Years ago, I got a call from a company asking me to quote for web content. It was a fairly big jobbie. Their website had 36 pages and they needed all of them to be rewritten. Obviously, my first question was ‘What’s not working with your current web content?’ Their answer? ‘Nobody understands what we do. We’ve never had an enquiry through our website.’ Oops!

I’m not surprised they didn’t get any calls. Their website was page upon page of pure gobbledygook. I mean, I gave it a damned good go. I read every page twice – something your customers ain’t going to be doing, that’s for sure – and still couldn’t get my head around what they actually did.

Now, see, there are lots of ways of attracting enquiries. And having content that people understand is pretty much top of the list. I mean, I’m a huge fan of packing content with personality – it’s what makes a business stand out and brings in raving fans – but there’s no point bothering if NOBODY HAS A CLUE WHAT THE F*** YOU’RE SELLING!

Sorry about the capital letters, the sweariness AND the exclamation mark. But, honestly, if you want to get people interested in your stuff you’ve got to have CLARITY.

Here’s how to get it…

Weed out the waffle

Potential buyers don’t have the time or patience to wade through a mass of meandering content. They want relevant information – and they want it fast. As soon as they’ve got what they’re looking for they can decide on their next move – which might be to make an enquiry, request a quote or sign up for your newsletter. Make it hard work and their next move could be to your competitor’s website.

So how can you stop fluffing about with your words?

* Use one word instead of two… or three… or four! Check back over what you’ve written and ask yourself ‘Do I really need all those words to say that one thing?’

* Break long sentences into several shorter ones. You’ll soon spot where you’ve used unnecessary filler words.

* Don’t be vague. Are you telling customers your product is ground-breaking, innovative or unique? Well, that’s a waste of words right there. Be specific from the get-go about why your product/service is different.

* Screw the grammar police and start sentences with ‘And’ and ‘But’. They’re good to keep short sentences flowing and stop them sounding abrupt.

* Use sub-heads to split information into separate sections. Look at all the words you save if you don’t write a load of old waffle like ‘Another thing you might be interested to learn about our product is…’ and just – bosh! – throw in a sub-head instead.

* Stop stating the bleeding obvious. You don’t need to tell your customers you’re professional, experienced and passionate. Ever done a Google search for an ‘unprofessional window cleaner’? Nah, didn’t think so! It goes without saying that you’re professional, experienced and passionate about your business – so don’t waste words writing it.

Two bonus tips for making yourself clear

Explain acronyms

Don’t assume all your customers will know what the acronym stands for. Spell it out first – eg, Applicant Tracking System (ATS) – then use the acronym from then on.

Ditch the jargon

Unless you’re absolutely sure your audience will understand what you’re on about, get rid.

PS: In case you were wondering, I didn’t get that web content job. Maybe they decided hiring a copywriter wasn’t worth it after all. Silly buggers!

* Need me to write clear, uncluttered web content or de-waffle what you’ve already got? I’m here for you

PHOTO: Pete Linforth/Pixabay