When uploading files into Energy.gov's content management system (CMS), follow these guidelines for naming files on Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy websites:

  • File names should clearly describe the file's content.
  • Files that are updated regularly should include the date of when the filed was revised or updated at the end of the file (ex. eere-wind-report_2023-03.pdf)
  • File names should not contain uppercase letters, spaces, or special characters (e.g., & or $), but may contain letters, numbers, underscores, and dashes.
  • When adding the file into the CMS, enter a name in the Name field that properly describes the content. This will help make the content more easily searchable in the CMS. If uploading a PDF or native file, use the same document title as you entered in the file properties field (see Web Requirements and Best Practices for PDFs)

Link Text

Use "link text" to give your files descriptive names. Without link text, your files will be listed by their file names. To edit a file’s link text:

  • Upload a PDF to a download page OR click "Edit Media" if the file has already been uploaded.
    • If editing on a page, you can click on the pencil icon next to the media block, then click "Configure"
  • In the box labeled "Description," enter a descriptive file name.
    • If editing on a page, click the "Edit" button under the uploaded media, and enter the desired display name in the "Description" box. This will allow you to use alternative text in place of the uploaded file name. Be aware that using this method will change the display name for all instances of the linked file.

This example shows how link text can be used:

The first document link contains the file's name within the CMS displayed as the link text. While the second link includes proper file naming conventions, it should also include a unique name to make it searchable within the CMS and external search engines.

If you would like to link a file across several different pages, consider linking to the file's media page or directly linking to the document within the page text. If using a direct document URL link, keep in mind that the URL link will be need to be updated every time the file is updated or the link will break.