Content & Quality Guidelines

Updated 02/08/2022

Content can be deleted at any time and without notice if we feel that it breaks our Community Guidelines or Best Little Sites ToS (Terms of Service). With that being said, content that follows the guidelines below typically do very well and aren't usually removed.

IMPORTANT! Content should follow Best Little Sites's theme. CONTENT THAT DOES NOT FIT, or that is better suited elsewhere, will be moved to the appropriate site within the network (if applicable), or removed entirely.

  • Headlines MUST
    • Be exciting!
    • SPOILER FREE
    • Be CamelCased (i.e. the first letter of each word should be capitalized).
    • Minimum of 50 characters and maximum of 110 characters
    • CLICKBAIT IS NOT ALLOWED (i.e. Be honest regarding what’s being covered in your content, don’t over-sensationalize them)
  • Summaries should
    • Be 2 – 3 lines in length (130 – 190 characters) length
    • No more than 3 – 4 lines in length (190 – 255 characters)
    • DO NOT include links to other content in your summaries (those links should go in the body).
    • CLICKBAIT IS NOT ALLOWED here either...
  • THUMBNAILS
    • Thumbnail images are required for all posts
    • Must include a relevant thumbnail
    • SPOILER FREE
    • Letterbox/16:9 aspect ratio (the platform will handle any resizing)
    • 72 DPI Resolution is best
    • MUST BE PRESENTABLE when shrunk. Square images or tall images will be distorted and won’t do your content any favors...
    • Posts without thumbnails will be deleted!
  • BANNER IMAGES
    • Banner images are REQUIRED for all posts
    • NO SPOILERS! The image is used by social and sharing feeds, so choose wisely!
    • MUST be JPG/JPEG! (PNG files are too large and will take users too long to download, thus ruinging their experience)
    • Larger images in 16:9 aspect ratio work best
    • 72 DPI Resolution works great here as well
  • BODY/CONTENT IMAGES
    • JPG/JPEG! images for photos are the fastest
    • The site is designed for 690 width. Anything larger than 800 width can hurt the user experience and download times.
    • No maximum height requirements (i.e. landscape and portrait images are both welcome)
    • Delete the image width and height values that the editor puts in by default. Those fields should be blank, otherwise the images will become distorted for mobile viewers due to the way that the WYSIWYG editor handles those values.
    • Embedded images MUST be from a secure site/URL (i.e. “https” NOT “http”). Using a non-SSL URL for an image will break the security of the platform/web sites and throw up an alert to the user telling them the site isn’t secure. That’s bad.
  • Video Embeds
    • MUST be pasted into the "Source" view of the WYSIWYG
      (Click the "Source" button, paste embed code, click "Source" button again to go back to regular editing)
    • Width and height should be set to 670 x 377
      (The site will automatically resize YouTUbe embeds to fit for mobile)
  • OPINIONS AND REVIEWS belong in the "Editorial" and "Review" areas. If you want to share your opinion regarding breaking news, or other content, you may do so in the comments area.
  • There is a minimum character requirement for the content/body of your posts. They MUST include at least four paragraphs of text. Movie synopsis/cast DO NOT COUNT towards this requirement!
  • The content/body of the article must be broken up into separate paragraphs! New topics/thoughts require a new paragraph! DON’T cram everything into one big paragraph. Not only is it ugly, it’s more difficult to read and will turn users AWAY from your content.
  • If an article includes a trailer and summary/synopsis, the summary must be placed BELOW the trailer.
  • All posts should be properly linked and cited to the ORIGINAL source using the “Source Name” and “Source URL” fields. “Thanks to ABC for pointing us to DEF!” within the content is fine if it was found via intermediaries.
  • ALL POSTS MUST BE PROOF READ AND SPELL-CHECKED PRIOR TO PUBLISHING.
  • ALL POSTS SHOULD BE DOUBLE-CHECKED AFTER POSTING.
  • Links to other content by the author should be placed at the bottom of the post unless directly related to the content being shared.
  • DO NOT POST SET PICS FROM OTHER SOURCES! If there are any question or issues regarding copyright and ownership (i.e. if it’s not from the official source/studio, or you weren't given permission to use them), don't risk it. YOU are legally liable for anything that you post to our platform.
  • Fill OUT All Fields!
    • The teaser/summary is meant to entice users into reading your content. DON'T spoil it by giving everything away too early! You WANT them to click!
    • Use the source fields to credit your source when applicable.
    • Click on the question marks (?) for additional information on each field.
    • DON'T FORGET KEYWORDS!
  • Take your time with your writing:
    • Correct spelling, grammar and punctuation is a must. Please capitalize new sentences and especially "i".
    • No "mobile phone/texting" language is allowed. Any content that looks like it was posted via teenager's phone and text messaging will be removed.
    • "Spell checkers", dictionaries and thesauruses are your friend!
    • Proper layout and spacing required. If you are cutting and pasting a lot, double check your work and make adjustments accordingly.
    • DO NOT USE ALL CAPITAL LETTERS IN HEADLINES OR CONTENT. Nobody likes being SHOUTED at.
    • Word Processors have a nasty habit of bloating your source code, so take a peak under the covers every once in a while!
  • NO PLAGIARISM!
    • When aggregating news from other websites, avoid taking too much.
    • ALWAYS credit your source. Use the "source" field and link accordingly!
    • Rewrite and provide your own unique perspective whenever possible.
  • NO Messageboard "Threads" Allowed:
    • Provide CONTENT, not a question meant only to generate discussion.
    • If your contributions are uninteresting to a general audience, or not within the theme of the site/platform, they may be deleted.
    • Editorials will be deleted if they are not self contained (i.e. you are posting open-ended "thoughts" without any analysis)
  • Duplicate Content WILL be Deleted:
    • Ensure that you aren't wasting your time doubling up on content that someone else has already covered!
    • If multiple content is created within a short period of time, the best one will stay up. If there are duplicate have been up for an extended amount of time before being cauth, the FIRST ONE POSTED will stay up (assuming it meets the content and quality guidelines).
    • We do our best to notify users via email to explain why content is removed. Please make sure to check your email and junk/spam folder.