If People Can't Spell It, They Can't Find You

A PS Media Newsletter

Quick question: could a stranger hear your email address or website out loud, and type it correctly on the first try?

If you hesitated, that's a problem. And it's costing you customers.

The Simple Test Most Brands Fail

Say your business email out loud to someone. Now watch them type it.

If it's something like [email protected], they're going to misspell it. They'll drop a word, guess the wrong extension, or just give up and Google you instead — if they remember your name at all.

Same goes for your website. A long, clever, or complicated URL sounds great in a pitch meeting. It fails completely the moment someone tries to find you on their phone while half-listening to a podcast.

Why This Actually Matters

Every extra word, hyphen, or hard-to-spell phrase is a chance for someone to get it wrong — and once they get it wrong, most people don't try again. They just move on to a competitor whose name they remembered correctly.

Simple isn't boring. Simple is what works.

• Short beats clever. A name people remember beats a name that impresses.

• Easy to spell beats accurate-but-complex. If it sounds like it's spelled one way but is actually spelled another, you will lose people.

• One clear website beats three variations. Pick one URL and use it everywhere — business cards, email signatures, social bios, ads.

A Fast Way to Check Yours

Read your email and website out loud to someone who's never seen them written down. Ask them to type what they hear.

If they get it right the first time, you're in good shape. If they don't, it's worth simplifying — even if that means letting go of a name you love.

The Bottom Line

People are searching for you in the middle of a busy day, not sitting down to study your branding. Make it effortless to find you, and more of those searches turn into customers.

PS Media Inc. | Where Stories Come to Life Follow for more branding, marketing, and small business tips.Create a video with the man in the picture and have him walking like bigfoot breaking lumber boards