There are a range of voices and styles you can use for your web content, and the right voice for you depends on your business. It’s doubtful that people will want to lend their trust and confidence to a heart surgeon whose landing page is full of knee-slappers, but if you’re in a more lighthearted (no pun intended) line of work, you may wish to incorporate some G-rated humor into your content to engage your audience. Heck, make it PG.

But when it comes to your online content, how edgy is too far?

It’s no secret that writing in an edgy tone can attract viewers, persuade readers to continue to the end, and make people want to get to know you and your business better. But one slip-up and you could offend the good tastes and sensibilities of your potential customers. Limiting your business to fewer supporters is not the greatest ROI strategy, and there are only so many times your mom will make a pity purchase to lift your spirits. You may think it’s a great idea to crack the occasional off-color witticism or vaguely offensive pun at the dinner table when you’re on your second glass of wine and only your kids are there to roll their eyes at you, but business, my friend, is a different realm.

Now, there are many online writers out there who write in a gloriously raucous tone and somehow manage to avoid ever getting sued or even propelled into the weekly social media shame cycle. You aren’t one of them. These are people who probably make a living off of their persona, or at least don’t engage in a line of work that would take issue with their online presence. And even these writers watch their words carefully. But if you’re hoping to expand your clientele, it’s best that you leave the comedy to the professionals.

Okay, not all the comedy. After all, you’re funny, right? And you’re pretty sure at least one other person out there thinks so too. Before you embark on your new career as a hilarious business writer, think about your target audience:

• How old are they? Different generations respond to different types of humor, both because of their biological age and because of the events they’ve lived through and experiences to which they can relate.
• Where are they from? If you’re charming a local crowd, you probably know the skinny on what they’ll respond to, but if you’re going statewide, national or international, you’ll need to remember not to alienate anyone who might not get your particular niche.
• Do you need translations? Speaking of international, if you’ll be translating your content into other languages, make sure you hire a translator who is fluent in both languages. Jokes can get horrendously lost in translation, and some might need to be taken out or changed altogether.
• What role does humor play? This is a big one. Sometimes, all you want to do is make people laugh. There’s nothing wrong with that, especially if it reveals something human and warm about your business. But if your humor feels stale or is too jarring, you’ll simply throw people off. Edgy writing should come naturally and should never be simply for shock value.

Lastly, leave anything political, religious, or controversial in any way out of your content, unless your association with a particular issue is a fundamental part of your organization. If they’re just your personal views, confine them to the dinner table and leave business out of it.

Elizabeth Proctor is a writer and traveler who loves fishing, chess, camels, and the X-Files.