There is no doubt that blog posts play a central role in the marketing efforts of businesses and organizations of all sizes. The reason for this is simple: Nothing expresses the identity, personality and purpose of your organization like the content posted on your blog. While many organizations recognize this, what many do not realize is the need to have their blog posts reviewed by a professional proofreading and editing service.
Here, then, are the top 5 reasons for why they should:
Reason 1: Sometimes SEO Simply Doesn’t Make Sense
Have you ever read a blog post that was so heavily embedded with a target keyword (what some refer to as “keyword density”) that it sounded as if a robot had written it? Because keyword density has traditionally been highly valued for SEO purposes, many content writers have focused so much on including a particular keyword or phrase that they lose sight of their content’s readability. With updates Google has made recently to its search algorithm, keyword density is being deemphasized while whether someone would actually read the content—and, more importantly, find it interesting and relevant—is being given the priority.
Reason 2: Sometimes Marketing Speak Simply Doesn’t Make Sense
Similar to the issue with SEO, sometimes the marketers writing the blog post are so concerned with a particular word or phrase being used that the result does not have the meaning they had intended. While their preference may be for specific language they believe will help them reach their target audience, if something appears catchy but doesn’t actually make any sense, the target audience will be turned off and think less highly of your organization.
Reason 3: The One Proofreading Error Will Stand Out
No matter how well written the copy is, if it has just one proofreading error, that one proofreading error will tarnish your organization’s image. This is true even if there have been 100 prior posts without a single proofreading error. The 101st one with the proofreading error will be the one people will remember most.
Reason 4: Even Worse, a Content Error Can Take Years to Overcome
Let us say you run a widget-making company, you and everyone working for your company love making widgets, and your love for widget-making shines through in all your blog posts, which you have hired an outside agency to write for you. One post, for example, highlights particular customers and how much they love your widgets. Then suddenly one day a client-highlight article gets posted, but in place of “love” the writer has inserted “hate.” A blunder like that can go viral before it’s noticed and require a costly campaign to overcome. The damage can be significant, no matter the size of your organization.
Reason 5: Sometimes It’s Hard to Know How Something Comes Across
Identity, personality and purpose—they can be the clearly understood vision for your blog posts, but it may not always be clear whether the post you have written will you get you there. Perhaps adjustments can be made to accomplish your goals more effectively, but as the writer, you are unable to see them. In some cases, sometimes simply the insertion of a single word can make a significant difference.
Should You Have All Your Blog Posts Edited, or Only Some?
While this question is ultimately one for you to decide, as you can see from the above situations, there are significant tangible benefits to having your blog posts edited—as well as significant possible negative consequences for errors that go uncaught. For many of the companies and organizations who trust us for our blog post proofreading and editing services, the cost of having their copy professionally reviewed is minimal compared to the potential cost of negative fallout from errors left in their writing.