"The Modern Guide to Creating a Personal Website that Drives Career and Personal Growth: Plain Language Is for Everyone, Even Experts"

"The Modern Guide to Creating a Personal Website that Drives Career and Personal Growth: Plain Language Is for Everyone, Even Experts"

Imagine having a notecard to write one sentence on who you are versus having an entire notebook to let people see different sides of your personality. This is the power of creating a personal website with multiple pages. One-page websites are great for selling one product or service, but I believe multiple pages will 10x the serendipity effect just by including more of yourself.

When creating your personal website, aim for page lengths of 200-500 words. This provides enough content for visitors to learn about you and also helps with search engine optimization. It's a sweet spot that allows people to dive deeper into your story without overwhelming them.

One aspect that often gets overlooked is the importance of using descriptive and interesting headlines and subheads. Instead of generic headings like "About Me" or "Contact Me," try to come up with more engaging titles that clearly communicate your abilities and goals. Even best-selling author James Clear has updated his personal website to include more benefit-driven headlines. For example, instead of "About Me," he now has a heading that says "I Help + [people] + [achieve result]." This immediately grabs the visitor's attention and gives them a clear idea of what you can do for them.

Your About Page is likely the second most trafficked page on your site, so make sure to put some thought into it. Its purpose is to let visitors get to know the person behind the door and share a bit of your backstory. Even if you're early in your career and don't have recognized credibility to share, you can include other articles, videos, or books that you're interested in. This shows your passion for learning and growth.

Another often overlooked opportunity is creating dedicated landing pages for services or offers. These pages are designed to drive action and potential revenue. An offer can be a creative package (product or service) that contains enough value to entice someone to take action. By having a dedicated landing page, you can focus on highlighting the benefits of your offer and making it clear what the next steps are.

Now that we've covered the basics of creating a personal website, let's shift gears and talk about the importance of plain language. Professionals, including experts, want clear and concise information devoid of unnecessary jargon or complex terms. All writers owe it to their readers to communicate information in a simple and clear manner.

Plain language benefits everyone, from expert readers to international users and those who use English as a second language. It makes information easily searchable and can even improve your SEO ranking. Organizations with clear writing styles are perceived to possess greater transparency and credibility.

To effectively use plain language, it's important to identify your target audience before you start writing. Consider their reading level, familiarity with concepts and vocabulary, and the questions they want answered. Remember, even within the same industry, people may not share the same vocabulary level. Writing for everyone means writing for no one. Use words that are simple and familiar to your audience, and avoid slang, idioms, and branded terms. If you must use technical terms, explain them first.

Good sentences have few words, so if you can convey the same ideas in fewer words, do it. Omit unnecessary language that adds little value to the message. This includes redundancies, meaningless generalities, and pointless modifiers. By writing at a lower reading level, around 6-8th grade, you ensure that your content is accessible to a wider audience. However, when writing for experts and scholars, writing at a higher reading level, around 10-12th grade, is appropriate.

Well-formatted content is also crucial for readability. Use informative headlines and subheadlines, bulleted lists, and tables to simplify complex content. For longer articles, provide an explicit overview or summary. Apply white space and indentation to make your content visually appealing. Highlight keywords and phrases to make them stand out. And finally, write in the inverted pyramid style, starting with the most important information and gradually providing more details.

The misconceived notion that long sentences and big words make you sound smarter or more professional actually sacrifices readability and credibility. Plain language removes barriers between you and your readers. If you think clearly, you will express yourself clearly.

To conclude, here are three actionable pieces of advice:

1. Create a personal website with multiple pages to showcase different aspects of your personality and drive serendipity. Aim for page lengths of 200-500 words to provide enough content for visitors and search engines.

2. Use descriptive and interesting headlines and subheads to engage visitors and clearly communicate your abilities and goals. Avoid generic headings and opt for benefit-driven headlines that grab attention.

3. Incorporate plain language into your writing. Identify your target audience and write at an appropriate reading level. Use words that are simple and familiar, and eliminate unnecessary language. Format your content for readability, and remember that clear communication benefits everyone.

By following these tips, you can create a personal website that not only drives career and personal growth but also effectively communicates your message to a wide range of readers.