First of all, can we just agree that “jargon” is a fantastic word? A silly-sounding word that describes silly-sounding words. It’s perfect.
What isn’t perfect is filling your homepage with all manner of jargon. Contrary to what you may think, using jargon doesn’t make you smart.
What makes you smart is communicating to your audience effectively, and the best way to do that is to speak their language.
Sure, a percentage of your audience will understand your usage of the terms “IoT” or “ROI.” However, when you create content for the web, you need to create for the “lowest common denominator.” Is that the same thing as “dumbing down?” Well…sort of, but not exactly.
The Great Communicator
A good communicator explains complex ideas in easy-to-understand ways.
I like to think of it like cutting up steak for a child. Make the information easily consumable for the user. Don’t present the entire T-bone at once and shove it down their gullet. Instead, share small portions, and allow the user to consume what they want, at their own pace. When they are ready to know more, give them more.
Find out if you’re using jargon that everyone finds obnoxious.
Think of your website like a digital Russian Nesting Doll.
The easiest way to do this is through page hierarchy.
Think of your website like a digital Russian Nesting Doll. You’re presenting information within information. The further the user gets into your site, the more technical terminology you can incorporate. If your audience is clicking through pages, you’ve succeeded in stating your case and getting their attention, and they are prepared to learn more.
If your industry is especially jargon-centric, consider creating a glossary of terms. This could be done literally—with an actual glossary landing page—or you could do it creatively by having professionally designed images with words and their definitions included on your pages. Function AND beauty…it’s a win-win!
For more ideas about handling jargon, please get in touch with me, I’m more than happy to help!
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