Knowledge base style guide: The key to consistency and efficiency

Are you struggling to keep your knowledge base content consistent and easy to manage? If so, you're in the right place!

A well-structured knowledge base makes it easy for customers to find answers quickly, frees up your support team, and serves as a central place for all of the information that matters most to your audience.

However, creating an effective knowledge base can be challenging. Whether you're building one from scratch or revamping an existing one, consistency is key.

And that's where a knowledge base style guide comes in.

In this article, we'll explore what a knowledge base style guide is, why it's essential, and how to create one that streamlines your content creation process and elevates your brand. We'll cover everything from article structure and formatting to SEO best practices and review workflows.

What is a knowledge base style guide?

Simply put, knowledge base style guides are documents that outline the rules for writing and maintaining content in your knowledge base. They're essentially a rulebook for your team designed to keep everyone on the same page, which keeps your content consistent.

Your style guide should cover everything from how articles should be structured and formatted to the specific language and tone you should use. It's a valuable tool for anyone creating or managing knowledge base content.

It's also worth mentioning that a knowledge base style guide is different from a general style guide. General style guides cover broader brand guidelines, like your logo and brand colors. A knowledge base style guide focuses specifically on the content within your knowledge base.

Why use a knowledge base style guide?

Before we dive into creating a style guide, let's talk about why it's so important.

Here are a few ways both your customers and your team will benefit from a knowledge base style guide:

• Consistency across all articles - A style guide helps maintain a unified voice and look across your entire knowledge base, regardless of who's writing. This makes it easier for users to navigate and understand your content.
• Improved content quality and clarity - Clear guidelines empower your team to create high-quality, easy-to-read articles, leading to happier customers and fewer support tickets.
• Streamlined collaboration - A style guide results in better collaboration between writers and editors because everyone follows the same framework for each entry.
• Reduced training time for new contributors - Onboarding new team members becomes much easier since they can review the style guide and get started with confidence.
• Strengthened brand integrity - A consistent knowledge base will help your brand appear more credible, which is crucial for building trust with your audience.
• Boosted SEO and discoverability - Adding keywords and metadata improves search engine optimization, which means your content is easier to find.

And this is just the beginning! A well-defined style guide can significantly improve your knowledge base's effectiveness, which translates to better customer experiences and increased efficiency for your team.

7 best practices for a consistent and effective knowledge base style guide

You'll be happy to know that creating a knowledge base style guide doesn't have to be complicated. By following these seven best practices, you can develop a style guide that's perfect for your organization.

1. Define standard article structures

First, a consistent article structure is a must-have for a user-friendly knowledge base. It makes articles easier to read, scan, and understand.

Plus, it streamlines how your team creates content. When everyone's on the same page, output and quality both increase.

We suggest starting by creating templates for your most common article types. You'll want detailed rules for creating how-to guides, FAQs, troubleshooting articles, glossaries, and other common content types.

Each template is a blueprint for your writers, which helps establish consistency across the board.

For example, a how-to guide template should include a clear title, a brief introduction, a list of prerequisites, numbered steps, visuals (like screenshots), a summary, and links to related articles.

It's also important to explain the purpose of each section. Don't just list them. Tell your writers why each section matters and what it should contain.

For the introduction, you could explain that it sets the stage and tells the reader what to expect. Offer insights on why each section matters, which will make it more likely that your employees stick to the style guide. 

These templates also save time and make it much easier to onboard new writers. When they have a clear framework to follow from day one, they can quickly get up to speed with their new coworkers.

If you want to make sure your knowledge base articles have all the key details, review your buyer personas (example below) and make sure the structure of your content addresses common goals and pain points so your team knows what to look for.

2. Define your knowledge base tone and voice

Just like your marketing content, your knowledge base should have a consistent tone and voice that aligns with your brand.

The way you communicate with your audience plays a big role in how they see your company. A friendly, clear, and professional tone makes your knowledge base approachable and easy to understand.

You should start by deciding how formal or informal your writing should be. Will your articles use a conversational tone, or should they be more technical and precise?

For most businesses, a balance between friendly and informative works best—one that keeps things professional but still feels human.

It's also important to establish guidelines for word choice and phrasing. Should your content be direct and instructional, or should it include a bit of personality? You'll want to choose a style and stick with it so your knowledge base has a unified voice and tone.

