If you have a website, chances are you are trying to attract attention to it because you are selling something. Whether it’s goods or services, you don’t want to attract the wrong kind of attention. Spelling errors, typos, incorrect punctuation and/or hyphenations will send the wrong message to potential customers or clients.
I have seen obvious errors in Amazon advertisements, but the biggest difference between their errors and errors found on small business websites is reputation. Amazon can bounce back from a simple typo or grammatical error in their ads because 1) Amazon is a reputable company, 2) Amazon has editors who specialize in finding errors, and 3) Said editors will catch the error, even after it’s already been posted, and they will correct it. It will be as if the error never existed.
If you have a small-business website and you’ve been working on it by yourself, it is likely you have some errors.
Are you aware that time spent on a website is reduced by 8% when the site has typos and grammatical errors? If you know anything about SEO, you know that this results in high bounce rates, deeming sites untrustworthy and lowering their positions in the organic Search Engine Results Pages (SERPS). Research has also shown that visitors are 70% less likely to click on your ads if they have grammar or spelling errors.
Anything intended to be read by someone other than yourself needs a fresh set of eyes before it goes public.
Before the hiring manager at a company selects a website content editor, he or she will thoroughly review all candidates in search of the one who is best suited for the position. It works this way with any kind of job. Would you select a person with a background in teaching third grade for an R & D position at a biotech company? Probably not. This is why small business owners who manage their own websites need a website content editor. Companies that are selling great products or services know exactly what they want to say to attract the ideal customer or client. The only problem is . . . they are unable to see the forest for the trees. So much time is spent on designing a website and creating content that the little things slip past them—little things like spelling and/or punctuation errors, in addition to misplaced modifiers.
"What is a misplaced modifier?" you may ask. My point exactly. You don’t have time to worry about these kinds of grammatical issues when you have a business to run. Let someone else take care of them for you, because if a customer spots a spelling or grammar mistake on your website, they may think twice before making a purchase.
Here's how it works
I copy and paste each web page into a MS Word document and correct textual content via track changes, and then I send clients my suggested changes. Yes, they are only suggestions because my clients always have the last word on whether or not a correction is made. After all, it is their website.
By now you may be wondering how much a website content editor charges. Not as much as you may think. Web designers are the ones who make the big bucks, and if you’re doing that yourself, great! More money in your pocket. Website content editors like me don’t charge an arm and a leg.
To learn more about this service click here, and to see web content editing in action, browse my portfolio where you'll find editing samples.
You can also email me to discuss your needs further: thewerdnerdediting@gmail.com.