Increase your competitive edge*
On Twitter, todays fastest growing social networking sight, you have only 140 characters to to say your piece. There is a small window of opportunty to get your message across, Typos are expecting, glossed over, and in some cases made intentionally for .
Yet, in today’s marketplace producing clearly written documents is more important thanever. If the linguistic qualty of a report, advertisement or article is superior to that of it’s competitors, the credibility of the company is enhanced. their competitive edge will be greater , their impact more memmorable and prospects of securing future work will be increase.
Hiring a proofreader will Fastforward a company’s sales and marketing by keeping it messages clear, concise, consistent and correct.
Nonetheless, a proofreader will agree there five things they cant change.
1. spellchecker miss errors
2. we all makes mistakes
3. finding errors excits them
5 what you see is not always what you get.
6. we all make mistakes.
What can a proofreader change? You decide…
Your are sincerely,
Davina Haisell, Proofreader
Writer Sense Communications
PS Let me help you avoid the embarrassment. Contact me today!
PPS Read about my proofreading experience and check out my testimonials.
*You won’t increase your competitive edge with a letter like this,
but I hope to.
Bloggers, don’t mistake the character of a typo
For the most part, blogging is pretty relaxed when it comes to typos. For myself it’s a chance to remove my proofreader’s cap.
Before you hit that publish button however, there are a few things I recommend you check. And it goes without saying that the title of your blog post shouldn’t have any typos in it!
1. Keyword choices for SEO are spelled correctly.
2. Use Google Adwords: Keyword Tool to search for commonly misspelled words that you may choose to add to your permalink.
One good example is the word “strength”. When I performed a keyword search here is what I found.
There were 2,240,000 searches for the correct spelling, and 110,000 searches for the same word spelled as strenght. Couldn’t hurt to include both in the permalink could it?
3. Another thing to consider is variations of hyphenated words. As of today’s date U-Haul receives about one million searches for “Uhaul” and 450,000 searches for “U haul”.
4. Canadian spelling versus American spelling is another factor. Consider the word colour — can you tell I’m Canadian? Including both variations, in my case the American spelling of color, will increase Google search results.
5. If you are linking to a blog or blogger, ensure the spelling of their name and the name of their blog is correct.
6. If you are linking to a blogger with an SEO keyword phrase the words should be spelled correctly, otherwise what’s the point?
7. Are your hyperlinks correct?
Proofreading websites and ebooks
I have difficulty relaxing my rule when it comes to websites and ebooks. Blatant errors distract from professionalism and credibility.
Mistakes happen more often when people try to cut costs by having their friends do the proofreading for them.
Proofreading requires a professional who knows what to look for. This only comes from experience and that’s where I come in. After 20 years in the business, I consider myself to be an expert proofreader.
If you are doing your own proofreading, think about this. Could your time be better spent doing something else? Writing a new blog post or reading and commenting on other blogs? Promoting the release of your new ebook or planning your next ebook?
Spending the time writing an ebook or a website is worthy of making the extra effort to ensure quality at the final stage.
The next time you need some proofreading done, consider contacting me at Writer Sense Communications. I’ll get the job done for you. You can best bet on it!
How many errors did you find in this proofreader’s letter?
What’s the most embarrassing typo you’ve made?
Do you have any other ideas about things a blogger should watch for?
Photo credit: Crime Never Stops
Note: A follow-up post to this one called Letter from a Proofreader with Edits has now been published. I have created a downloadable PDF where all the typos in this letter have been marked. Come have a look.
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{ 18 comments }
Davina, thanks for all the insightful tips. As you imply, many people underestimate the power of clarity and simplicity. How many words you choose to express is less noticable than what you say between the lines.
Liara Covert’s last blog post..What is nature telling you?
Great post… I printed up business cards and transposed 2 digits on my phone number. I didn’t even notice until I got an email from someone saying they tried calling me and couldn’t get through. Duh! Stupid and expensive mistake!
Caroline’s last blog post..Soulful Sunday
I know that I definitely make a lot of mistakes in mine. However, I tend to write my post just before publishing; leaving me little time to do get another person to proof read. If I am going to print marketing materials, for sure I’ll be getting one! Thanks for letting me know that you provide the service!
