Google's Matt Cutts: Focus on Clarity or Jargon When Writing Content?

[engine]

Here's one of Matt Cutts' latest videos on the topic of writing jargon. We can all learn from this about the clarity of our writing.

[goodroi]

Matt brings up an interesting point that many webmasters do not even think about. If you use too many scientific or technical terms you can scare away a large amount of users. On the other hand if you dumb down the language too much you can come across as a low value scraper site.

I did notice at the very end, he mentions it is a good idea for your content to contain the same keywords the searcher entered into Google. This is basic SEO but good to remind people about especially since some people can focus too much on the latest algo tricks and overlook the fundamentals.

[buckworks]

Industry jargon is like pepper on your spaghetti. Small amounts used with skill will enhance the piece, but too much will make it indigestible.

The quest for simpler and clearer language is not "dumbing down". Rooting out needless complexity in how something is written does not mean leaving out facts or concepts. The easier something is to read, the more effort and skill it probably took to write.

Good writing is easy to read, period. Many people don't recognize high-quality writing (and editing) when they see it precisely because the finished product seems easy.