There is a common misconception that using plain language in your copy dumbs down content and therefore offends the intelligent readers, especially in the professional and academic world. In fact, using longer, more complicated sentences and fancy vocabulary might in fact slow down your readers. What's more, having considered our attention span is now officially shorter than the one of the goldfish, readability and speed really matters if we want to keep our readers interested and glued to our content.

Admittedly, if you an expert in a specialist subject and, day-to-day, you operate mostly in a specialist language, trying to explain a complicated concept in a plain language can be challenging. But it is important to always keep in mind that our readers can be new to the subject and might get lost if we overload them with a plethora of technical jargon.

The video for Nielsen Group quickly explains how using plain language in your copy can improve the user experience. In short, when writing your content keep these main points in mind:

• choose language that is easy to understand 
• remove branded and technical phrases
• use short sentences and bullets 
• break down your copy with meaningful headings 

It will benefit both your readers and also your SEO ranking.