Imagine someone in a wheelchair not being able to go to the local public library, because there were no access ramps at the entrance. You would be outraged, right? In a modern, inclusive society, we have come to expect entrance ramps (or a viable alternative) enabling access to public buildings. Now we must expect the same when it comes to public information. Creating accessible content is the digital equivalent of adding ramps, disability toilets and good signage to physical buildings to improve access for all.

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When people are searching online, they want short, concise, crystal clear content.

Screens and attention spans have got smaller and so must your digital content.

Searchers on a mission want answers and fast. Nothing else will do!

Google knows this and rewards content editors who know this too.

As a digital content writer, your job is to find out your audience’s burning questions. And answer them!

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As Winston Churchill said, ‘the essential structure of the ordinary British sentence... is a noble thing.’ Short sentences communicate powerfully. Writing short sentences is a very good plain language trick. Plain language uses short sentences. If you write short sentences, your meaning is usually clear and your grammar is usually correct.

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Rachel answers an age-old grammar question about was and were. Old grammar rules stick in our minds like chewing gum in the hair. The rule you remember is no longer a rule (perhaps it never was) but a choice. Rachel tends to use ‘were’ out of habit, but 'was' is now more than acceptable—it’s the norm.

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The phrase plain language (or plain English) is not plain language. The meaning of this phrase is masked and mysterious, known only to editors, content strategists, technical writers and other specialists.

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