Why is content king? We hear about it all the time. The answer is simple, content is a vital part of your website. If your content is not easy to understand and interpret, then you may lose your reader. The content of your website will make or break the experience, no matter how easy to use your website is.
Gauge Your Audience
The first thing to consider while evaluating the copy you’ve written for your website is your audience. For example, on a blog I write about geckos, I tend to use gecko jargon such as ‘feeders’ (insects that geckos eat), ‘hatchlings’ (baby geckos), and ‘herps’ (which could be taken in a dirty sense, but it is short for reptiles and amphibians).
As I use these words in my writing, I have to consider whether or not it is appropriate for my audience. It is important to base your decision of using jargon on the knowledge level of the audience. The key is to know what audience you are trying to reach. If I was to target a general reptile audience, who may not know a specific gecko jargon based word, I would proceed to define it. However, if I was to address an audience who had no reptile experience, I would avoid using jargon words all together. In addition to knowing the audience, you need to know the spectrum of your audience. If a person interested in geckos, but does not own any yet, and lands on my blog, I want him to understand what he is reading just as easily as a professional breeder. If not, I am limiting my audience.
Overall, knowing your audience sets the stage for other approaches to writing usable content.
By Matthew Kammerer, December 8, 2009