5 Ways to Simplify Your Complex Content


March 26, 2019

The goal is simple: sell more of your products or services.

However, sometimes your product or service isn’t exactly the easiest thing to explain. If you have a complicated subject matter to cover, it can be tricky to find the ideal balance of explaining things in the simplest terms and not bore readers right off your website.

So how do you make complex content or boring subjects easy to understand and exciting for your target audience?

1. Avoid Jargon/Complex Words

Might seem like a no-brainer not to use jargon, but you’d be surprised how often industry professionals forget that the day-to-day terms they use are considered jargon to the average person.

The key to breaking down complex topics that require complex words and jargon, is using super simple language to describe exactly what that jargon means.

2. Use More Than Just Your Words

When it comes to explaining complex content or even talking about less-than-thrilling subject matter, sometimes it takes more than just words on the page.

Here are some of the other elements a page can have to pair with your content for a well-rounded story:

  • A good page layout – If your page is too cluttered and stuffed with too much text, your website visitor is more likely to be overwhelmed with the sheer amount of text and will likely either just skim the page or leave.

  • Simple images – You shouldn’t go overboard when it comes to your images either. Rather than super colorful, busy images, sometimes a simple icon or graphic can to the trick.

    Russell Brunson explains the concept of using simple graphics in his book “Dotcom Secrets”, in which he uses graphics that are essentially stick figures.

    “The reason the pictures are so basic is because I want you to be able to look at the image and immediately recall the concepts. The graphics are engineered for instant recall.”

  • Video content – Billions of hours of video are consumed every day on YouTube. That’s because people love videos. Video content helps to break down complex subjects and can help to educate a wider audience – including people who don’t learn best from reading.

  • Infographics – Visual learners love infographics. When combined with clear and concise writing and video, infographics can drastically simplify the learning process when you’re trying to educate your audience about a tough topic.

3. Write With Energy and an Active Voice

Most readers can tell when a writer is bored by their own words. When it comes to writing about your business, you should write with passion and energy.

The more complex a topic, the more energy is required to keep your audience engaged. A simple way to do this is through anecdotes that people can relate to.

Another way to add energy to your writing is by using an active voice versus a passive voice. This helps to deliver a clearer message.

A quick example:

Active: Danny wrote the blog.

Passive:
The blog was written by Danny.


The active voice provides a much simpler description for what is happening. An active voice delivers clear messages – much quicker and much easier.

4. Use Your Page Layout as a Helpful Guide

Another way that you can help break down complex content for your visitors is by literally breaking it down into sub-headings.

By breaking up larger pieces of content into subtopics, you’re not only providing a visual break for the reader, but you’re also helping them to group the information into related chunks.

Subheadings allow your reader to glance through each subtopic to find what interests them. While we all hope that all of our content is read, it’s better that the reader finds what they need from the page easily instead of abandoning the page altogether.

5. Don’t Be Afraid to Continue Later

If your subject has multiple levels of complexity, don’t be afraid to break down each section if it allows your audience to easily grasp the concepts over time rather than in one sitting.

We have done this before with some of our articles, such as:

The Customer Value Journey Part 1

The Customer Value Journey Part 2


While we could have squeezed all of that information into one single article, that article would have been very long and would’ve talked about many new concepts – some of which could be confusing.

Plus, a series keeps your readers anticipating more after they finish the first piece in a series.

Conclusion

When writing about something complicated, your goal should be to keep things simple but compelling.

Even if you were writing for a medical journal for the world’s top doctors, at the end of the day, people digest information better when it’s written in simple terms.

For your business, having your products and services understood and appreciated is the first step in getting a sale or a new lead. They won’t want what they don’t understand they need.

If you need help crafting content to help your business thrive online, call us today at 407-682-2222 or contact us online.

Did you like this post?

Sign up for our Tips and Trends list and we'll let you know each week when we have a new one.

Evaluate Your Own Marketing Systems With The FREE SMT Marketing Systems Scorecard

Categories

Web Design (27)
Web Development (36)
Misc. Website (21)
Search Engine Optimization (97)
Social Media Marketing (111)
Local Search Marketing (24)
Content Marketing (37)
PPC Advertising (33)
Digital Marketing (124)
Marketing Automation (26)
Sales Automation (21)
Company News (10)
Other (27)

Archives

Feeds