# Shopify’s content guidelines for apps, annotated > Shopify’s writing rules for apps in its admin turn plain language into a reading level and a limit on exclamation marks. Its best rules, quoted with notes. - Published by: Shopify - Format: Website, with Markdown copies - Date on the guide: None - Source: [App design guidelines: Content (successor to the Polaris content guidelines)](https://shopify.dev/docs/apps/design/content), checked 2026-11-11 The Shopify content guidelines tell developers how to write text in apps that run inside the Shopify admin. They were part of Polaris, the Shopify design system. The old Polaris addresses now redirect, and the content pages are in the Shopify app design guidelines. Every page also has a Markdown copy. The rules turn vague goals into things that you can count. ## Best parts, quoted with notes ### Voice and tone > Use business casual language. Be plain-spoken, not pretentious or overly playful. Has: where it applies. Each voice trait is paired with the ways it goes too far, here and in the heading. Source: [App design guidelines: Content (successor to the Polaris content guidelines), “Be real, but not too tough or overly familiar”](https://shopify.dev/docs/apps/design/content/voice-and-tone), checked 2026-11-11. ### Voice and tone > In reality you never know a merchant’s emotional state. Even when things seem the most positive, you can’t be sure. Has: reason. Explains why tone follows the situation, not guessed feelings, then covers eight situations. Source: [App design guidelines: Content (successor to the Polaris content guidelines), “Adapting your tone to the situation”](https://shopify.dev/docs/apps/design/content/voice-and-tone), checked 2026-11-11. ### Voice and tone > Assume merchants are excited or celebrating. They might be annoyed if the process was long or the benefits aren’t clear, such as “Congrats! You set up your single login for Shopify.” Has: right and wrong, reason. A do not, with the wrong sentence written out and the reason that it does not work. Source: [App design guidelines: Content (successor to the Polaris content guidelines), “Acknowledging effort, progress, or completion”](https://shopify.dev/docs/apps/design/content/voice-and-tone), checked 2026-11-11. ### Words and style > Avoid words that generalize success, such as “every,” “all,” and “most.” Has: exact value. Names the words to avoid instead of describing a quality. Source: [App design guidelines: Content (successor to the Polaris content guidelines), “Be dynamic, but not scattered or impulsive”](https://shopify.dev/docs/apps/design/content/voice-and-tone), checked 2026-11-11. ### Words and style > Use clear terms that are easily understood. As a benchmark, aim for a United States grade 7 reading level. Has: exact value. Turns 'plain language' into a reading level someone can measure. Source: [App design guidelines: Content (successor to the Polaris content guidelines), “Use plain language”](https://shopify.dev/docs/apps/design/content), checked 2026-11-11. ### Words and style > Don’t use ampersands. They attract attention to the least important part of the sentence. Spell out the word “and.” Has: exact value, reason, right and wrong. Rule, reason and fix in three sentences, then 'Zones and rates' against 'Zones & rates'. Source: [App design guidelines: Content (successor to the Polaris content guidelines), “Ampersands”](https://shopify.dev/docs/apps/design/content/grammar-and-mechanics#ampersands), checked 2026-11-11. ### Words and style > Avoid exclamation marks. Use them only for genuinely exciting things, and limit yourself to one exclamation mark per page. Has: exact value, right and wrong. Sets a limit that you can count, one per page, with a do and a do not. Source: [App design guidelines: Content (successor to the Polaris content guidelines), “Exclamation marks”](https://shopify.dev/docs/apps/design/content/grammar-and-mechanics#exclamation-marks), checked 2026-11-11. ### Words and style > Avoid links where you can. Links add clutter and make your app feel less like software and more like an old-fashioned webpage. Has: reason. Gives the reason before the rules, including never using 'click here' as link text. Source: [App design guidelines: Content (successor to the Polaris content guidelines), “Links”](https://shopify.dev/docs/apps/design/content/grammar-and-mechanics#links), checked 2026-11-11. ## What it leaves out - No logo, color, or typography rules here. The pages cover only how app text reads. ([source](https://shopify.dev/docs/apps/design/content)) - No positioning statement. The nearest is one line under the Shopify voice about a company 'built by real people'. ([source](https://shopify.dev/docs/apps/design/content/voice-and-tone)) ## What to take from it - Turn “plain language” into a measure, for example a reading grade level. - Set limits that you can count. “One exclamation mark per page” is a rule, but “use sparingly” is not. - Write the tone for situations, and not for feelings that you guess. --- Source: https://aibrandguidelines.org/examples/shopify Last updated: 2026-11-11 Published by Annotated Guidelines. Annotated Guidelines is run by the team at Rainbrand.