3. Set clear formatting guidelines

Formatting plays a very important role in making your knowledge base content readable and professional.

A well-formatted article not only looks more polished but also helps guide the reader through the information in a logical flow. You'll want to define the specific formatting rules that will maintain consistency across your entire knowledge base.

For example, you may want to standardize things like font styles, font sizes, heading levels, and how to format lists. Decide whether you'll use numbered lists or bullet points for certain types of information, and be specific about the types of headings to use for different sections.

Here’s an example of what this could look like:

A consistent approach to formatting makes your content visually appealing and super easy for readers to digest.

4. Standardize terminology and language

A clear and consistent vocabulary is crucial for building a professional, user-friendly knowledge base.

When different articles use different terms for the same concept, it can confuse readers and make it harder for them to find the information they need.

Your style guide should include a glossary of approved terms, phrases, and abbreviations that your team should use.

If your company has product names, technical terms, or industry-specific words or phrases, make sure they are spelled and formatted consistently throughout all articles. This seemingly simple step prevents misunderstandings and ensures users get the most accurate information possible.

It's also helpful to define terms that should be avoided. For example, if certain words have multiple meanings that could confuse your audience, provide alternatives that align with your brand's communication style. By doing this early, you will save yourself and your team a lot of trouble.

Lastly, consider accessibility and inclusivity. Avoid overly complex language when simple wording will do, and be mindful of cultural or industry-specific terms that may not be universally understood. The goal is to create content that is clear, inclusive, and easy for all users to follow.

5. Establish guidelines for visual elements

Images, screenshots, videos, and other visuals are powerful tools that enhance your knowledge base content. They help to break up the text, illustrate key points, and make instructions easier to follow.

However, without clear guidelines, visual elements can become inconsistent and distracting rather than helpful.

Your style guide should define what types of visuals should be used and when. For example, should every how-to article include screenshots? Should product images have a specific background or annotation style? Providing clear instructions on when and how to use visuals ensures consistency across all articles.

You should also set technical standards, such as image resolution, file formats, and aspect ratios. If screenshots are a key part of your content, specify whether they should include annotations like arrows or highlights to draw attention to important details, like in the image below:

If videos are used, decide on length, narration style, and whether captions should be included for accessibility.

By establishing clear guidelines for visual elements, you create a more polished and professional knowledge base that improves comprehension and leads to a better user experience.

6. Create an editing and review process

If you want a strong knowledge base, you need to maintain accuracy and quality over time. 

Without a structured editing and review process, mistakes can slip through, outdated information can linger, and inconsistencies can develop. None of this is good for your customers.

Your style guide should outline how articles are reviewed before publishing. Define who is responsible for proofreading, fact-checking, and following style guidelines. Some businesses have dedicated editors, while others rely on peer reviews from fellow team members.

Figure out how your knowledge base should be edited and reviewed, and make it known in the style guide.

Whatever approach you take, make sure there's a clear process in place.

You'll also want to establish how old posts should be updated. We all know that product details, policies, and best practices can change over time, so you'll want to pop in every once in a while to make sure everything is up to date.

7. Make your style guide accessible and updatable

Your knowledge base style guide should be easy to access, easy to use, and regularly updated. If your team can't easily find or reference it, they won't follow it.

Our advice here is to host your style guide in a central location where all content creators, editors, and anyone else important to the process can access it.

Consider adding a search function or a table of contents to help users quickly find the information they need.

Your style guide will change over time as new products, services, and features are introduced. In addition to these inevitable changes, your team should provide feedback if they notice gaps or areas that need clarification.

A well-maintained and easily accessible style guide ensures that everyone stays aligned, no matter how your knowledge base evolves over time.

Final thoughts

Creating a knowledge base style guide is one of the best ways to help your team develop clear, consistent, and high-quality content. By standardizing everything you work on, you can be sure your knowledge base remains a reliable resource for your customers.

Investing time in creating and maintaining a style guide pays off in the long run. It streamlines content creation, improves user experience, and strengthens your brand's credibility. Most importantly, it helps your customers quickly and efficiently find the answers they need.

If you haven't already, now is the perfect time to put together a knowledge base style guide for your team. Start with the basics, refine it as you go, and make it a living document that evolves with your business.

The result will be a knowledge base that is easy to manage, easy to use, and truly valuable to your audience. KnowledgeOwl can help you simplify this process and create a knowledge base that will take your business to the next level.