Creating content for your business should be a multi-step process. First, you might need to come up with topics, fill in an editorial calendar or use SEO tools to come up with keywords. Then, you can start to actually write the content. Don’t forget about the final step: proofreading. Unfortunately, many businesses handle the first steps of content creation but fall short when it comes to putting out error-free copy. Take a closer look at the many reasons to consider professional proofreading services.
Checking for Flow
Hiring a freelance proofreader is about more than just checking for errors, although that is certainly a key part of the job. Freelance proofreading services can also provide you with someone who will check the flow of your content. What you don’t want is a lot of content that looks jammed together into a blog post. Instead, you should aim for a logical flow from the introduction to the key points to the conclusion. Through a professional online proofreading service, you can create content that reads well and is engaging. Often, you’ll already have great content. The key is putting it together in a way that is easy for the reader to comprehend.
The Benefit of Fresh Eyes on Content
It is very common for businesses to delegate proofreading to current employees. Even if a person is technically capable of proofreading, however, that might not be a good idea. If someone is already familiar with the content, mistakes might not be obvious. Having fresh eyes go over written copy is a smart way to approach the proofreading process. That is why even large corporations with writers on staff often reach out to editing and proofreading services. Someone new will find it easier to recognize and point out mistakes that might not be obvious to people who have been involved with the ideas, products or services in the past.
Eliminating Typos, Grammatical Errors and Spelling Mistakes
The primary goal of hiring an online proofreading service is to eliminate mistakes in the written content. Perhaps the most common mistakes of all are typos. These can be problematic because they don’t necessarily appear as mistakes when you use tools like spellchecker. Your word processor might not pick up on the difference between what and watt, but readers will be able to spot the problem right away. Editing and proofreading also include correcting grammatical errors. Spelling mistakes, punctuation problems and other easy-to-correct mistakes can be fixed quickly and make a big difference when it comes to the quality of your content.
Make the Most of Your Written Content
Content creation involves multiple steps. Proofreading is sometimes thought of as the icing on top of the cake, but that’s an understatement. Proofreading is more like the baking powder in a cake; it’s a key ingredient that helps the cake rise! Content creation can be expensive, and you might already be paying money for SEO research, customer surveys and distribution through social media. If you’re doing all of that, why skip proofreading? The costs of proofreading are relatively low compared to other aspects of content creation, but they make all the difference. They can turn mediocre copy into quality content, and it is well worth the extra expense to a business.
Saves the Hassle of Edits and Reprints
When you’re deciding whether to fit professional proofreading services into your budget, remember this: Proofreading can actually save your company money. Imagine that you’ve just finalized a blog post, published it and then posted it to multiple social media channels. Now, imagine that there is a glaring typo right in the title that readers are starting to point out. Fixing that mistake across multiple channels can take a lot of time and effort. Take it one step further and imagine that the typo is not online, but on a brochure or a product. The costs of a small error can be astronomical. With proofreading services, however, you can guarantee that those mistakes will be eliminated before printing ever takes place.
Maintain Your Company’s Professional Image
The professional image of a company matters. Imagine that you’re online searching for a local IT service, and there are two comparable options. When you pull up their websites, one is packed with spelling errors and typos. Who would you be most likely to hire? Most of the time, clients gravitate toward companies that pay attention to detail. Having errors in your content shows that you’re not fully committing to the tasks you set for yourself. Put your company’s best foot forward with proofreading services.
Whether you’re writing content on your own or paying for content creation, be sure to add proofreading to the equation.
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Proofreading Solutions
Once you’ve determined that proofreading is a necessity, it is time to explore your options. Proofreading services are plentiful, but they are not all the same. Explore some of the most common types of proofreading services and learn what you should be looking for in a proofreader.
DIY Proofreading
There are several different editing and proofreading solutions available to businesses. Often, the first solution is to handle the proofreading yourself. If you’re an entrepreneur running a small business, that might mean trying to proofread your own content. While that can theoretically save money, it can be problematic for a number of reasons.
To start, you never want to be the only person to review content before it goes live. At a bare minimum, there should be two sets of eyes on all written copy that is seen by the public. Even if you’re an excellent author with an English degree, there are mistakes that can slip through the cracks. If you’ve written the content yourself, then it is even more likely that typos or spelling errors appear in the final copy.
There is also the issue of time. Most freelance proofreading professionals read thousands of words a day, making them efficient at what they do. For everyone else, proofreading can take up a lot of time. If you’re a busy small business owner with a lot on your plate, the last thing you have time for is reading through content to pick out errors. Outsourcing the work to a professional proofreader will typically be a much better use of your time.
Hiring Individual Freelance Proofreaders
Another option for businesses is to hire an individual freelance proofreader. There are a number of professional, full-time proofreaders available in person and online, and they could be a good fit for some companies. However, there are a few drawbacks to working exclusively with a single proofreader.
If you’re only working with one proofreader, then you might struggle with meeting deadlines. After all, there is only so much that a single person can do in a set window of time. This can be especially problematic if you have a big project coming up or if you get a lot of content completed at once. While you might be ready to promote a dozen blog articles today, you won’t know if your proofreader has availability in their schedule today, tomorrow or even this week!
Cost can also be a factor in some cases. While there is no denying that proofreading services are a smart business investment, prices can vary significantly. Typically, independent freelance proofreaders will be priced at the highest end of the spectrum. Although the price per word might not seem much higher than average, it can add up quickly over thousands of words of content.
Ensuring Quality Control
Hiring a proofreader means that you don’t have to worry about any errors or mistakes in your content. However, that’s only possible if you work with an effective proofreader. As in any field, there are people who will offer proofreading services without the training, experience or skills necessary to do a good job.
What you don’t want to do is pay for subpar proofreading. If you still find yourself correcting the text and checking for missed mistakes in the final version of the content, then you’re defeating the purpose of paying for proofreading.
Make sure that you only hire freelance proofreaders that have been tested and can prove their value to your business. If you’re working with an online proofreading service, make sure that all proofreaders have to qualify in order to work as proofreaders. The best online services have strict standards, ensuring that the work done is up to par.
Quick Turnaround Times
For businesses, time is money. When it comes to hiring professional proofreaders, rapid turnaround times are critical. As you’re searching for online proofreading services, make sure you’re taking a close look at the availability of proofreaders and their speed.
If you’re only working with a single proofreader, or even a proofreading company with employees in a single location, then you may encounter periods where no one is available to work. You might submit an order on a Friday afternoon but only get it returned to you the following Tuesday. For businesses that are sticking to an editorial calendar or that have time-sensitive content to distribute, this can be a serious problem.
The answer is often working with a larger company that pools proofreaders from across the globe. You can get your work proofread within a matter of hours, helping you stick to your schedule with ease.
Professional Proofreading Services
Most businesses find that a large online proofreading service is the ideal option. If at all possible, look for services that offer content creation as well as proofreading. This allows you to get everything from the same place, saving you time.
The best proofreading services will be global, or at least have a substantial pool of proofreaders to choose from. The more proofreaders that are available, the quicker the turnaround time for your content. Plus, a wide pool of freelance proofreaders means that there is competition for the work, encouraging proofreaders to do their absolute best with each and every piece of copy.
Finally, make sure any professional proofreading services you consider have a test for their proofreaders. This ensures a basic level of quality, and it means that you can feel better about putting out content without double checking it yourself after the fact.
Proofreading content before publishing is a necessity, but there are many ways for you to proofread that content. The proofreading service at Textbroker is an effective way to deliver error-free content on a consistent basis. Get in touch with u today to learn more about the benefits of professional proofreading services.
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