Evelyn Lim’s last blog post..Resolving Conflicts: Peace or Drama?
Hi Liara.
You’re welcome. Your comment reminds me of my experience reading your blog. Reading between the lines… so many possible messages with fewer words. You write in such a way that I feel myself looking farther than the words. It’s hard to explain.
Hi Caroline.
Oh no…! I’m sorry to hear about that. I hate it when that happens! Thankfully that person let you know. No telling how long it would have been an issue.
Hi Evelyn.
It is harder to catch errors when you’re too close to the job and especially if you are rushing. Most bloggers are pretty relaxed when it comes to typos. Good thing, cause it would take me ages to publish a post.
Proofreading is a good idea for marketing materials especially when you are paying for the printing. Did you read what happened to Caroline? Ouch!
Hi Davina,
Thanks for these great tips. I never thought about how the use of European English spellings would affect searches before, but I so am going to now! And I didn’t even know I could choose the words that go into my permalinks… So much to learn!
Hi Davina,
Well…I didn’t find many errors (so if you put them in for us to catch, I did’nt catch many). That said, the one that I did notice – your PPS link to “Testimonials” takes me to a login page.
I know I’ve had typos in my posts sometimes – and if I happen to catch them – I do go back and edit them. Like Evelyn, I tend to write and then publish right away (and a couple of quick proofreads). What I do make sure of is that all my links works (by trying them), and that the title is how I want it. I want to make sure I start my readers off on a positive note – and that links actually take readers to where I want to direct them.
Hi Davina,
I try to proofread before I publish a post, yet after publishing it and reading it on the actual site, I still find myself editing it for mistakes, spacing, and all sorts of little things, several times! Hope it’s not OCD :)
You have some great tips here. I usually don’t proofread before I publish a post because I know I’ll just end up adding a million things and rewriting a hundred times, but you’ve listed some great reasons why I should start proofing before I post on my blog. Thanks for this!
http://positivelypresent.typepad.com
Positively Present’s last blog post..let’s go! 5 steps for getting on the road to your goal
I once wrote about “lima beans” but spelled it “lima bins” instead. I was a little upset that none of my regular readers emailed me to (gently) point out the mistake.
Vered – MomGrind’s last blog post..Fear of Rape
Davina…
Very clever and informative! Yes, I did catch a few in your post and for a second it surprised me coming from you until I finished reading and then I chuckled.
I really despise typos, especially the ones I make. I go over my posts/tweets meticulously yet sometimes I still miss! And it’s even more obvious when it’s not my own…my question is, do you tell someone about their typos so they can correct it without sounding critical or judgemental or do you not say anything and let them suffer the wrath of the reader?
There are 2 kinds of typos to me: sheer carelessness and the other plain ignorance…I don’t know which one is worse! :~)
Love the whimsy yet helpful in this post…thank you! :~)
Henie’s last blog post..When The Silken Cloth Unravels (#1)
Davina, you provided valuable information with this post. It contains a lot of things people don’t think about. Sometimes I feel like we’d never post anything if we try to catch everything — so sometimes we have to let go. But things like phone numbers — yes, you want those to be right.
I let people know when I find a typo and people let me know. It’s nothing to be embarrassed about — we have our priorities where we need to spend the most time proofing.
Meryl K. Evans’s last blog post..Links: My Baby Is Almost Six Edition
oh this subject is one i have trouble with. i am immune to typos. i just don’t see them. my brain is 2 steps ahead of me and i auto correct everything, I WRITE…now i can find, if i looked really hard someone else’s typos, but mine. they don’t show up until after i hit publish.
okay if a blogger makes a typo,they get a pass, but for business, your type has to be right.
some people though act like a typo is the worse thing in the world…like if you make one, you’re not professional. well, i’m not a professional blogger.
of course we should read over our posts – but not this comment :) – but some people have the nerve to email me to tell me i have a typo. that’s even worse than the **** typo.
imagine if we all went through life pointing out the mistakes of others.
Hi Hilda.
You’re welcome. There is a lot to learn. I’m no expert by any means, but these are some things I’ve learned gradually. I’m glad this was helpful for you.
Hi Lance.
