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Mastering SEO Communication: Ditching Jargon for Reader-Friendly Content

5.9 million searches are conducted on Google every minute, according to Statista. People turn to search engines to find information on anything you can think of.

Many of them are typing in questions and statements related to your brand or business, whether it’s something about the products and services you offer or a trend in your industry. The question is, will your website or online content show up high on their results pages when they do?

If you’re not ranking well on search engines, it could be because your readers don’t understand your content, particularly because of your use of jargon. Jargon is the specialized language people of a specific group use.

It can enhance understanding and camaraderie for that particular group. But those outside of it won’t have a clue what you’re talking about, which is part of the reason why it can be detrimental to your search engine optimization (SEO) content.

The Harmful Effects of Jargon on SEO Content

Consistent traffic to and engagement with your content helps you rank well on search engines. You won’t get that traffic and engagement if readers don’t enjoy your content and get something from it. This can’t happen if something is standing in between their understanding and enjoyment, like jargon.

It’s important to avoid jargon in your content because only a small percentage of your readers will understand it. Everyone else won’t comprehend what you’re saying. This can alienate them and make them feel like your content is not for them, resulting in their exiting the page and potentially never returning.

Think about what people type into search engines. In other words, are they using jargon in their queries? Or, are they more likely to use simple language that they use in everyday conversations? The latter most likely.

So, if you’re over-relying on jargon in your content rather than using the language your audience is using, your chances of showing up high on their search engine results pages are low, because your readers will not be searching for the keywords that appear in your article.

Search engines are in the business of showing the most relevant results according to a user’s query. If search engines can’t connect what your content is about to the query because of the language you’re using, your site or page is more likely to show up 10 pages deep in results pages rather than on the first page.

Ultimately, jargon can negatively impact your readers’ understanding of your content. When they can’t comprehend what you’re saying, they won’t have a positive experience that inspires engagement and a return to your content. And your SEO results will suffer without that traffic and engagement.

Tips for Creating Reader-Friendly Content

As much as you want your content to be SEO-friendly, it should be reader-friendly more than anything.

If you can give your readers what they want, they’ll keep coming back to your content, boosting your engagement and traffic. This will signal to search engines that your site and content are relevant and trustworthy, enhancing your SEO strategy.

Let’s get into some tips that will help you create reader-friendly content that boosts your SEO results.

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Understand your readers

You’re speaking to a specific group of people in your content or, at least, you should be. They communicate and absorb content differently than the readers who consume your competition’s and other people’s content.

Make sure that you understand who your readers are so that you can create content they’ll actually read and resonate with consistently.

The data you’ve collected about your target audience on your digital marketing channels is a gold mine for insights into who they are. Take a few notes on demographic data, like marital status, location, and education level. Dive into communication styles and preferences.

Then, look at data related to content and website behaviors. What pages do visitors frequent on your website? If you have a blog, what are the most popular posts? What content gets the most engagement? What topics and media types are readers attracted to?

You can create content your readers will understand and enjoy when you know who they are.

Consider user intent

User intent is the purpose someone has in mind when they type their query into a search engine. What are they hoping to find out by typing this in? And if they get the information they need, what will it help them do?

If you know your reader’s intent behind trying to find content like yours you can make sure the information that matters to them is included. They’ll be more likely to read your piece from start to finish and engage with it because it’s covering what they need.

Before you start to create content around a topic, think deeply about why someone would be searching for this topic to identify their intent.

Learn the topic you’re covering thoroughly

Imagine trying to break down a topic you don’t understand. You’ll leave out important information. You’ll get words and concepts confused. You won’t be able to identify what’s valuable and offer it to readers.

Now, think about a topic you understand thoroughly and how easy it is to explain it to others, even if they know nothing about it. You can relate the subject to something the person knows. You use simple language. You know what the key points are and can easily convey them.

Reader-friendly content is simple and easy to understand. To get here, you must first thoroughly understand the topic yourself. Whatever the subject, study it until you can explain it to a child. Take notes if you need to. Just ensure you know the topic from top to bottom before you publish any content on it.

Use relatable language

Ditching jargon and opting for simple or relatable language is critical for reader-friendly content. You want to use language that your audience can seamlessly comprehend. You also want to use language that they can relate to.

We aren’t saying you have to use slang throughout your content. But if your readers use an informal word often in their every day, using it a couple of times when appropriate in your content can help it be more relatable to your readers.

When all else fails, use simple language.

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Use the proper keywords and phrases

The proper keywords and phrases can make your content supportive of both your readers and your SEO strategy. Your readers use your keywords and phrases. So, they’ll understand them when you do.

In addition, keywords and phrases contribute to your rankings. If you choose keywords and phrases with low competition and high relevancy, you’re more likely to rank for them.

Compile a short list of keywords and phrases you’ll use for your website. You won’t replace these often. So, make sure they’re relevant to your brand and business offerings. You can use our SERP checker to see who’s ranking for a keyword and get insights into whether it’s worth competing for.

As far as the individual pieces of content you produce, the keywords and phrases you use will vary based on the topic and goals of the piece. Using a tool like our keyword finder will simplify the process and help you identify keywords with low competition, high relevancy, and ratings.

Break up your text

If you’re counting on your readers to get through those long blocks of text, think again. Long blocks of written text are incredibly hard to digest. It takes a lot of mental energy to get through them.

What you don’t want is your readers to be so exhausted by the first block of text that they don’t even bother with the rest. Breaking up your text with short paragraphs, subheadings, bullet points, and numbered lists helps make the information more digestible for readers.

It’s a good rule of thumb to not go over four sentences in a single paragraph. Add the subheadings and lists where appropriate.

Incorporate visuals

Written content isn’t a thing of the past. However, people are becoming more and more drawn to visuals. They’re a bit easier to take in. And they can enhance the understanding of the written content, depending on the visuals you use.

For example, let’s say you’re writing a blog post on six tips to write a compelling headline. You could create an infographic that covers the same information and include it in the post to give readers another option to absorb your message.

Or, let’s say you’re crafting an email on the latest product you launched. You could incorporate screenshots of reviews from satisfied customers to harp on how amazing your new product is.

Aside from enhancing understanding and giving readers' eyes something more appealing to look at, visuals can help your SEO results. Alt tags, meta descriptions, and captions are additional homes for your keywords and phrases. In addition, it gives search engines something else to crawl to understand the relevancy and quality of your content.

Be sure the visuals you use enhance your content in some way, rather than using any old visual to take up space.

If you want your SEO content to rank well, your readers must be able to understand it with ease. Get rid of jargon first. Then, continue with the rest of the tips to ensure your content is reader-friendly.