There are few people who obsess over words and web content more than we do. After all, we are “The Content Lovers,” right?
But one guy kicks our fannies, hands down. His name’s Gerry McGovern.
Gerry has written three books obsessing about web content: Content Critical, The Web Content Style Guide, and Killer Web Content. (Betcha didn’t know there was so much information to be shared about this subject by one person, did ya?!) All of these are must-reads for anyone writing or managing content for sites that mean business.
He has a bulleted list on his site with a few stunning examples of how much the right word or phrase tweak can boost – or bust – your sales and success. Below is just one of the examples he cites:
In the United States, over 80 times more people search for “cheap flights” than for “low fares.” In the United Kingdom, 6,500 times more people search for “cheap flights” than for “low fares”. No, that’s not a typo. It is 6,500 times more! “Low fares” is what the airline industry likes to say. “Cheap flights” is customer language. This an extremely common mistake organizations make on the Web: assuming that their words are their customers words. Never, ever assume that.
C’mon. 6,500 times more? THAT is pretty darn amazing.
Gerry has set up systems to extract “Customer Carewords” for organizations and businesses. Through polling, brainstorming, and good ol’ fashioned market research, he finds that crucial five percent of nit-picky language that converts or neglects your audience. Basically, he makes sure your site is using the words that speak to YOUR audience – that use the language THEY use -and not the ridiculous corpspeak or insider drek so many companies fill their sites and blogs with today.
Interestingly enough, his site’s architecture could use a little user testing. Navigation is inconsistent, information’s difficult to find, and I kept getting lost in a labarynth of secondary pages. Nonetheless, if you want to get hip deep into the world of Web content, Gerry’s books will get you there.
Everywhere on the Web, words are making a difference. Words are making the sale, delivering the service, building the brand. The trick is to find the right words-your customers’ words.
So true, Gerry. So, so true!
For FREE articles, tips, and strategies designed to catapult your content and electrify your business, sign up for our ezine, “The Inciter,” at EpiphaniesInc.com!
