I can’t say how many times I’ve heard about the value of the elevator speech – a spiel given in the length of an elevator ride to further a cause or company – but I know few people who have mastered it. The same goes with online writing. Not enough organizations quickly get their point across in a way that their audience can understand and remember. This is paramount for the success any website.

But like the elevator speech, anyone can master it. These are the questions you have to answer:

• What you’re writing about
• Why you’re writing about it
• Why it matters to your readers (it helps to know who they are!)

Once you have the answers, phrase them in a way your readers can understand. Carmine Gallo's article on HispanicBusiness.com speaks to why it’s important to leave the jargon and speak to your audience – often someone who doesn’t know a heck of a lot about your work. The article shows this by examples of getting tech companies to actually say what it is they do, eventually. If you know your audience, you can use technical terms they’ll understand, but keep your writing simple and straightforward.

And there’s your written elevator speech. If you ever doubt its importance, just think back to a time you were at a bar or a party and asked someone what he does, and were answered with a 20 minute explanation you didn’t really understand or care about. Online, there aren’t any social norms to keep a person there.