Are you discombobulating your customers? Bombarding them with convoluted copy in the hope they simply acquiesce?

If you're scrunching your face up right now, then you're experiencing what it's like for customers reading or listening to a website that isn't in plain English.

I get it. You're living, breathing and dreaming about your website. You know your business inside out. It's easy to forget your reader is usually the complete opposite.

If they're new to your site, it's your job to tell them exactly what they want to know, as quickly as possible using straightforward language and the fewest words. Why? Because as Brené Brown says “Clear is kind.”

When we use language that is complex, subconsciously we’re saying to our reader “if you don’t understand this, you don’t belong here.” Which is unkind. And I know you care about being kind and accessible and welcoming to all.

Even people with five degrees prefer to read clear copy. No one enjoys trying to translate big words into smaller ones that mean the exact same thing.

And I know it's tempting to throw a bunch of adjectives in there to give your copy "personality". And you can absolutely do that. Just do it in a measured way. Think of adjectives like Tobasco; sprinkled lightly can make it zing, too generous, and you're in pain.

Know what they want to hear

Writing in plain language means writing in the voice of your customer. For example, what are they typing in their search box when looking for the solution you provide?

You want to come across as approachable, relatable and most of all - understanding of the business problem they have. Believe it or not, they aren't looking for a Multiple Output (MU-MIMO) enabled router with outstanding throughput in testing. They're looking for high-speed Wi-Fi that doesn't lag when more than 3 devices are connected to it. Same same, but different.

Here are some general rules for writing in plain English:

• Use active voice where possible.

• Avoid jargon.

• Use short words, sentences and phrases.

• Read it out loud. To yourself is fine. If it sounds odd, do a rewrite.

Do a quick audit of your website and see if any of these handy swaps make for a better read:

Due to the fact that USE Because, since, as

In relation to USE About

A number of USE Some, many, few

Facilitate USE Help

Approximately USE About

Provide assistance with USE Help

Key, important, primary USE Main

Amongst USE Among

In order to USE To

Collaborate with USE Work with

Despite the fact that USE Although

Provide USE Give

Usage, utilise USE Use

If you write a lot of content, sites like the paid version of grammarly.com can help take some of the heavy lifting out of checking your work is fit for purpose. Although it does like to throw a few weird suggestions in there. For example, when checking this last paragraph it recommended I say ‘liftings’ instead of ‘lifting’. No idea where the AI gets its ideas from sometimes.

Photo by Gemma Chua-Tran on Unsplash