WRITING RULES (GERMAN)

Intro: 

Different countries have different rules regarding trademark symbols: in some countries, it is illegal (and in a few countries, criminal) to use the ® symbol if the mark is not registered in that country; in others, we cannot use the TM symbol unless we have a pending application in that country. In the US, notice of trademark rights is required in order to obtain damages in an infringement suit. But in other countries (such as Germany), there is no legal benefit. Other countries fall somewhere in between.

^® symbol

A. For products and materials distributed only in the US, the ^® symbol should be used with ALL marks that are registered (not just pending) in the US.  If you are unsure if a particular mark is currently registered, please contact the TM Department.    

B. For non-US and global products and materials:

• We know that LOCTITE^® AQUENCE^®, BONDERITE^®, TECHNOMELT^® and TEROSON^® are registered in the countries in which we do business.  Therefore, we always use the ^® symbol with these marks. 
• This refers to PRITT^® and PATTEX^® for non-US purposes as well. For US use please contact the TM Department.
• For all other trademarks, we say: "Alle oben genannten Marken sind Marken bzw. eingetragene Marken von Henkel und seinen Tochtergesellschaften in den USA, Deutschland und in anderen Ländern.“

™ symbol

• As a general rule, we do NOT use the ™ symbol.  
• The sole exception is in the US only, where we traditionally add the ™ symbol next to the LOCTITE product numbers (for example, LOCTITE® 690™). Note, however, that certain product numbers (namely, 242 and 404) are ALSO registered trademarks, so should get the ® instead of the ™. 

How to use

1. ^® symbol should be used in:

• headlines, titles, and other prominent uses, and
• the first time the trademark is used in normal text

a. Abbreviations and acronyms

If there’s a chance your reader won’t recognize an abbreviation or acronym, spell it out the first time you mention it. Then use the short version for all other references. If the abbreviation isn’t clearly related to the full version, specify it in parentheses. If the abbreviation or acronym is well known, like API or HTML, use it instead and don’t worry about spelling it out.

• First use: Technische Datenblätter
• Second use: TDS (note that this acronym is also used for German content!)
• First use: Wärmestandfestigkeit (SAFT)
• Second use: SAFT (stands for “Shear Adhesion Failure Temperature”; acronym also to be used for German content!)

Never use the acronym “HAT”. 

b. Ellipsis

Don’t use ellipsis for emphasis or drama. It’s ok, though, to use ellipsis in brackets to show that you’re omitting words in a quote:

„Die Eröffnung unseres hochmodernen Werks in Songdo ist ein Meilenstein [...] für unsere breite globale Kundenbasis in der Elektronikbranche mit hochwirksamen Lösungen [...]“, sagte Jan-Dirk Auris, Executive Vice President Henkel Adhesive Technologies.

c. Bold

We don’t use bold to amplify a certain message in regular body copy. For that purpose, you should take a step back and re-write your messaging to make it more engaging.

However, using typography as visual support for messaging in headlines is a central part of our branding efforts. Read on for more information about usage of typography.

d. Pronouns

If your subject’s gender is unknown or irrelevant, you can either rephrase sentences or use the passive voice, relative clauses or direct address If the gender is known, use pronouns such as “er/sie/sein/ihre” as appropriate but avoid using “man”.

e. &

“&” cannot be used to replace “und” (unless it is the official name of a brand)

• Do: Wartung und Reparatur
• Don’t: Wartung & Reparatur

a. Numbers

In general, spell out numbers one through nine and use numerals for numbers larger than that.

• Do: Heute haben drei neue Klebstoffe vorgestellt
• Do: Heute haben wir 15 neue Klebstoffe vorgestelltd 12 adhesives
  

However, since our writing can be technical, we may need to break this rule. If you come upon a case where you have two related numbers in the same sentence, you should write them both as numerals if you would write one as a numeral. The idea is to write them the same way when they are in the same sentence.

So even though you would normally write „Heute haben drei neue Klebstoffe vorgestellt“, you should actually go with numbers in this case: „Heute haben wir 3 neue Klebstoffe vorgestellt, die einen 11-Tonnen-Zug ziehen können“.

b. Dates

In general, we spell out dates to avoid any confusion among countries that order them differently. So: Use the appropriate date arrangement for the country you’re writing for. Even if you order a date improperly, spelling out the month provides clarity to the user so that it won’t be misinterpreted. For German the following date formats apply:

• Do: 24. Januar 2023
• Do: 24.01.2023

c. Temperature

Use the degree symbol and capital C for “Celsius”:

• Do: 200° C

d. Telephone numbers

To improve the readability of telephone numbers write two digits each separated by a space (see below example). The country-specific phone code to be dialled from abroad (e.g. 00) can be replaced with a plus sign which is placed in front of the international dialling code. :

• Do: +49 89 123 456-0

e. Decimals and fractions

Spell out amounts less than one, using hyphens between the words.

