Last Updated on 2 April 2014

Check out these URLs:

ExpertSexChange.com vs. ExpertsExchange.com

How it is written: expertsexchange.com | How it is interpreted: ExpertSexChange.com
What they meant: ExpertsExchange.com

And these two…

TeacherStalking.com vs. TeachersTalking.com

How it is written: teacherstalking.com | How it is interpreted: TeacherStalking.com
What they meant: TeachersTalking.com

While the URLs are spelled the same, there is a big difference in the meaning depending on how they’re interpreted.

We need to treat our messages as if they’re written for a billboard, posted on a highway, with a 65 mile per hour speed limit. We’ve got to be quick, clear, and to the point – or our messages won’t be received. This is especially true when we put URLs or hashtags in communications.

message_billboard

We’ve got to be very quick and clear. Consider your website like a headline or tagline you hope people will understand and later recall. Your potential customers won’t be remember if they don’t understand.

extrashotofgood

Starbucks has just launched their 4th annual Global Month of Service. What a great program. But their hashtag #extrashotofgood is hard to read and hard to remember. If they spelled using capital letters in the right spots: #ExtraShotOfGood would read faster and easier.

extrashotofgood

Again, when you’re writing headlines for billboards and only have a few seconds to get your idea across, requiring a double-take may cost you the loss of your message.