How to Make a Good World Anvil Codex

Welcome to the Forge, friends. There are a lot of new users here, so I thought it was time to really buckle down and outline what actually makes a good World Anvil Codex. Not great and fancy, but the minimum any Freeman should be doing to make attractive, readable, and engaging Worlds and Articles.
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It Starts on Day 1

The first thing WA asks you to do is to name your World and write the initial Vignette. This is the first thing most readers will see, and it must pull them in to read more, as well as intice them to follow and share your world. Giving your setting a good name is important, but this is easily changed and can be redone later, so at least be descriptive. The Vignette though, should read like the inside of a book dust jacket, trailer for a movie, or ad for a show. Sell the world and what makes it interesting, while also introducing the broad themes and plots present.

After writing it, read it out loud, or run it through a screen reader to see how long it takes. If you get bored reading or listening to it, it may need shortened or spiced up. Ask a friend or family member what they think if you are unsure. Never be afraid to rework things that don't work or that turn out to be more problematic than you may have realized.

If you ask the WA Community for help, always return the same help or feedback back to the community members. Too often, we see a Take and Take mentality amongst new and younger users, and this leads to a lack of interaction amongst all users. Feedback and critique is a transaction and to ask for this with out paying out the time and quality required to help others leads to a drained, unfullfilled community.

Once you've got a solid Vignette built up, we can start looking at how to build well connected and attractive articles. This is important as the point of any good Codex is to give readers a place to read and, in that reading, a way to read more. Create your own rabbit holes of interesting connections by using Categories, Tags, and links

Begin Categorizing

Example:
If you have Species articles about Elves, Dwarves, and Humans, you could give them the Tag Playable Species in a D&D setting, allowing your readers or players to search that Tag in order to find all Species articles on Playable Races. Then, each Species could go under a broader People's of [World Name] Category for general grouping with non-playable Species. You could also use the Tag Wild Shape on Species a Druid could transform into!

When first getting started with World Anvil, it is important to lay out a system of Categories and Tags, which help you and your readers quickly navigate your world. Categories act as a larger file, keeping similar articles together. This appears as a series of folders on your Homepage, like a collapsable table of contents. You can even have sub-categories, great for separating similar items and groups. Tags allow you to denote articles that may be related beyond the normal system of WA and allow for an easier time when searching for articles. These Tags can be mix-n-matched as needed, such as denoting a specific technology as being developed by Dwarves, while a specific tradition may use that technology but only by Elves.
Important Note:An Article can only have one Category, but multiple Tags.

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General Additions

The following items are great additions to your World, but may not be immedietly obvious upon first starting on World Anvil. Take time to read up on these to make a World that really pops both on WA and Social Media.

Maps!

Even the most simple of maps can help both you and your readers know where and what you are talking about. Make something simple using any free application and upload as a map. With the new ability to embed a zoomed-in map into any article, you can allow your readers to become invested and want to explore.

Cover Images

Cover images are a great way to entice readers from outside of the Codex. Both your world itself and your individual articles can have their own cover images. Within the confines of World Anvil, a generic image is used until changed. Outside of World Anvil, the sites logo is used unless the user sets up a cover image.

Above, you can see how important this can be for drawing attention against other worlds and articles.

Make sure to check out every single tab when writing Articles. Things like this Sidebar can easily be missed, but by filling it out with your own information, you can create a more balanced and filled Article.
This particular section is the Sidebar: Top

How to Improve Engagement

Many a new user has struggled with reader engagement of their World. The following tips can help make sure your World and Articles are readable, enjoyable, and help encourage interaction with your readers.

Write with one Concept or Voice

Too often, Articles on World Anvil are written on a subject, and quickly change what that subject is. If you spend more words describing the owner of an Item, you should probably write a Character Article, link that in the text, and then get back to the Item. Another major issue is changing the Voice of your writing. Focus on telling story or delivering information, not both at once. If you want to provide more flavorful writing in a more fact based Article, use the Quote Code. For the opposite, use the Aloud Code.

Avoid Fluff for Fluff's Sake

Your first Article may be a flowery, long piece, chock full of words. It means nothing to your readers if it doesn't actually give them any information. Be concise with information:You aren't Charles Dickens getting paid 10 cents a word.

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Make Sure to Seperate Paragraphs and Concepts

Keeping all of your stuff in one paragraph of text makes for a no-read situation for many readers. Normal line breaks and Horizontal Rules like above make it so that your readers can rest their eyes.