Clear > Clever: Why Transparency Beats Jargon (and Paywalls) Every Time

Published: 5/8/2025

Nothing kills curiosity faster than a paywall and paragraphs of jargon.

It starts with genuine interest.

Maybe a company offers something that could save your team hours or simplify a key part of your operations. But a few clicks in—buried under buzzwords and vague promises—you’re still no closer to understanding what they actually do.

That’s not just frustrating—it’s a missed opportunity.

If a product needs a decoder ring (and a credit card) just to understand the basics, it doesn’t feel inviting. It feels like work. And most people don’t stick around for work.

The good news? More and more companies are catching on.

The ones building real trust today are leaning into clarity. They’re skipping the “enterprise-grade synergies” and showing up with plain language, real product access, and messaging that actually makes sense. No pressure to schedule a call just to get a glimpse. No need to translate marketing speak. Just clear, open communication that respects people’s time and curiosity.

This isn’t just about tone—it’s about experience.

Most people don’t want a pitch deck disguised as a product demo—they want access. Clear documentation, free tiers, and intuitive onboarding aren’t luxuries anymore; they’re expectations. When tools let users explore freely, it signals that the product was built to empower, not withhold. That kind of openness creates a welcoming first impression—and often, a lasting one.

Why this matters:

• Transparency builds trust. People are more likely to engage when they immediately understand how you can help them.
• Clarity reduces friction. Good UX doesn’t stop at design—it includes the words you use, too.
• Access invites curiosity. Fewer barriers lead to more exploration—and exploration is often the first step toward conversion.

And the data backs this up.

A peer-reviewed study published in Entropy analyzed 500+ English-language landing pages to explore how text readability affects conversion rates. Using machine learning, researchers predicted whether a page would perform above or below the median—based solely on the text’s readability—and achieved 78% accuracy.

So what kind of language worked?

• Average sentence lengths of 10–11 words
• “Standard” language (Bormuth index scores of 62–64)
• Fog index scores around 8 (understandable to a middle-school reader)
• Roughly 22 total sentences per page—a sweet spot for engagement

Meanwhile, pages filled with long, complex sentences or a high percentage of “difficult” words saw conversion rates drop. Even small changes—like tightening sentence length or simplifying word choice—had measurable impacts.

We’re in an era where people value transparency, simplicity, and self-service.

They don’t want to be sold to—they want to be understood.
And the brands that honor that? They stand out.

They get bookmarked.
They get shared.
And more often than not, they get chosen.

TL;DR
The way you write—sentence structure, word choice, and clarity—can be a powerful standalone predictor of how well your page converts.