Proof your copy

On Dragons’ Den, Duncan Bannatyne poured scorn on a healthy eating book pitch, after spotting grammar errors in the copy. And for that reason, he was ‘out.’

Evidence enough that if you don’t proofread what you write, it can cost you your credibility…

Think about it for a second. Do you write ‘compliment’ when you mean ‘complement’? Do you unwittingly miss out punctuation marks? Do you even know when you’ve made a grammar goof?

Truth is, it can happen to anyone. After all, it’s no secret that your eyes are immune to mistakes in your own writing. And that your brain cleverly reads misspelt words. This is why it’s imperative you proofread every document before publication.

Ideally, it’s best to let a professional (who’ll spot errors at 10 paces) loose on it. Otherwise, you need to follow a system…

How to make your copy ‘goof proof’

Check homophones

As I pointed out in an earlier blog post about copy blunders, homophones are words which sound the same, but are spelt differently and have different meanings. If you type ’sails’ instead of ’sales,’ it won’t be spotted by your spell-checker.

It’s useful to have a list of common homophone errors, which you use to check against your copy. I recommend an excellent book, ‘Spell it yourself.‘ Complete with a dictionary of root words and their derivatives, this book is a useful one to have if you struggle with spellings.

Use a ruler to read line by line

When you look at copy on a screen or in hard print, your eyes can start to glaze over, making it easy to miss pesky errors. Try using a ruler. Reading line by line helps you focus carefully on the words.

List words

It’s so easy to make typing typos. For example, have you ever typed mange when you meant to write manage? I know I have!

Rather than your business suffering from an irritating skin disease, keep a checklist of words you regularly misspell. Use the ‘find’ feature in your writing software to quickly locate and eliminate known errors.

Read aloud

Hearing copy read out loud is totally different to seeing it in print. Whether you read to someone else, record yourself on a dictaphone or set your computer’s text-speak function, do it. Since the best copy is conversational, this also helps you notice any awkward phrases or overlong sentences.

Ask a friend

If you don’t arrange for a professional proofreader or copywriter to bring a fresh perspective to your copy, at the very least ask a friend to read over it. It’s unlikely you’ll spot mistakes you always make. But someone else will!

There is nothing worse than sending brochure copy to print, or submitting a dissertation, if you haven’t proofread your writing. Mistakes can be costly…

Read backwards

An unusual approach to reading perhaps… Does work though! Because you are more focused on the actual words rather than the meaning, you are more likely to spot errors. Try it with numbers too.

Sleep on it

I’m a huge fan of giving yourself space from something and returning with fresh eyes. With every copy I write, I always come back to my first draft either hours later or the next day.

Because you’ve detached yourself from it, you bring a new perspective to it when rereading. You’ll probably find you chop sentences out or change words after sleeping on it.

Since the best copy is written from your customer’s perspective, this technique can help you walk in their shoes for a while. Experience what it’s like to read your copy as if you were a customer!

Don’t trust a spell-checker

I do use my spell-checker, but only as part of my proofreading system. To totally rely on it would be foolish! The trouble is, spell-checkers don’t spot homophone errors. And they don’t like you to break grammar rules such as starting a sentences with ‘and’ or finishing with a preposition. Humph!

Try it for yourself. Professor Jerrold H. Zar wrote a famous spell-checker poem full of homophone errors, to show how a spell-check doesn’t interpret meaning.

You also need to bear in mind whether the target audience speaks UK or American English – and adapt copy accordingly. Organisation (organization) is just one example…

Cut it down

When you go through the proofreading process, you’ll find you want to edit. The best copy is ‘tight’ copy. This is where superfluous words such as that or then are removed to make copy punchy. Don’t use three words when one will do! It’s always best to shorten long words to short ones. Help is better than facilitate.

Junk the clunk

When copy is hard to read, it’s probably ‘clunky.’ Some writers refer to clunky writing as an awkward style. The trick is, aim to remove adjectives which don’t add anything to your copy. Don’t write long, rambling sentences which invariably switch readers off.

Avoid business jargon. Ban wordy phrases such as, ‘Our premises are situated in…’ Write, ‘You’ll find us…’ instead. Use more verbs rather than nouns. For example, ‘Our speciality is the provision of high-class PA services…’ sounds less wordy if you write,’ We provide you with…’

Learn to punctuate

How to use punctuation for effect is a copywriter’s sales-tool. As I mentioned earlier, if Duncan Bannatyne is put off by a missing full stop, you need to check your punctuation use.

After all, missing apostrophes change meaning. And yet many organisations don’t use them correctly. As Birmingham City Council sensationally announced last year, it intended to omit apostrophes from all road signs. Despite such attitudes towards the humble apostrophe, I still believe it’s crucial you use it accurately.

Check again

By now, you should have almost perfect copy. Just in case an errant spelling error slipped through the net, always read through one last time.

Final word

Feel free to share your proofreading horrors or what works for you. And if proofreading seems like too much hard work, or you simply haven’t the time, ask a professional!

Sparkling SEO

Is there a magic formula for writing sparkling website copy? What’s the golden nugget that attracts visitors AND converts them to customers?

