May marketing madness content week, post #17
By Naomi Goldberg
Your website is the public face of your business. Just as you wouldn't dream of going into an important work meeting with a stain on your shirt, you shouldn't dream of presenting your web content with grammatical and spelling errors.
Sound simple? You would think so, but these unprofessional faux pas seem to plague big and small companies alike. So how can you avoid errors in your web content?
Avoiding web content errors
Here are my top tips:
1. Use a native English speaker to write your web content.
The internet has created a world without borders, and a small business website in one corner of the world could be utilized by someone thousands of miles away. Over 25% of internet users are native English language speakers and 42% of all websites are in English. So if you don't have the English writing skills to get your content right, get a native English speaker to write it for you.
2. Use your spell check.
This is so basic, I never thought I would have to mention it. However, I've now worked with so many businesses that don't bother that I feel I have to spell it out. Your computer has a spell checker. Use it.
3. Email your text to other people to check it for you.
Often when we are writing we become so familiar with the material that we don't notice small spelling errors or grammatical inconsistencies. When your web content is written and polished until it gleams, email it out to several team members to read and check it before you publish it. For what it's worth, I also recommend emailing it to yourself as well. Often reading it over as an email will help you catch any errors you previously missed.
4. Keep sentences short and sweet.
The longer the sentence, the more room for grammatical errors. Keep your sentences short and you are less likely to fumble with your commas and semicolons. As a bonus, shorter sentences make for more catchy web content.
5. Don't use long words if they don't belong.
Simple sentences are easy to read and digest. Fact. Simple words stick in your head better. Even if you are writing more academic or technical web content it is important to use words that are clear in meaning. Using complex terminology in the wrong context will just make you look stupid, and will undermine the professionalism of your website.
6. Don't forget to check your social media sites.
Your Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter posts are an extension of your website, and should maintain the same high standard of professionalism. It is fine to use social media conventions in postings, but always check for spelling accuracy before you press Send. You want your tweets to be the topic of conversation for the right reasons.
Check, check, and check again
So check, check, and check again. Keep your text short, punchy and error free. Let your web content speak for your company, and make sure it only has good things to say. Clicktale, too, has just found a spelling mistake in the middle of its homepage video. Bonus points to whomever spots what it is :-)
This post is one out of Clicktale's month long May Marketing Madness series. Each of our daily posts will highlight and explain today's best practices, useful tips and smart tools to measure and improve your online business performance. This week's theme is content. Make sure to stay tuned in for more!
About the Author
Naomi Goldberg is a web content queen and English language expert, helping start-ups and high tech companies get their message across with minimal errors in their business content. Naomi has a B.A. in English and Political Science from Bar Ilan University.