Don't Wait For The Translation... Answer Me Now!

"Don't wait for the translation, answer me now!" is a favorite quote from Star Trek 6 in our house.  It's funny because it's a crazy expectation but you'd be surprised how often we expect viewers to do this on websites around the world.  We want them to understand vocabulary that is specific to our trade or think like they are professionals in our field instead of stating things simply and uniformly for easy comprehension. 

One way you can help clear up anything that's lost in translation is by using clear and meaningful headings.  Here's a few tips on how...

Remove Repeating Words. 
Here are two examples of something you might see on a travel site.  Which one is more easily understood at a glance?

First:
How to Handle Lost Luggage
How to Change Your Seating Preference
How to Edit Number of Passengers
Second:
Lost Luggage
Seating Preference
Number of Passengers
It has been my experience that the second gets us to the answers we need faster.

Answer the QuestionsSpeaking of answers.  Try to think of your headings as answers to questions.  People that visit your site should be asking themselves a question.  How much is a product?  What products to they have?  Where is their store located?  How do I contact someone who can help me?  Are their any job openings? And so on... When organizing the important elements of your site keep these questions in mind.  Some people may be happy to learn that you've sponsored a little league baseball team but it's not the answer they initially came in search of.  Move that one a little lower on the list, ok?

Use Common Vocabulary
This is NOT dumming anything down.  Be honest with yourself about your target audience.  If you are an editor of the West Veranda College of Neurosurgeons quarterly publication and you are setting up a site to archive articles then fine... Neuroscience it up.  The people using your site will love it.  BUT if you are the editor of this same publication and you want to invite high school kids to apply for an internship with you than speak plainly.  Instead of a heading that reads: "Neurosurgeon Internship Applicants" try "Jobs" or "Internships."  The links will be easier to find after some 17 year-old reads the postcard stuck to the bulletin board of the local AP science teacher. 
It's easy to become overwhelmed with tips and tricks to make your website better and it's easy to give up and revert to what it is you know best (your business).  But with a little guidance, editing, and a lot of common sense small changes such as these can dramatically increase the usability of your site.  Go and connect with those around you!