Table of Contents Labels
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Table of Contents (TOC) labels refer to the headings or titles used to represent the various sections or pages of our documentation in the TOC. The TOC provides an organized list of the documentation's structure and content.
Each entry in the TOC typically includes a label or heading that corresponds to a section or page in the documentation. These labels give users a quick overview of the topics covered and help them navigate to specific parts of the documentation more efficiently.
When you create a TOC, you can generate these labels automatically based on the titles of your pages, or specify labels that differ from the page title.
Page titles and Table of Contents (TOC) labels serve distinct purposes. We should craft them with different considerations.
TOC labels and page titles can match. However, we should define them separately even when they match for added flexibility. This approach ensures that we can easily implement any future changes without affecting the other element. Separate definitions for TOC labels and page titles contribute to organized content management and a seamless user experience.
While both page titles and TOC labels contribute to the overall user experience, page titles focus more on attracting users and SEO, while TOC labels prioritize representing the document's structure and aiding in navigation within the document itself.
Page Titles
Optimize page titles for search engines. They should include relevant keywords to improve the page's discoverability in search results. To learn more, see Search Engine Optimization Guidelines.
Create succinct, meaningful, descriptive page titles, and place the most important words first. Page titles should have a maximum of 70 characters and provide a quick overview of the content. Search results or browser tabs might truncate extra long titles. Avoid excessive or irrelevant words (keyword stuffing).
While we should craft concise titles, include enough information to confirm to the user that they have landed in the right place. A page title can provide more detail than a TOC label.
Ensure that each title and heading is unique. Identical titles, even between documentation sets, might compete in search results.
Don't include "MongoDB" in a title unless the page is a product landing page.
Aim to attract users and encourage them to click on the link. Include phrases users might search for, or tasks they might want to accomplish.
Create page titles that are readable and effective on various devices, including mobile. This involves considering character limits and readability on smaller screens.
Use a consistent grammatical structure, style, and tone across all page titles to maintain a unified and professional appearance. For example, use verbs to indicate procedural content.
To learn more, see Titles and Headings.
TOC Labels
While the automatic labels make it easier for writers to update the TOC as the content evolves, long titles interfere with efficient navigation. We recommend that you specify TOC labels to enhance the document's accessibility and usability.
Craft clear and descriptive TOC labels that convey the content of each section or page accurately. Users should understand the context from the TOC label and its placement in the overall TOC hierarchy.
Ensure your TOC label fits on a single line of text. Let the placement of the TOC label in the overall TOC hierarchy provide context. Avoid redundancy and repetition. The page title itself can provide more detail and confirm to the user that they have landed in the right place. To this end, you can use industry standard abbreviations and the ampersand when needed.
Important
In favor of brevity, TOC labels do allow for the the ampersand ( & ) symbol.
Don't stray so far from the original page title that you disorient the user.
TOC labels should follow a logical order that reflects the documentation's flow. You might include numbering or an order that makes sense for the documentation's purpose.
TOC labels primarily aid user navigation. Users should be able to quickly locate and go to specific sections of interest.
In technical documentation, TOC labels may use specialized technical terminology and acronyms to accurately represent the content within each section or page.
If a tutorial page uses an action-oriented TOC label, and that label fits on one line, use the action-oriented label. Note that a child page can "inherit" an action from a parent page; for example, if the parent TOC label is "Query", you can label its child pages "Arrays," "Nested Documents," etc., without repeating "Query" in the child labels.
If an action-oriented TOC label doesn't fit on one line, use a shorter, non-action-oriented label.
Don't use action-oriented TOC labels for reference pages.