Why You Should Absolutely Avoid Jargon in Copywriting

People are busier than ever before. With the growth of email, social media, and mobile technology, people have less time to read online content. This has given rise to shorter-read articles that get right down to business.

One way you can cater your content to this new audience is by avoiding jargon in your copywriting. Jargon is often vernacular or industry-specific language - it's a word or phrase that may be specific only in one field of work or study.

Many people think that jargon is the answer to making their business seem more professional, but this couldn't be further from the truth. In reality, it's just a way for companies to sound more intelligent than they are and try to make themselves look better than their competition.

Jargon isn't always bad - but when misused, it can confuse readers unfamiliar with the terminology and cause them to click away.

To help you keep your copywriting simple and easy to read, we've compiled six common phrases you should never use in any written document:

1) At this time

Instead of saying this, say "now."

If you said "at this time," the reader would have to infer what that means for them. Saying "now" is more precise and gets right to the point.

2) In order to

Instead of saying this, say "so that."

"In order to" is wordy and uses unnecessary words. If you say "in order to," the reader has to do additional mental work in figuring out what it means for them - especially if they're not as familiar with business jargon or language.

Saying "so that" reduces confusion because it assumes the desired outcome, like "so that employees can have access to their balances."

3) Have a tendency towards

Instead of saying this, say "tend towards."

"Have a tendency toward" is wordy and uses unnecessary words. If you say "have a tendency towards," the reader has to do additional mental work in figuring out what it means for them - especially if they're not as familiar with business jargon or language.

Saying "tend towards" reduces confusion because it assumes the desired outcome, like "tend towards" consistency."

4) Unique opportunity

Instead of saying this, say something like: "The perfect opportunity."

"Unique Opportunity" is wordy and confusing. It's not clear what that means for the reader - especially if they're not familiar with business jargon or language.

Saying "perfect opportunity" removes any ambiguity because it assumes the desired outcome, like being able to "perfectly meet your needs."

5) On account of

Instead of saying this, say something like: "due to."

By replacing the wordy phrase "on account of," with the more concise "due to," you can get your point across faster.

This is still a long sentence, but it's better than saying that they're due on account of their work ethic.

6) As opposed to

Instead of saying this, say something like: "instead of."

This is a wordy phrase that could be replaced with the more straightforward and more direct alternative, "instead."

In this sentence, it would make sense to say something like, "Instead of going out for lunch today, I made a sandwich."

7) Perse (the Latin word meaning "by itself")

Instead of saying this, say something like: "by itself."

Latin is for scholars, not the average person. This phrase would be better replaced with a word or two that will make sense to readers (i.e., "alone").

In this sentence, it would make sense to say something like, "The company wanted to see if they could do everything by themselves."

It's a lot easier to read your copy if you don't have to decipher many unfamiliar words. To help keep things simple, we've compiled six common phrases you should never use in any written document.

Have you encountered these terms lately? If so, comment below and share the example of jargon you've seen recently.