5 Tips for Writing your Website for the World

The Coach — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 03:05:43 +0000

In my travels on the Internet, I am often amazed, and annoyed, at how people still write content for their websites as if the Internet only extended to the borders of their own country.

I have been reading a very helpful e-Book called “Making Your Worlds Sell” by Joe Robson and Ken Evoy. Some points were made in this book that I thought would be helpful for blog and website owners around the world.

Watching your language

English is a universal language and is used more than any other language for websites. For many people on the Internet, English is not your primary language, and it can be easy for spelling errors, or mistakes in grammar, to creep into your content. Your visitors do not know that English is your second or third language. So they will easily be distracted by the mistakes and leave your website.

If you can, ask a native English speaker to review your content before you post it to your website.

Which way do I spell?

I have seen many debates on which version of spelling is the most accurate; UK English or American English. The fact is that the most widely understood spelling is American English. Sorry if you are from the UK, but it is true. You should use a spelling to reach the largest portion of your audience without detracting from your sales message.

The advice from Joe and Ken … “Spell to Sell”.

Check Your References

Avoid making references to local politicians, sports figures or celebrities. If you use a reference to one of these people, it is likely that many people outside of your country will completely miss your message.

Watch the Humor

Another area that sometimes does not do well across borders is humor. I know that there is a big gap between the humor that is understood in the UK versus the United States. So if you are going to use humor, be very careful, most visitors may not get it. Think about the message you are trying to convey and determine if the humor is really necessary.

Do not use slang

This cannot be said any clearer. The use of slang in your website’s content is a double-edge sword. One one side, your foreign readers will have no idea what you are saying at all. On the other side, those that do speak your language will consider you unprofessional, not to be taken seriously. So it is best to stay clear of slang terms in your message.

Overall, your message should be simple and to the point. Not filled with anything that could distract from the real message you are trying to communicate to your visitor.

I highly recommend this book to anyone that has questions about their writing. It is a massive eBook with 250 pages of useful content written by two experienced professionals. But it has been worth every minute in helping me to write better content for my blog and my websites.

I hope you find it just as useful.