Get ready to completely transform the way you think about your website content. You’re about to learn why the vast majority of websites fail to turn visitors into customers.  Better still, I’m going to give you some practical, hands-on advice which you can use to instantly improve your own website content.

I’m sorry, but I can’t understand you!

During my recent trip to Japan, I was instantly affected by the total absence of English. It wasn’t just the fact that we spoke different languages, but also because there was no allowance made for English speakers whatsoever. I mean nothing – no signs, translations.

Ok, that’s not entirely true. There were some valiant attempts, but trust me, these were far and few between…

And now for my personal favourite…

Here’s one that’s not so innocent

The two examples of ‘language discrepancy’ shown above are fairly harmless and quite good fun. Actually, the communication is still effective because when viewed in context, the meaning is easily understood.  But what about this:

I suppose the natural assumption is that they mean ‘popcorn’, but can you really be that sure? I mean, I don’t know what Ambasa is in the drinks menu, and I’ve never seen a Monja rice cracker. So for all I know, ‘popcone’ is some strange new snack food that bears no resemblance to my favourite movie time treat!

Did you have to think about these signs?

This really is the crux of the matter. Written/visual communication works best when you don’t have to think about what you’re reading or seeing. If you have to interpret things to decipher their true meaning, then you’re more likely to ignore the message altogether.

How this applies to your website content

When visitors arrive on your website, they already know what they’re looking for. They might have started their journey on Google by searching for specific keywords or phrases. Alternatively, they might have followed a link from another related source which held the promise of specific information.

Your visitors will arrive with the expectation of seeing certain words or phrases

The first thing that we all seek to decide when arriving on a new site, is ‘Do they have what I’m looking for?’. Our eyes will rapidly scatter across the page making a whole raft of decisions and assumptions based around whether or not it is worth spending more time here.

The fastest way to connect with your visitors and to reassure them that you have what they need, is to present them with website content which uses their words, not yours.

How to learn your visitors’ language

In my ‘How To Understand Your Website Audience’ post I talked about the importance of identifying your own ‘Visitor Personas’. These are used to describe who your visitors are, and what they’re looking to achieve on your website. By extending this exercise, and truly ‘becoming your visitors’, you will be able to improve the way your website communicates with your visitors.

Be warned, ‘Becoming your visitors’ involves a little bit of creative visualisation and role playing! Imagine that you really are one of these personas. Try to develop empathy for how you might feel in their position. Think about your problems, needs, and goals, in terms that you think fit with this persona.

Now fill the page with words

The purpose of ‘becoming your visitors’ is to identify their language. While in the mindset of each persona, take a sheet of paper and fill it with all the words and phrases that you think this person might use to find your website.

Complete the exercise by writing down the things which you think this person might want to find or use on your website. Make sure you are describe this information in their language.

For example, would this persona use the phrase ‘Ophthalmology examination’ or ‘Eye test’? Imagine how many more people would immediately understand what ‘Eye test’ means, and would click on it because they think it will meet their needs?

Here’s what to do now

Review your website in relation to the words and phrases you have identified from each User Persona. Consider the following key points to see if you’re speaking the same language as your visitors:

• Main Headline
  Does your main headline on each page contain keywords and phrases that people will have most likely used to arrive there in the first place? Does it connect with the most likely reason why people have chosen to visit your site?
• Navigation
  Are the words you have used for your top level navigation links/buttons instantly understandable by your audience? Are these the words which people will be expecting to see and would use themselves?
• Link text
  Do your internal site links contain descriptive words or phrases that will guide people to more relevant sections in your site, or have you fallen into the ‘click here’ trap?
• Review your text
  Go through each section or paragraph to check that it answers the most likely questions from each of your User Personas. Make sure that the language you use is the same as you’ve identified in your ‘becoming your visitors’ exercises. If not, then re-write it.

Show people what they expect to see

Overall, this is what you should aim to achieve. People will arrive on your site with a mental expectation and framework pre-prepared. All they want to do, is to fill in the gaps. the best way to help people achieve this, is by using language which they will expect to see without the need for interpretation or translation.

Hopefully this post will help you to write better web content that communicates more clearly with your visitors.

Please take the time to share your own views with me by leaving a comment below!