You could spend hours, days, weeks trawling through the Internet to find the answer. Now you don’t have to… The answer is simple. Spoon feeding.

Spoon feed search engines with relevant content

As ever, there are various factors that help to rank your page in search engines. From the outset, having conducted keyword research, you should be armed with a selection of phrases you want to target.

Remember: good keyword phrases answer questions. When people search on Google, they are looking for solutions to a problem. Your website’s content must be relevant to their needs…

Think of it this way: your business is the star attraction – it has to sell a product. To sell, you have to be in tune with the reader. To be in tune, you have to speak their language – and not sound like a parrot regurgitating phrases.

It is all about how you communicate directly and keep the search engines well fed with new, relevant information.

4 steps to keeping search engines happy

Follow these suggestions on how to keep search engines topped up with information and attract customers at the same time.

1: Write relevant content

Instead of getting hung up on keywords before you start, focus on rich content that appeals to people. Yes, humans … your customers.

Your website might rank strongly in search engine listings, but If you don’t ‘hook’ your audience with the copy, they are not going to buy into what you say.

You need to:

• Connect with the reader on an emotional, psychological level

• Be in tune with your readers’ needs … show empathy

• Have a conversation with the audience

• Mirror your audience’s language, by including words they search for

• Keep content fresh

Don’t write copy and publish it without revisiting it later. Test your copy against search terms people are using to find you. When you do this, it keeps you grounded and helps you to write natural, relevant copy…

Content must not be static. If you can write new blog posts, have audio/visual links on your website, a sign-up form and RSS feeds, all of these measures help to remind Google your site is active.

2: Get into position

You might have heard of keyword frequency (how often your keyword phrase appears on a page) and keyword density (the ratio of those words compared to the rest of the page’s copy.)

Although SEO gurus will try to convince you that keyword density makes a huge difference to whether your page is ranked well or not, it’s far better to focus on ‘where’ your keywords are on the page rather than trying to work out whether you’ve met the ‘quota’ or not.

How to position keyword phrases:

Get ahead… Focus on your headings. On a web page, you have HTML tags. The H1 tag is crucial since Google favours it over other headings on the page. Make sure you include a strong keyword in the top heading. If you’re tempted to write ‘Welcome to our website’ don’t!

Your headline is crucial as it’s the most visible heading on the page (above the fold) and has to act as a magnet to passing traffic… Enhance it with a keyword but ensure it ‘speaks’ to your audience. Include a compelling benefit to draw visitors in…

Keywords can also be placed in:

• Bullet points

• Early in sentences

• Naturally in the copy

• In other H tags on the page

• In bold

Whatever you do, don’t ‘stuff’ words into sentences hoping you’ll attract more traffic. If you switch readers off, it’s pointless having a website in the first place. Besides, you don’t want search engines to view your site as spam. You’ll be black-listed!

3: Magnetise Meta tags

If I earned a pound for every time I’ve spotted dire meta data, I’d be rich! A simple way to optimise your website is by getting the meta tags right.

To explain what these are, search for something online and look at the result listings. There you’ll see an underlined title, followed by a description underneath, detailing what that website is all about. Have you noticed the words you searched for are in bold?

The title is called ‘title tag’ and the blurb underneath is referred to as the ‘description tag.’

It’s important to include your richest keyword term in your title tag. (Your niche industry perhaps) And if geographical location is important to your business, make sure you include a relevant search term for that too. There’s no need to include your business name, as this uses up precious characters. Tip: keep the title tag below 55 characters.

The description tag is crucial as it influences readers to click through to your site or not. No pressure then! Try to start with your strongest keywords, including a call to action and key information at the same time.

It can help to include a benefit in the description tag as well. And all within 155 characters!

If your description contains what the person is looking for, they’ll click through. Just make sure the words you include in your meta tags are within the copy!

4: Be Linked up … and tuned in

The terms ‘link strategy’ or ‘link building’ are all over the Internet. But what does it mean for you? Essentially, don’t remain static or isolated. You need to literally connect with other websites to create a digital footprint.

Some Link strategies that work:

• Link to relevant content on the Internet

• Create inbound links by linking to article sites & directories

• Link to blogs & authoritative sites

• Use social media platforms such as YouTube, Twitter, Facebook

• Link to pages within your own website using anchor links

• Post press releases online

• Publish articles on your blog

It is about being connected and being seen!

And the final word?

Have the confidence to speak naturally to your target audience, without extra flannel and make sure you are the solution to their problem. Write for your reader, keep sentences punchy and be human!

As for the magic spark? While I have my own distinctive flair and creative stamp, the power is in the words…

Keyword Research made simple

Is your head spinning from SEO jargon? Keywords, Search Engine Optimisation, search terms, spiders, trafffic, H1 tags, listings, ranking, indexing, organic…

If you are new to Internet marketing, it can feel like you are in a game where everyone else seems to know the rules, and you’re on the sideline trying to keep up.

SEO or Search Engine Optimisation needn’t be complicated… If you are not sure where to start, the next two blog posts are dedicated to simplifying SEO. You’ll learn how to:

• Crack keyword research

• Construct SEO friendly website copy

Subscribe to ‘Copy Break’ so you don’t miss out on discovering the key to successful website copywriting…

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