My friend Bob (website designer and SEO junkie) just conducted a little experiment - he wanted to see if people responded to the word "webinar" or "online training" more often. Turns out it matters what words you use...simply changing "webinar" to "online training" boosted click-throughs by over 100%

What does this mean for your business? Well, several things:

• You need to understand how your audience thinks. It's easy to get caught up in industry lingo and terminology, but communication sometimes means simplifying your message.
• You need to write your website pages to capitalize on search. Most of us know the importance of being "found" on Google. Unfortunately, many businesses fail to realize that being found means writing your site with terms that people actually look for.
• These rules apply to the real world. I have a client in the accounting field and she tells me that many of her customers come to her precisely because she DOESN'T talk like an accountant. Sure, she can talk depreciation schedules and exemptions, but most of the time, her choice of words center around things that business owners understand...like "Profitability"

I work with a lot of smart clients. They're experts at what they do, and understand the nuances of their industries. They "get" that it's important to have the knowedge, but that it's just as important to make their communication of that knowledge understandable to their audience. Adapting their message creates a stronger bond with their clients, and ensures their position as trusted advisors.