Anne and Clare, my colleagues in the CEU, have just published an interesting new whitepaper containing original research into how language varies dependent on position with the engagement process.
I’ve included below a few of the key findings from the report. You can download the entire whitepaper free from the CDA website.
Download whitepaper (pdf, 520kb)
Key findings:
- Language that engages people on web pages is not the same as the language that forms the pathways to a site.
- People adapt their natural language when searching for information online, often employing more mechanical terminology (machine language).
- Brand messaging and information gathered from the search results influences consumers’ decision making and filtering (choice reduction) processes, as well as the information provided on the destination website.
- There seems to be a direct correlation between what language a website uses and how a visitor feels. In many cases participants are put off by what they find because it is not in line with their previously articulated expectations and / or requirements.
- Language that people appear to respond to most favourably when they finally engage with a site, is language that more closely resembles their natural language of intent – less mechanical and more human.
* associative thought: the way the human brain links and freely associates what are often disparate thoughts and experiences to learn and act
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