There’s something about proofreading that makes it one of the most tedious tasks in the world. Perhaps it’s because, after the last two hours of slogging away at your laptop, attempting to formulate the right words to put across what you’re trying to say, the thought of squinting at your grammar and trying to decide whether it should be “realise” or “realize” is just too much.
It’s completely normal to take a can’t-be-bothered approach to proofreading your content, but that doesn’t mean it’s the right approach to take. Unfortunately, not all grammar and spelling slip-ups are innocent. Your local takeaway might get away with writing “pizza’s” when it need only be “pizzas”, but some mistakes are so cringe-worthy that they’ve made it onto the name-and-shame area of the internet.
So before you hit “post” without doing the thorough read you know in your heart you should do, stop and take a breather. Download Grammarly if you need to (it’s free and helpful). Make yourself a cup of coffee and read your article in full. Then ask a friend to read it, if you’re prone to missing your own mistakes.
Here are just a few more reasons why proofreading your website’s work is so important:
You’re An Authority
… or your goal is to become an authority. If you want your customers or clients to look up to you, respect you, and see you as an expert in your niche area of business, being able to spell correctly will help. We know, it’s unfair – your spelling and grammar doesn’t dictate your knowledge and expertise on a subject. Unfortunately, that’s just the way it comes across.
You Want People To Understand You
Sometimes, the grammar of a text can become so confusing that sentences don’t make sense at all. This is particularly the case with longer sentences, which may have random or sporadic placement of commas (if any at all). Bad grammar can quite literally make your work unreadable to someone who doesn’t live in your head. That’s why it’s a good idea to ask a friend or a family member to proofread your work for you.
Your Website May Get Shared… For The Wrong Reasons
Yes, there are plenty of people out there who love to shame others for their grammar. Don’t let yourself fall into the victim category for these people. You want your business to be thought of with respect, not amusement – so don’t give people a reason to laugh at you.
You Can Improve Your Ideas
Proofreading your work doesn’t only help you to wean out those hidden slip-ups. Reading back on what you’ve already written is also a great way to naturally expand on ideas with extra information that you may not have had in mind during your original edit. On a similar note, you will also be able to get rid of anything that doesn’t quite fit with the rest of your copy, leaving a much more succinct piece of content.
