Whether you’re writing a social media post, Google ad, e-newsletter, blog post or website content, you better make sure that it is error-free. If not, you risk being seen as a business that is unprofessional, sloppy or illegitimate. Your own products or service offerings may be questioned, with readers wondering if they may be of similar quality as your content.
But no need to worry! Publishing content void of grammar, punctuation and spelling errors is possible with the following SEO proofreading tips.
Use Free Proofreading Software
Let’s start with the basics when it comes to proofreading tips: the free, easy-to-utilize editing software that’s built into your Word processing software.
Although able to detect common spelling and punctuation errors, some of the more complex structural errors are missed in the spellchecker. Sometimes, the built-in software detects errors that are not present, too. Each writing style has its own rules to follow and the word processing corrector, although good, is not experienced in all of them.
The computer’s voice command is another free tool that can be utilized. Hearing the words that you wrote is an easy way to catch errors that your eyes may miss. Missing or repeated words, run-on sentences and awkward phrases become much easier to detect – and fix.
Review, Review, Review
Taking a break between writing and editing is one of the best ways to catch errors. After writing a piece of content, your brain is probably tired. As a result, you are more likely to miss editing errors and publish a piece that is sub-par.
Instead, revisit your content when you’ve had a chance to refresh yourself. It could be a few hours or even a couple of days later. Reading your writing with a clear mind can help make it sound better than if you rushed to hit that publish button!
When you do revisit your work, use a printed copy to better scrutinize the content. Screens are meant to be scrolled – but physical paper tends to be read closer. Use a brightly coloured pen to mark up your printed pages and compose new ideas.
Use Paid Proofreading Software
Take your free proofreading software up a notch by using a paid version. One of the most popular options, Grammarly, has both free and paid versions.
In addition to reviewing grammar, spelling and conciseness, the reasonably priced premium version also offers readability improvements, vocabulary enhancement suggestions, genre-specific writing style checks and plagiarism detection.
Hire a Professional
When all else fails, hire someone who does proofreading for a living.
Like most other things in life, sometimes it’s more affordable and effective in the end if you hire a specialist for the work you need to be completed. A professional proofreader is well experienced with detecting errors in spelling, punctuation and grammar and can complete the task better than any online tool.
Besides correcting your writing errors, a great proofreader will make suggestions on how to improve your writing. Depending on your content goals, a proofreader can help make your writing more engaging and increase your conversion rate, too.
Contact us today to learn more about the affordable proofreading services our Toronto copywriters offer!