Static Content Best Practices

Use Static Content when you want to add the following to your guidance content:

• Rich media such as images, GIFs, PDFs, or short videos to explain a concept or demonstrate a workflow.

• Reference materials such as checklists, policies, or FAQs in a non-interactive format.

• Whatfix content (such as Flows, Pop-ups, Smart Tips, and more) with additional context using Links, Articles, or rich media (Images, GIFs, PDFs, or Videos) — for visual or detailed explanations.

• Quick explanations or answers (Articles) within Task List or Self Help.

Static Content works best when paired with other Whatfix guidance content. Use it to do the following:

• Add deeper explanations within Flows.

• Provide supporting context inside Pop-ups, Task Lists, or Tooltips.

• Organize and centralize reference materials inside Self Help. For more information, see Understand the Content Used in Self Help.

Info:

Upload images, PDFs, and videos directly to Whatfix to ensure content is always accessible and reliably rendered.

Note:

Always preview Static Content inside Flows, Self Help, Pop-ups, and other widgets to verify that it fits within widget dimensions, loads correctly, and opens in the intended format.

Choose the Static Content formats that best match your use case:

• Articles: Searchable, periodically updated text content.

• Images or GIFs: UI callouts or quick visual explanations.

• PDFs: Long-form reference guides, policies, checklists, and more.

• Videos: Short demos or walkthroughs.

Info:

Compress large files before uploading to ensure fast load times.

Static Content titles should reflect your intended purpose. For example, “Submit a Travel Request — How-to-Video”.

Tag Static Content based on the pages on which you want them to appear or the roles for whom you want them to appear. For example, to display content only to account managers, create a Role Tag and add it to your content. For more information, see Add Page Tags and Role Tags to content.

Use Tags to display relevant content to your users:

• Display Static Content by applying these tags in your widget’s Visibility Rules.

• Add Tags to add Static Content in your Self Help or Task List segments.

• Add Global-Page tag for static content within Self Help.

  Note:

  • For static content such as Links, Videos, Articles, and PDFs, add the Global-Page tag to the content. This ensures that static content shows on all pages when Smart Context is enabled. Segment content further using Page Tags and Role Tags.

  • If your account has multiple Global tags, select the one with the highest value. For example, if the tags in your account are Global-Page, Global-Page_1, and Global-Page_2, use Global-Page_2 to tag your content. For more information on viewing the Global tags available in your account, see How can I view the Global tags created in my account?

Adding Keywords to your content helps end users find relevant content, even when the search term does not match the term used in the content. For more information, see Help Users Find Content in Self Help using Keywords.

Always preview Static Content in the Ready Stage before publishing. For more information, see Pushing Content to Production Best Practices.

Verify:

• PDFs, Images, and Videos load correctly.

• Video playback behaves as expected.

• Links open successfully.

• Content displays as intended inside Whatfix widgets such as Flows, Self Help, Pop-ups and more.

Verfolgen and Analysieren, and Handeln on how your users engage with your Static Content.

Here are a few examples to track and improve the performance of your Static Content:

1. Number of users who clicked on a sign-up link within a Pop-up for a product training webinar.

2. Users who viewed a PDF on Self Help with instructions to create a monthly analytics report.

3. Identify videos in Self Help which received the most user views.

For more information, see Static Content Analytics.

Ensure that content is planned, created, managed, and published in accordance with content governance best practices. This ensures you maintain consistency and quality.

Info:

Review your Static Content every 90 to 120 days to ensure it remains up-to-date.

Use Links to direct users to support articles, external sites, files hosted on external sites, and more.

Do:

• Use clear, descriptive display text. Hyperlinks stand out when users scan pages. For example, “View API Guide”.  

• Test links regularly to prevent broken links.

• Add appropriate Tags and Keywords for search visibility.

Avoid:

• Generic text Link Titles such as “Click here”.

• Overuse — don’t overload Self Help with 10+ links listed one after the other. Large blocks of consecutive links reduce scannability, overwhelm users, and push more relevant content down the list, making it harder for users to find what they need.

• Links to PDFs hosted on login-restricted platforms for which target users don’t have the required permissions.

Use Articles for quick explanations, FAQs, and succinct how-to content.

Do:

• Use bullet points and headings for improved readability.

• Insert screenshots or short GIFs where visual context is helpful.

• Add appropriate Tags and Keywords for search visibility.

Avoid:

• Long text blocks or paragraphs that reduce readability.

• Overloading with images — use only when essential. Multiple images may disrupt readability and make the content harder to scan.

Info:

Whatfix Articles support up to 3000 characters. For more information, see What are the maximum character limits for Whatfix content?

Use Images to visually reinforce written guidance inside Whatfix content such as Articles, Pop-ups, Flows, and more.

Do:

• Upload JPG, PNG, or GIF formats (max 10MB).

• In Tooltips, keep the width to approximately 270px to avoid distorted images and the appearance of a scroll bar.

• Add alt text for Accessibility support.

• Add appropriate Tags and Keywords for search visibility.

• Crop or annotate screenshots for clarity.

Avoid:

• Visuals that do not convey essential or instructional information.

• Large or uncompressed images that slow loading.

Info:

Use Whatfix-hosted image links instead of third-party image URLs for reliability.

Use Videos for brief tutorials, demos, or onboarding walkthroughs.

Do:

• Upload in MP4 format (Max 100MB).

• Title video content with direct, clear and instructional text. For example, “How to Create a Report”.

• Use captions, subtitles, or text overlays for readability and Accessibility support.

• Use embed links for YouTube, Vimeo, Wistia, or direct uploads.

• Add appropriate Tags and Keywords for search visibility.

• Test video playback across browsers to ensure consistent playback.

Avoid:

• Long-form webinars or internal meeting recordings.

• Videos with outdated UI or branding.

Use PDFs for long-form formatted documents such as checklists, policies, or manuals.

Do:

• Upload PDFs with a maximum file size of 10MB.

• Use descriptive titles such as “Travel Policy 2025 (PDF)”.

• Add appropriate Tags and Keywords for search visibility.

• Compress files before upload for fast load times.

Avoid:

• Linking to PDFs hosted on login-restricted platforms for which target users don’t have the required permissions.

• Using PDFs for quick FAQs or single instructions — use Articles instead to reduce user clicks and time to view answer.