Apart from being a writer, I have also worked as an editor/proofreader for over 10 years. While some might call me the “grammar nazi” because I can be a bit pedantic about spelling and everything else that goes with it, I certainly don’t feel offended because it means I do a good job.
Whenever a website is created, it needs lots of good quality written material. Whether it’s individual pages, blog posts, product descriptions, background information about you and your company and what you have to offer, it’s essential that you don’t forget anything.
While most people focus on ensuring that every word accurately reflects the nature of the business, it’s less common to consider having your work professionally edited and proofread to eliminate any mistakes. Often this is because many think they can just read their material a few times and it will be perfect. Wrong! There’s much more to it.
Editing and proofreading doesn’t just mean running it through spell check to fix any obvious spelling errors. A professional editor/proofreader will also:
- Check for punctuation, grammar, spacing, layout and sentence lengths.
- Make sure every sentence flows naturally and makes logical sense.
- Check that all tenses match.
- Verify that any links work properly and don’t lead to error pages.
- Change words if there’s too much repetition.
- Guarantee that the writer’s “voice” will be maintained. This is crucial because a bad editor can completely change the meaning of your material and potentially cost you customers in the long run.
- Ensure you don’t have big slabs of writing with no white space to break it up so it’s easier to read.
- Check for incorrectly spelled words that sound alike. Examples – {their, there and they’re}, {affect vs effect} or {complement vs compliment}.
- Choose the wrong one and the entire meaning of a sentence can be changed.
- Use headings, sub-headings and other formatting options (bold, underline, italics, etc., where appropriate to make particular words, numbers or phrases stand out).
- Make sure the correct version of English is being used and that there are no words belonging to the wrong version of English used in that material.
People are always busy and this is an excuse not to edit/proof your own work properly. However, if you outsource the work, you’ll remove some of your own stress and gain more time to do what you do best.
Send me an email or pm if you would like more information.