New Age Copy

I don’t know how often I come across a piece of copy that is littered with silly spelling and grammatical mistakes. Sometimes it feels as though every website I go onto has got at least 1 hidden within its content.

For the most part, the majority of surfers do not notice these simple mistakes. A misplaced comma here, a lack of capitalisation there… sometimes you can get away with it.

As a whole though, if you are striving to establish a credible web presence, the wrong use of ‘there, their and they’re’ can make a difference to your websites professionalism.

Think about it a moment. If you were looking for a solicitors to handle your divorce, and found that the documentation they sent you mis-spelt your name you would be angry. You would question their professionalism and ultimately look for another legal firm who could more properly handle your problem.

Copy has a more powerful influence upon the way surfers think, than you would belief. So what do you do? Simple: make sure your content is thoroughly spellchecked before you publish.

A good technique I often use is stepping back from the piece for hours/days then coming back to it with a fresh mind. By introducing this gap into your writing, you will be able to more easily spot any mistakes you have made.

Another useful tool, is keeping a dictionary on you. I know it can feel embarassing looking through a dictionary to spellcheck a word, but the impact these corrections can do for your copy, will do wonders for your visitation.

And for those of you, who get confused over which witch, then the following exercise could help.

Trying placing the right words into the sentence:

There/Their

1. Sam and Phil wondered where ……………… dog Rover was hiding.
2. The apples and plums are over …………….

Whether/Weather

1. Chris was unhappy about the …………….
2. Jane was stuck on ……………….. to wear a skirt or trousers.

Where/Wear/Ware

1. Sam wondered ……………. him and his family were going to go on holiday.
2. Tim was concerned about the ……….. and tear of his clothes.
3. Jane was excited about the dress she was going to ……….. for her party.

Okay, these are very simple examples, but you get the picture – it is important to pay attention to your copy and to always use the right words in the right places.

If you are still not sure, send me a post and we’ll go over it in more detail.

Good Luck!

Rowena xx