Thank you for telling me about that nasty hyperlink! It is fixed now. How a login link managed to get in puzzles me. There is nothing more frustrating than clicking on a link and going nowhere.
Getting the title of the post right is important cause that’s where it all starts. Having said that, once I am familiar with a blogger, it doesn’t matter what their post title is. I want to read what they are writing about. But the first impression counts for a lot.
Hi Daphne.
It’s amazing how many things can go off isn’t it? Sounds like you have a keen eye working for you. Funny how those typos seem to jump out at you after you’ve hit the publish button. At least you can fix those ones though. It’s worse if you’ve left a comment on someone’s blog with a yucky typo because you can’t get in there to fix the darn thing. That’s happened to me a few times and I have to bit my lip. :-)
PS I don’t care about typos in my comment section. Unless one is really bad, or the comment is unclear because of it, I won’t fix it.
Hi Positively Present.
You’re welcome. Positively Present is a good name you’ve chosen for your blog then. Once it’s published it is what it is. Positive and present.
Hi Vered.
Lima bins, lol! Well now that I know you’d like to know, I will email you if I see anything. And, thank you for the Tweet.
Hi Henie.
Fooled ya. Glad you enjoyed this. It was great to let loose and actually make typos on purpose :-) You watch your tweets too — I try to but some get away from me. That’s life in the Twitter Lane.
To answer your question, if I was a regular reader of the blog I would let the blogger know if it was a major error. I have done that in the past and they were glad to have been told. My pet peeve typos are the careless ones that happen in great quantities.
Hi Meryl.
I couldn’t agree with you more. We already spend so much time blogging without going nuts proofreading too. I thought I’d share a few tips that I’ve learned along the way, but I don’t follow them religiously. It’s all a matter of personal preference, but I think it’s most important when working for a client and they are paying for your services.
Hi Natural.
I always smile when I see your avatar :-) Thank you! You’re right… some people take typos very seriously. That’s been my background working in advertising agencies and design studios. Their reputation is on the line and they could lose a customer if the work is not up to par.
For blogging I don’t think it is AS important. Again, it depends on you and what you are comfortable with. I’ll continue to read your blog no matter how many typos there are. But I’ll remember not to email you if I see one :-)
Hi Davina – I had no idea that so many people made typos when they’re searching Google.
I have to hit the publish button before I spot errors. That can be time consuming as I’ve got to change them one at a time.
I make lots of embarrassing mistakes and the ones I find hardest to spot are things like this one I made a little while ago: “You are lucky if you have a roof on your head.”
Stuart noticed it straight away and pointed out that most people wouldn’t feel so lucky if they had a roof on their head.
Cath Lawson’s last blog post..Quit Bragging About Your Booming Business
Hi Davina – When I started blogging, typos were an issue for me. But then I realized many bloggers don’t have English as their first language or like you said, use different spellings for the same word. Now, I over look the typos.
I find I make more typos on Twitter than I do on my blog. Maybe it ’s because I don’t have a way of proofreading it before I hit enter.
On my second blog, I have a popular post that gets hits because I spelled a person’s name wrong. I contemplated changing it, but the post has lots of important links in it, so I’ve left it as is. I do feel bad, however, for making an error in the spelling of their name.
Barbara Swafford’s last blog post..Addicted To Blogging – It’s No Joke
Hi Cath.
It’s amazing isn’t it? Lol, that’s a hilarious typo! I know I wouldn’t feel lucky if I had a roof on my head. Good of Stuart to point that one out to you.
Hi Barbara.
I was more worried about typos when I first started blogging too, but I’m learning to let go of that. I haven’t noticed any typos from you on Twitter — not that I’m watching for them :-) I understand how you must feel about spelling that person’s name wrong. We make mistakes — it happens. I made an embarrassing mistake once when I was commenting on a blog… I used the wrong name entirely when I addressed the blogger.
Davina, as you consciously and unconsciously stetch yourself, you are learning in ways you had not imagined. It is how you step outside a comfort zone you have outgrown but do not necessarily accept.
Liara Covert’s last blog post..Move beyond the chains of time
Hi Liara.
It interesting how the imagination can limit us or give us room to grow. I hadn’t considered stretching consciously and unconsciously.
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