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4 Tips to Better Proofreading!
By Cathy Kessler
Cathy Kessler |
It is so discouraging. You visit a very
professional-looking website that seems to have everything
you could want. The navigation is simple, the design is beautiful,
and there is contact information with a real street address!
What more could you ask for?
But, as you begin to read through the copy, you see repeated
sentences that look like the title of this article! You
find typo after typo - misspellings, words used in the wrong
context, and very obvious grammatical errors. All of a sudden,
your image of this company begins to wane, and you wonder
if you should give your business to an organization that
appears to have such little attention to detail.
Questions float through your mind. Will this company give
me the same lacking attention to detail that they gave their
site? Will their service be as unprofessional as their sales
copy? Hmmm. Makes you stop and think, doesn't it?
The image you set forth with your website goes a long way.
Having misspellings or typos in your copy (or your eBooks,
reports, or other documents) does not simply state that
you can't spell. It puts forth a message that you don't
care. It damages your image tremendously.
There are many reasons mistakes happen.
The two most common are…
~ being so familiar with the text that you read what
it is supposed to say and not what it actually does say,
and
~ getting in too big of a hurry to get the text from your
word processing program to your Web design program or
eBook.
Both will have a negative impact on your image and your
sales.
So what do you do about it? There are several things that
can help prevent mistakes in type. Focus on these tips the
next time you write, and I'm sure you will see an overwhelming
improvement in the quality of your text.
1. Write one day - read the next.
~~ When you write something new, allow it to "simmer"
for awhile. Give your eyes a break. Set it aside and don't
look at it for 24 hours. When you come back to the piece
"fresh," you will no doubt spot many errors that
you would have otherwise overlooked.
2. Print it. ~~ Reading from a lighted
surface (your computer monitor) causes a great deal of eyestrain.
Print out your piece on paper and proofread it. You will
have a much easier time seeing the words.
3. Read one word at a time. ~~ We often
have a tendency to read whole sentences; however, when you
proofread, you should make a point to read each individual
word. Oftentimes, using your finger to underline each word
as you read helps call your attention to mistakes.
4. Hire a pro. ~~ If you are short on
time or simply don't have a knack for the English language,
hire a professional to help you. It will be worth the money
to ensure your website visitors or eBook readers aren't
turned off by what appears to be carelessness.
Producing written works full of mistakes sheds a bad light
on your business; however, giving your text the same regard
you give design elements can greatly increase confidence
- and ultimately sales - from your prospects and current
clients.
Cathy Kessler is the President of Business
Proof Reading. Do you have books, eBooks, articles,
newsletters, or other documents that need to be proofread?
Visit Cathy's site to learn how to be typo free today!
Now that you know 4 secrets to better proofreading to help improve the professionalism of your work, you are ready to read the related
Making Your Website Sell articles below:
Choosing
a Domain Name
Websites
with a Big
Company Look and Feel
10 Costly Web Site Mistakes
Branding
on your Website
7 Essential Web Maintenance Tips
4
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