> or a <strong>Table block<\/strong> instead to improve readability.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table is-style-red-heading-stripes\"><table class=\"has-fixed-layout\"><thead><tr><th>Semester<\/th><th>Total Enrollment<\/th><\/tr><\/thead><tbody><tr><td>Fall 2019<\/td><td>36,762<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Fall 2020<\/td><td>36,472<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Fall 2021<\/td><td>37,556<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Fall 2022<\/td><td>37,873<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n<div class=\"is-text wp-block-ncst-accordion\" >\n    <div class=\"accordion isLinked\" id=\"ncst-accordion-zt1ycl\">\n          \n<details class=\"wp-block-ncst-accordion-item\" name=\"zt1ycl\"  >\n      <summary class=\"accordion-item__header\">\n        <span class=\"accordion-item__expansion-indicator\">\n          <span class=\"ncst-plus-minus-toggle\"><\/span>\n        <\/span>\n        <h2 class=\"accordion-item__label h6\">Accordions are great for complex content, too<\/h2>\n      <\/summary>\n      <p>\n        \n\n<p>Show (and hide) complex or detailed content in collapsible panels.<\/p>\n\n\n      <\/p>\n  <\/details>\n\n\n<details class=\"wp-block-ncst-accordion-item\" name=\"zt1ycl\"  >\n      <summary class=\"accordion-item__header\">\n        <span class=\"accordion-item__expansion-indicator\">\n          <span class=\"ncst-plus-minus-toggle\"><\/span>\n        <\/span>\n        <h2 class=\"accordion-item__label h6\">Write clear labels and the right audience will read the content<\/h2>\n      <\/summary>\n      <p>\n        \n\n<p>Accordions can be used for frequently asked questions, course descriptions and more.<\/p>\n\n\n      <\/p>\n  <\/details>\n\n\n    <\/div>\n  <\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Help Your Users Complete Tasks Utility pages are meant for sharing practical information and helping users perform specific tasks. Keep it simple \u2014 avoid fluff and frills that could slow users down from reaching their goals. Characteristics of a utility page: If you&#8217;re looking for something more wide-ranging and designed, try out a marketing page.&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":104,"featured_media":0,"parent":1739,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"ncst_custom_author":"","ncst_show_custom_author":false,"ncst_dynamicHeaderBlockName":"ncst\/default-header","ncst_dynamicHeaderData":"{\"pageIntro\":\"\"}","ncst_content_audit_freq":"","ncst_content_audit_date":"","ncst_content_audit_display":false,"ncst_backToTopFlag":"","footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"class_list":["post-3416","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/university-communications.ncsu.edu\/documentation\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/3416","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/university-communications.ncsu.edu\/documentation\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/university-communications.ncsu.edu\/documentation\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/university-communications.ncsu.edu\/documentation\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/104"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/university-communications.ncsu.edu\/documentation\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3416"}],"version-history":[{"count":17,"href":"https:\/\/university-communications.ncsu.edu\/documentation\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/3416\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":39343,"href":"https:\/\/university-communications.ncsu.edu\/documentation\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/3416\/revisions\/39343"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/university-communications.ncsu.edu\/documentation\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1739"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/university-communications.ncsu.edu\/documentation\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3416"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}