• Do: zwei Drittel
• Don’t: 2/3

Use decimal separators when a number can’t be easily written out as a fraction. In German make sure to use commas as separators for decimals and periods for thousands digits. 

• Do: 1,5
• Do: 100.000

f. Percentage

When writing non-technical copy, use figures and spell out the word. As in: „Batterien können beim Auswechseln 80 % ihrer Kapazität behalten. Dadurch können sie in anderen, weniger kritischen Anwendungen wiederverwendet statt recycelt werden.“

If you’re beginning a sentence with a percentage, spell out the number as well as percent. As in: „Bisher enthalten konventionelle Schmelzklebstoffe für Verpackungen meist nicht mehr als 50 Prozent biobasierte Rohstoffe.“

Repeat percent with each individual figure. As in: „Dies entspricht einem deutlichen organischen Umsatzwachstum von 7,1 Prozent gegenüber der durchschnittlichen Markterwartung von 4,3 Prozent.“

This is a general rule that doesn’t apply to technical documentation.

Additional note: In German please put a non-breaking space between the number and the percentage sign.

g. Money

In German, the currency symbols are followed by a space after the amount. A negative amount is indicated with a preceding minus sign (without a space). If, for example, the word dollar was used in the original text, the word “Dollar” is also used in German. Similarly, the abbreviation “USD” is used if the original text contains USD, for example, and the euro symbol is used if the symbol was also used in the original text.

• Do: 125.000 Dollar
• Do: 200.000 USD
• Do: 25.000 €

h. Time

In German, time notation is based on the 24 hours format (other than using “a.m.” and “p.m.” as in English). Time units are written in a two digit-format and are separated by a colon. 

• Do: 14:00 Uhr

Always specify time zones.

g. Dashes & hyphens

Please differentiate between hyphens (shorter: -) and en dashes (longer: –). While the hyphen is used to join words and to separate syllables, the en dash (ALT+0150) indicates a parenthetical thought.

Using hyphens:

• Do: Klebstoff-Test
• Don’t: Klebstoff–Test

Using em dashes:

• Do: Dieser Klebstoff eignet sich für viele Anwendungen – aber nicht für alle
• Don’t: Dieser Klebstoff eignet sich für viele Anwendungen - aber nicht für alle

a. Commas

When writing a list, use the serial comma.

• Do: Unser Portfolio umfasst bekannte Marken in den Bereichen der Haarpflege, Colorationen, Waschmittel, Reinigungsmittel, Weichspüler sowie Klebstoffe, Dichtstoffe und funktionale Beschichtungen..

b. Colons

Use a colon (rather than an ellipsis, en dash, or comma) to offset a list. As in:

„Wie bereits im Jahr 2021 angekündigt, hat Loctite mehrere Materialien auf den ETEC-Druckern validiert, darunter folgende: Loctite 3D 3955 HDT280 FST, Loctite 3D IND406 HDT100 High Elongation und Loctite 3D IND402 A70 High Rebound.“

c. Periods

Titles, subtitles, headers and CTA buttons should end without a period. 

Only exception is ‘WE MAKE IT HAPPEN.’ (also used in German texts). That always ends with a period.

d. Quotation marks

In German, quotation marks are always used at the bottom at the beginning of a quotation and at the top at the end. In English, there are different versions of quotation marks, such as curved or straight, single or double. There is no such distinction in German. German quotation marks are always double quotes and should only be used for quotations and references (in italics for journals and books). Single quotes are used for quotations within quotations only.

The correct German quotation marks can be entered using the ANSI code 0132 (for opening double quotation marks) and ANSI 0147 (for closing double quotation marks). On your keyboard, press ALT+ 0132 and ALT+0147, respectively. The codes for single quotes are ALT+ 0130 (opening single quote) and ALT+0145 (closing single quote), respectively.

Note: Regarding the position of the period at the end of a sentence in quotations or partial quotations please proceed as follows: If a complete sentence is quoted, the full stop is placed first, followed by the quotation mark. 

• Do: „Henkel stärkt Unternehmensbereich Adhesive Technologies mit strategischer Akquisition.“

If there is is only a partial quote, the period is placed after the quotation mark:

• Do: Laut der Betriebsanleitung wird „dieser Klebstoff für industrielle Zwecke verwendet“.

g. Exclamation marks

Use exclamation points sparingly, and never more than once at a time. They’re like high-fives: A well-timed one is great, but too many are annoying. Never use exclamation points in failure messages or alerts. When in doubt, avoid it.

h. Bullet points

Choose formatting based on the average length of the majority of bullet points in the list.

