Sunday, January 25, 2009

The Proof is in the Reading

By Diego Norte

Have you ever gone to a Web site and actually found spelling errors? I have and it always amazes me! In this day and age of computer technology, proofreading seems like it would be relatively simple to implement andmaintain.

Web pages are no exception! Web site authorship means the responsibility ofmaking sure that the information is understandable, but also that the punctuation, the grammar, and the spelling are correct. You also want to make sure that all of the work is properly formatted and that your information is accurate. This is all part of the proofing process.

There are several reasons why proofing your web page is important. Please note that this is only from personal observation.

1. Readers may come to your Web site and instinctively sense that you many not be as authoritative because of errors in spelling or grammar.

2. Readers who come to your site may find that it is not very professionally done if they see errors that should have been clearly apparent to you as the author before posting. Even if these are not big errors, it sometimes lingers in the back of the mind of the reader which also distracts them from the subject matter that you want them to focus on.

3. Proofing also indicates the level of attention to detail that you might have regarding your ideas or subject.

How can you make sure that your Web site is not hiding any spelling, grammar, or punctuation errors? This is easier than you might think, even if you aren't a spelling bee champion or an English teacher!

1. Use spell check and grammar check regularly. These are not infallible,however, they will bring things to your attention that might be beneficial if changed.

2. After working on your content, walk away from it for a short while and then return to look it over later. You can always benefit from another look at your work at a later time.

3. Have another individual read over the content for you. It is easy tothink a word or phrase is correct and re-read it so many times only to miss an error. A fresh pair of eyes can often help find these errors. There have been several times that I have enlisted someone else's aid in reading over my articles and have been surprised at what is found! (This sometimes occurs when I have been working long hours on a particular project).

So, if you are one of those people who likes to see the perfection of your Web site and know that others will expect it of you also, try these simple tips to create a more professional web page! You will never be sorry that you double-checked your work or tried to improve on the content of your webpage.

Diego Norte is the creator of MuVar, the world's most effective multivariatetesting solution. MuVar completely automates the task of optimizing yoursales letters for more sales. Check it out here: http://www.MuVar.com

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