Recently someone gave me a box of assorted canned goods. They were all in good condition, none were expired, but unfortunately the wrappers had been removed. From all of them. We spent the next few weeks playing “guess what we’re having for dinner!” as we would open one can at a time and work them into our meal for the evening.
Those cans reminded me of a website I went to once. It looked really hi-tech, easy to access, all in all it was a pretty cool site. But it had one thing wrong with it. I had no idea what they were. All of the words they used were their own internal tech speak, and while I was only there for some research, I left shaking my head and to this day I still have no idea what they did for a living.
Which brings me to the point of this article. Is your website content understandable to the common layperson? Are you using words that only people in your field will understand? If you are hoping to reach the “regular Joe on the street” with your product, or service, you should think about how your information is coming across.
The average American still reads and assimilates information at a basic 8th (or even 7th) grade level. So if you want to improve your traffic and follow-thru, you have to present your products, or brand of services, in a very concise, reader-oriented manner, without relying on unnecessary explanations or titles that aren’t typically understood by 7th or 8th graders.
I’m not talking about “dumbing down” your product or service, but if you want people to find your site you may want to re-think some things. SEO (search engine optimization) isn’t that complicated. What words will people use to find you? Figure that out and put those words into your copy. You’ll be surprised how much that will help with traffic to your site!
I hope this has helped a bit. As for me, I’m off to discover what’s on the menu for dinner!