You never know who will come across your website, or better yet, which of your friends is most likely to refer you to one of their friends. Therefore, it is best to understand exactly how to write your content in a way which is accessible to all. So let’s explore what you can do to keep your audience engaged and reading your information from top to tail.

Write in the simplest terms possible

By keeping to a minimum any overly complex language, you stand in a better position to access your audience. There’s no need to gloat or boast about just how smart you are, because you will risk alienating your audience. Keep your writing basic enough for anyone and everyone to understand.

Let’s look at an example:

Let’s say that you are a guitar teacher, who’s looking to write your business bio or detail your services. You may be tempted to use complex words such as “virtuoso” or “pedagogue”, to make yourself sound more important. These terms may be fancy and correct, however, the use of them risks alienating an audience who were ready to convert. People with all levels of education should be able to read your content and understand it in simple terms.

An exception to the rule

The only exception to the above is if you are using industry specific lingo. However, you also need to be aware you can only use these in special circumstances too.

Let’s further our above example:

As a guitar expert, you may be tempted to use terms such as “Tabs”, “Chucking” and “Riffs”. However, your use of these terms depends solely on exactly who your target market is. If you are looking to attract more advanced students, then sure, go ahead and use these widely used industry terms, or industry specific lingo. If your target market is absolute beginners however, then the use of these advanced terms will just confuse and lose you potential customers.

The best way to learn

When in doubt, put down what you’re doing, and go and read the newspaper. This may seem like a strange suggestion, considering the state of the media these days, however there is a point. Journalists are extremely well versed in writing in a way which is accessible to all. The next time you’re reading an article, notice that there are no complex or fancy words, and that the journalist just gets straight to the point. The aim is to make sure every Tom, Dick and Sally can understand what they’re trying to get across.

If you feel you are still struggling with your content writing, never fear, why not shoot us a message? We have brilliant content writers who are ready and willing to translate your complex musings into simple, understandable text. We look forward to hearing from you.