• CASE A) If sentences, end each one with a period (full stop).
• CASE B) If just one word, a few words or fragments, use no end punctuation.

a. URL naming

• Keep URLs as simple and accurate as possible .
• Keep URLs short and clear. 
• Include target keyword(s). 
• Use hyphens to separate words. 
• Use lower case letters. 
• Avoid numbers.

b. Page title

• Include target keyword(s) in the beginning of the title. 
• Use active language (CTA/Feature). 
• Use the brand name. 
• Use how, what, why and where. 
• Use words that trigger an emotion from the user. 
• Keep length between 55-65 characters. 
• Keep consistency between SEO title and page content.
• Use a unique SEO title for each page.
• Avoid ALL CAPS in SEO titles.

c. Meta description

• Create a unique meta description, for each page, that summarizes the page content. 
• Include target keyword(s). 
• Include CTA and brand name. 
• Keep the length less than 155 characters.

d. Image filename and alt text

• Make image filename short and without spaces and dashes. 
• Describe the image with a maximum of 125 characters. 
• Select image alt text that reflects the image and keywords. 
• Make image filename short and descriptive. Use only hyphens to separate words.
• Assign for each image a unique filename.
• Use unique images.
• Include for each images a specific alt text.
• Write a descriptive alt text (imagine having to describe the photo to a blind person).
• Keep the alt text length up to 100 characters.

e. Header tags

• If possible, include the target keyword in the H1 tag and secondary in H2 tag. 
• Only include one H1 tag on the webpage, and it must be placed above any other heading tag. 
• If using page H1 as SEO title, make sure to adapt it using active language when possible.

f. Links

1) Use descriptive keywords in anchor text. Anchor text is “descriptive” if it includes the exact match of the keyword you are targeting. For example: “discover our threadlocking solutions” links to a page about threadlocking solution.

2) Use natural and relevant links

3) Type of links: in text vs buttons vs teasers vs images

• Use links in buttons + teasers-links according to page-types’ and modules’ designs stated in the Website guidelines (Brand-Hub)

• On top of the above, also use text-links – when natural – to help users and Google navigate the website at best   

• Do not link images

4) How many text-links:

• do it, but not overdo it

• less than 1 every 200 words

• only when helpful for users, you can go above the limit of 5 per page

• in the same page, do not iterate the same text-link (e.g., if in the same page you mention in text 3 times “threadlocking solutions”, hyperlink “threadlocking solutions” only once)  

5) Same vs new tab:

a) open internal links in the same tab

b) open external links in a new tab

6) Follow or no-follow links:

1. internal links: always "follow"

2. external links: always check that the domain we link to is trustworthy. If not sure, “no-follow”

g. Body copy

• Cover different angles on the topic. 
• Include branded and/or target keyword(s) within the first 100 words. 
• Keep reuse of content to a minimum to avoid duplicate content. 
• Include secondary and other long-tail keywords. 
• Avoid keyword stuffing – you are writing to the user and not to a search engine.
• Content should match the user’s search intentions and be as in-depth and clarifying as possible

a. URLs

Capitalize the names of websites and web publications. Don’t italicize.

Avoid spelling out URLs, but when you need to, leave out http://www.

• Do: Henkel-adhesives.com
• Don’t: Henkel-Adhesives.Com
• Don’t: http://www.henkel-adhesives.com

b. File extensions

When referring generally to a file extension type, use all uppercase without a period. Add a lowercase to make plural. As in: GIF, PDF, HTML, JPGs.

When referring to a specific file, the filename should be lowercase. As in: press_release_1.gif

c. Names and titles

The first time you mention a person in writing, refer to them by their first and last names. On all other mentions, refer to them by their last name.

d. States, cities and countries

Spell out city and state names. Don’t abbreviate city names.

Note: All cities in the United States should be accompanied by their state, with the exception of: Atlanta, Baltimore, Boston, Chicago, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Dallas, Denver, Detroit, Honolulu, Houston, Indianapolis, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Miami, Milwaukee, Minneapolis, New Orleans, New York, Oklahoma City, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Pittsburgh, St. Louis, Salt Lake City, San Antonio, San Diego, San Francisco, Seattle, Washington.

On first mention of a country, write out the full name. On second mention, the commonly accepted abbreviation is fine (e.g. Europäische Union -> EU; Vereinigtes Königreich -> UK, etc.).

e. Schools

The first time you mention a school, college, or university in a piece of writing, refer to it by its full official name. On all other mentions, use its more common abbreviation.

• Do: Heinrich Heine Universität Düsseldorf, HHU
• Do: Massachusetts Institute of Technology, MIT