When I visit websites I am considering using I find that a simple error in the written content can be extremely off putting. One mistake in a blog post I can overlook, after all we are all victim to the missed typo from time to time. The problem kicks in for me when there are multiple mistakes and many of the pages I am reading. When I see this I immediately decide not to invest my time or my money in the company that owns the site, it is that simple.
Credit
Focusing on Mastering the English Language is Not Always Appropriate
When it came to running my own site I wanted to ensure everything I wrote was not only of use to my potential customers, but also that the quality of the grammar and sentence structure was high. I spent a lot of time creating detailed sentences using large and impressive words and of course proofreading took priority. My intentions were good, and technically so was my writing, but the traffic remained slow as did my conversion rate. I needed to figure out what I was doing wrong.
Your Blog Needs to Be Written for Your Audience
After contacting a copywriter I managed to learn a few important points that have made my blog perform so much better. While I focused on the grammar and wanted to impress with my command of the English language I had managed to lose my voice and the interest of my readers. Blogs don’t need to be essays, instead they need to be easy to read, easy to understand and ideally scan friendly. Why? Because your readers want to find the information they are after in a hurry, you need to write for everyone, not just those with a degree in English who like to pick up on all the errors seen on the screen.
Tips on Writing for Your Business Blog
- Check your spelling
Spell check is all well and good however there are times when it misses words and mistakes. You need to read your content, preferable out loud, in order to pick up on the mistakes that spell check doesn’t pick up on.
- Basic grammar is important
There is no excuse for simple errors such as ‘your’ and ‘you’re’ being used incorrectly in blog posts. Look out for these commonly made mistakes and edit them before you publish your piece. Even the best of us can make these mistakes when we aren’t really concentrating, so never click publish on a finished piece straight away, have a cup of tea and come back to it.
- You are allowed to break the rules
In English classes you would have been taught that it is not acceptable to start sentences with conjunctions such as ‘but’ or ‘and’, in blogging this is not a rule which needs to be followed. Some of the most respected bloggers will break this rule if it helps the flow of the content. Blog writing is more about having a conversation with your reader, so try and write how you speak. This is all part of using your voice and helping others to come to know you through your writing style.
- Try to be consistent
When you are writing for your blog keep the same tone and voice throughout all of your pieces. Your readers will recognize your style and learn to trust you through your valuable content and the way that you write. If you use several writers it is a good to have several voices, just remember to ensure your other writers are vigilant when it comes to basic grammar and spelling.
