What?

Welcome to the land of techno-babble. Fraught with pitfalls, sinkholes and swamps, it is a land where heavy paragraphs drag you down; sentences trip you up; your eyes glaze over strange words; and service pages provide hazy “solutions.”

Sadly, many people get lost in this land and don’t know where to go or what to do. Give them what they really want and lead them out of confusion; tell them what you do in bold, powerful language that is simple and effective.

Above all else, good technical writing must be accessible. Visitors should leave your site as customers, with a clear understanding of what your product or service does and what it will do for them.

 

The word utilize is especially annoying. Use works as well or better, and it doesn’t convey the same coldness and sterility that characterizes the term ‘utilize.’ The same goes for words like prioritize and finalize.

Using the -ize suffix to create a verb immediately separates the viewer from your language. No longer is it intriguing and interestiing, but dull and hollow.  There are some words like harmonize and summarize that can be used sparingly, but please, never, ever containerize!

 

One of the worst things people do when linking to a topic is linking the descriptive words to a site without giving the actual html address. People like to know where they’re going, so do them a favor and tell them! 

Instead of: I like Johnny Depp.

Give: I like Johnny Depp (http://www.johnnydepp.com).

But if the url is useless, like http://www.geocities.com/marge/imagesjd2.html,  link the website to a descriptive title, such as:

I like Johnny Depp (Johnny Depp Fan Site on Geocities.com).

This may not seem like a huge difference, but it is. Your users waste time trying to guess where they’re going, so make it easy on them. For more informaiton on accessibility and writing for the web, check out Jakob Nielsen’s usability website.

In short: don’t write “something”. Write “something.”

While this sounds nitpicky, it shows a lack of proofreading, the ultimate sign of carelessness in a professional document.

Common mistakes like this imply several things:

a) the writer doesn’t know or can’t remember their grammar.
b) the writer forgot to proofread.
c) the writer doesn’t care.

Whether you’re a writer or not, it is your responsibility to your readers to present clean, error-free material. If you don’t proofread, that implies laziness. And while lazy writing is bad enough, not caring is worse. Now some might say “well, most people aren’t that observant, so it doesn’t matter anyways.” Perhaps. But not caring does suggest a lack of respect for your own work that isn’t lost on your readers. Never underestimate your reader or client. If they’re going to read or buy something from you, they want a product or service that inspires the most confidence.

After all, if you don’t care about your work, why should they?

Fluff is found in a lot of writing, and is especially rampant on the internet. Take a minute and read any random article, piece of copy, or content and you’ll probably notice that half the stuff you’re reading doesn’t actually say anything. Kind of like this post. Annoying, huh?

A three hundred word article packed with good information is better than a five hundred word article that pads the information, or lack thereof, in a bunch of useless rubbish. It is about quality over quantity.

Using big words and complicated prose is unnecessary and potentially alienating to your readers. In the same vein, grandiose, mellifluous sentences and excess verbiage expounding on the merits of your indelibly unique product and the synergistic experience of using it are damaging to your writing and to your content.

This doesn’t mean you can’t be creative and descriptive. Look at books like Jesus’ Son or marketing geniuses like Seth Godin. Better yet, read the Clue Train Manifesto.

In short, avoid long words that are hard to read and harder to say. They don’t make you sound more intelligent; on the contrary, they make you sound like you’re trying too hard.

To recap: ensure your writing is clear, strong and concise. Writing that appears lofty, hokey, or over your readers’ heads is sure to drive them away.

Luckily, there is an easy solution to bad grammar: repetitive proofreading. For most people, once is not enough. Lather, rinse and repeat. In addition, have at least two other people proof your work for you.