Is your website turning people off?
In this blog I will explore the use of language in your website copy and the affect it can have on sales.
There are some websites you read and they just do not inspire you to want to take action. It could have been many factors, lack of creditability, trust, or just poor copy that didn't move you to buy. Often too much information on a page can cause a visitor to just be confused and with too much choice ends up choosing nothing?
One of the most common things that website copy does is use wallet closing language. This is often completely unintentional to both the content creator and the end user.
What kind of words can I be talking about and why do they sometimes stop action?
What do words like "teach" and "learn" and "lecture" mean to you? What is the first thought? Is it positive or negative?
Not all but some people will associate those words with school or college and depending on your feelings with them will determine if that is a good thing or not. If you did not really enjoy school or college you might read or hear those words and think negative without even realising it. The same goes for positive words  or at least supposedly positive words or phrases such as "get started" or "start now". It is important to read back the copy on your website and then get some other people to also read it.
The call to action (CTA) items are the key areas as this is when you are most likely to be asking a visitor to do something.
Ask yourself if you are giving the visitor enough of a reason to take the action you are proposing? Are the words you use positive or possibly negative? Is the tone the right kind?
Always read back and then get more people to read and see how they all felt after reading it. The whole design of the site plays a part in this process and sometimes too much information can even talk people out of doing something.
Never ever assume people understand your terminology and acronyms, avoid them at all costs. Always try and get your message and intended action working together and in the simplest and easy to understand fashion.
Another mistake is writing for yourself and not for the intended reader. What do THEY want from this particular webpage or blog? What is their goal and expectation?
When you combine all of the above with great content and design and a clear user journey you maximise the chance that your reader will know what to do where to go and what to expect. When they read they understand and feel that they are moving towards their goals. It can also have the equally positive result of enabling people to rule themselves out if your solution is not a good fit.
So I hope this blog helps you think about the kind of language you use and how it impacts your visitors. I am pretty sure you all know this stuff, but sometimes it is the first thing forgotten.
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Author- Speaker - Consultant. Passionate about all things digital.