Hire a Writer Who’ll Write in Clear Language
Ever come upon websites that are difficult to read? It’s frustrating. Even though they seem to match your search terms exactly — whether it’s “how to write with authority,” “how to hire a writer for website content” or something else — you can’t find the answers you need. Either the copy is too dense and hard to scan or the relevant information isn’t easy to pick out.
So, if you’re like us, you’ll click “Back” rather than trying to muddle through a website page that requires work to find anything. Colorful graphics are nice and sliding photos engage your attention for a minute, but after that, it’s information you’re after, not entertainment. Again, if you’re like us, you’re busy; you want answers and you want them now.
Website Mistakes to Avoid
Bad writing and bad formatting often go hand-in-hand. Sometimes, websites lean more in one direction than the other, but either problem by itself is enough to obfuscate the information visitors are seeking. Some of the worst offenses that are emphatically not user-friendly include:
- Large blocks of text with little or no white space — give readers some room to breathe
- Four- or five-syllable words that you have to look up — as Steven Krug wrote: “Don’t make me think!”
- Misspellings or gobbledygook that doesn’t make sense — they undermine readers’ trust
- Incorrect word usage — it’s frustrating if the meaning isn’t clear
- Keywords that do not relate to the topic — don’t waste readers’ time
- Links that don’t work (especially “Read More…”) — double-check all links before you publish
- Long sentences — people read differently online; make it easy for them
- Taking too long to get to the point — unless your website is a magazine, write to inform
It’s this last annoyance that drives us to get right to the point in this blog post. Because we respect our readers and we want to deliver value in our blog.
How to Write for People
Too many times, clients hire a writer to create “marketing-speak” that pays little respect to readers. When you hire a writer at Ray Access, we insist on writing for people — your audience and your customers — not search engines or ad agencies. We’ve dedicated our blog to advise those of you who can’t or don’t yet want to hire a writer right now. Maybe you’ll hire us later, when you get so busy that you can’t find the time.
- Picture your ideal client as you write
- Imagine she’s standing right in front of you
- Write like you talk
- Leave out, or fully explain, industry lingo that your ideal client wouldn’t understand
- Write in short sentences — one thought for each sentence
- Keep paragraphs short, no longer then three or four sentences each
- Break up the text with subheadings, making your content easier to scan
- Make your margins wide; reading across large screens is hard on the eyes and neck
- Spellcheck, spellcheck, spellcheck
- Get another pair of eyes on your writing before you publish it
- Re-read your work at least once before sending it to an editor (like Ray Access)
You Can’t Be Too Simple
You won’t insult your readers if you make your copy clear, simple, concise and to-the-point. It’s not about dumbing down your copy; it’s about clearing up your message. Unless you’re publishing a white paper for an institutional trade organization or academia, give your readers a break.
You prove nothing when you learn how to write with big words and long sentences. You prove nothing when you try to sound intelligent — except that you aren’t. Don’t hire a writer who is condescending and doesn’t listen to you. If he tells you he can write it better than you can say it, run. You know your business, and you know what you want to tell your prospective customers about your business.
Now you know better how to write website content. But you can always contact Ray Access to hire professional writers and editors.
Ray Access is a content marketing firm that delivers targeted words to empower your business. Contact us about your specific project to receive a quote or discuss your needs. We write website copy, blog posts, e-newsletters and more. Everything we do is thoroughly researched, professionally edited and guaranteed original.
