Does Your Website Smell Like a Rat?

I can always tell when someone is being fake. So can you. It’s a gut feeling, a natural instinct that tells you that something isn’t the way it ought to be. Think about those expressions old movie cops used for when something just wasn’t right: this smells fishy, I smell a rat, etc. That’s because when something or someone is phony, it’s as tangible and obvious as a smell.

The same principle applies to your web copy, or anything you write about your business. If it’s fake, it’ll smell fake. That is, it will come off feeling forced or unnatural to your readers or potential customers.

Will your readers know why they don’t want to click the “go to checkout” button or even why they don’t want to navigate further in the site? Maybe, and maybe not. Some people are very good at understanding their gut feelings, while others just feel a sort of uneasiness that makes them want to go down to the next result on the Google page.

In either case, the reason will be the same: your writing doesn’t seem natural.

Natural writing sounds like it’s something you want to be saying in the way in which you normally say things in your everyday life. Of course there are matters of formality–slang isn’t appropriate for web copy because it doesn’t seem professional, and not everyone understands it. But the idea is simple: write the way you would naturally speak if you were discussing something you love with someone who would like to know more about it.

So for example, if you loved say, model trains and met a very attractive lady (or guy) at a Model Trains convention…how would you go about explaining to her the details of your thrilling new concept that will innovate model transportation as we know it today?

You would probably: explain your concepts well, make sure she understands everything you’re saying, and go into just enough detail to keep her interested in your concept without putting her to sleep.

The same principles should be in your writing whenever you’re updated the sales copy on your website or sending an email to a client. After all, you want to leave your reader feeling as clear as a spring day; not pinching their noses and clicking the close button.