In this digital age where content can be published within seconds, the temptation can be to do just that. However, just because content can be published quickly, it doesn’t mean it should be. If your copy hasn’t been properly checked, this can lead to errors and an overall poor standard of writing.
Now imagine this is a potential client’s first interaction with your business. Would you trust a company that hadn’t bothered to double-check their work?
You may think it’s best to push your content live as quickly as possible and make the necessary edits at a later date. However, with so much on your to-do list, it’s all too easy to forget and allow errors on your site to go unchanged.
Traditionally, the process of checking copy has consisted of two stages — copy editing and proofreading. But what do these two terms mean? And how can proofreading and copy editing improve engagement?
What is copy editing?
Copy editing takes place after the writer’s initial editing phase but before proofreading. This is a comprehensive process that goes beyond catching mistakes and aims to improve the overall clarity and readability of a piece of text. By rephrasing awkward passages and improving sentence structure, copy editing ensures that your text is as polished as can be and has a consistent tone throughout.
Not only does copy editing ensure your text reads well, but it also evaluates the effectiveness of your content. Is the piece engaging? Does it accurately convey the message you’re trying to get across? If not, rewrites may be needed to make sure that your copy achieves its intended purpose.
What is proofreading?
Proofreading is the final stage of the editing process and focuses on the finer details, such as picking up any remaining typos, inconsistencies, or spelling and grammatical errors.
All the copywriters at Breeez have an exceptional standard of English, so you may question why proofreading is even necessary. The truth is, we all make mistakes — we’re only human! Sometimes, you can lose sight of minor errors once you’ve been staring at a particular paragraph for an extended period. Therefore, a fresh set of eyes is necessary to go through the text and identify any mistakes that may have slipped through the cracks.
Why do we write regular content?
Producing regular content — whether that be blogs, articles or infographics — helps consumers to build trust in your brand and establishes your business as an industry expert. Every blog or article we produce has been written with specific goals in mind, including:
- Drawing the reader to the page by providing useful information and answering a commonly searched question
- Boosting the SERP ranking of your website by integrating relevant keywords, thus making it more appealing to Google
- Promoting the client’s products/services so that more potential customers are aware of the benefits they can offer
- Ensuring the copy is informative, well-written, and engaging from the very beginning
While the responsibility of the first three goals largely lies with the copywriter, the last aim can be improved with the help of copy editing and proofing.
How does copy editing improve engagement?
On a daily basis, the copywriters at Breeez produce content on a variety of different subjects, some of which we may never have come across before. Unfortunately, it’s simply not possible to become an expert in everything we write about, no matter how much we might like to try! Therefore, our job is to quickly gain an understanding of the concepts involved and relay these in a way that is easy for the reader to follow — there’s no point in creating content that is overwhelming or inaccessible to your audience.
To achieve this, the copy must be clear, concise, and readable. If readers find themselves struggling to grasp the subject matter, they will simply leave the site in search of content that is easier to understand. This can affect your client in a number of ways: it reduces engagement time, discourages potential customers, and can have repercussions for their organic search rankings.
When writing about an unfamiliar subject, it can be difficult to assess whether you’ve explained these alien concepts in a straightforward way. That’s why copy editing is so important; sometimes an independent, critical eye is required to spot when copy isn’t quite as clear as it could be. This external perspective can offer fresh insights and constructive suggestions for how the text can be rewritten and improved.
Our process at Breeez
Here at Breeez, we consolidate this into one robust proofing process that is carried out on all finished copy. Every piece of content that we produce is meticulously checked by a member of our team to ensure that each client receives well-written, accurate, and grammatically correct copy.
Here at Breeez, we have a dedicated team of copywriters who produce numerous articles and websites every week. From our base in Charlotte, North Carolina, we help businesses across the country to produce engaging content that is sure to achieve results. Contact us to find out more about our wide range of creative and digital services.