How to Handle Jargon at Your Web Site - and Why

If you sell a technical product or service, you probably know you have jargon at your web site - specialized terminology that the average person doesn't understand. While jargon does help you communicate precisely withpeers, it seriously gets in the way if potential and actualcustomers aren't as conversant with it as you are.

Plenty of heart patients, for instance, don't know what a "myocardial infarction" is (a heart attack). Many pregnantwomen have never heard of a "doula," a woman who coaches them through labor. Movers and shakers thinking of buying another company don't necessarily know the term "assessmentof human capital." Hardly anyone would know what "global readiness solutions" are, since one company made up the term. The same goes for abbreviations and acronyms used without the spelled-out versions, like "W3C, 508compliant."

If you sell an ordinary product or service, you're also in danger of having jargon serve as a barrier at your website. You may be using common words in ways most peoplewouldn't understand. For example, the sentence "We partnerwith creative men and women so they reach their goals"doesn't contain any unusual words or expressions, but mostreaders wouldn't grasp that it means "Creative men andwomen hire us to help them reach their goals." At a realestate site, I once saw the headline "Not a drive-by!" anddidn't know whether a "drive-by" meant that you wouldn'twant to stop or that you wouldn't need to.

Nearly everyone in business overestimates - usually greatlyoverestimates - the extent to which customers understand their jargon.

In most instances, you don't need to eliminate jargon, but to include an explanation so that the context makes the meaning clear. You can do this explicitly, as in these examples:

* Treatments for myocardial infarction (heart attack)

* Greta spent five years as a doula, a trained labor coach,before studying to become a nurse-midwife.

* All of our web sites comply with World Wide WebConsortium (W3C) standards as well as the latest U.S.government regulations on accessibility to the disabled(Section 508).

In other situations, you can add context so that when the unfamiliar term comes up, its meaning will be clear. For instance, see how the explanation precedes the term "assessment of human capital" in the following passage:

"Management's leadership abilities, operating abilities andpersonal motivations can profoundly influence what happens after a change in ownership. In contrast to the financials,the true strengths and weaknesses of a company's executivesmay remain hidden, only to surface later with disastrous results. To minimize risks, buyers need to take care ofdue diligence on company management. This assessment ofhuman capital is a specialty of New London ManagementAssociates."

By combining jargon with an explanation, you strengthenyour message for those who already know the technicalities.

Skillfully using ordinary language along with jargondoesn't talk down to anyone or "dumb down" your web site. You also make the value of the services or products youprovide more understandable to someone who may need to signoff on a project but who is not technically sophisticated. Likewise, it becomes more likely that non-specialists whodiscover your site will refer other companies orindividuals to you. Your web site thus becomes a strongermarketing vehicle.

Marcia Yudkin is the author of Web SiteMarketing Makeover and 10 other books. A four-time Webby Awards judge and internationally famous marketing consultant, she critiques web sites and performs web site makeovers for clients. Learn more about her detailed critique sessions on five different kinds of web sites (including sites for consultants and multi-product sales sites) at http://www.yudkin.com/websitequiz.htm .