Getting to the point and fast is the key to successful website copywriting and getting rid of anything that slows you down is a good way to make sure your writing is concise and easy to read. Adverbs are a good place to start.

The most common way to form an adverb is to add the letters ‘-ly’ to the adjective to add information to a verb, an adjective or an adverb. Adverbs are generally used to add description and in the world of online copywriting there is no time for long descriptions as your visitors will soon lose interest if your website is overloaded with unnecessary words.

Although the odd well placed adverb here and there can be a good thing, if you stuff your website copy with them then the point will be very hard to find. Read through your website and for every quickly, expertly, honestly, carefully, lovingly, rapidly etc. think if there’s a better way to write the sentence which removes the description and gets right to the point.

If this doesn’t convince you of the dangers of too many adverbs then take note from bestselling author Stephen King in his book ‘On Writing’…

“With adverbs, the writer usually tells us he or she is afraid he/she isn’t expressing himself/herself clearly, that he or she is not getting the point or the picture across…I believe the road to hell is paved with adverbs…”

You’re sitting on your sofa and you notice a crack in the wall opposite you. It starts just below the ceiling in the corner and can be no more than an inch long but now you’ve spotted it you’ll notice that crack every time you sit down. Why? Your house is unlikely to fall down because of such a tiny crack, water won’t get in and no one else is likely to see it.

But now you know it’s there you’ll notice it every time.

This kind of annoyance can happen on your website too. Tiny inconsistencies in style or presentation can bother people enough to go elsewhere. In business, ‘this-will-do’ simply won’t do.

The term ‘house style’ is usually used in newspaper and magazine offices. It refers to the way words are presented and it is used to ensure the style and presentation of the writing is always the same.

The benefits of having a consistent house style in your website copy are multiple – it can…

·         Help to define your brand

·         Increase your visitors’ trust in your business

·         Reduce or eliminate the amount of mistakes on your site

·         Increase the coherence of your site.

Normally, when a writer takes a job at a newspaper or magazine they are issued with a house style sheet. The house style sheet lists all specific ways the newspaper presents certain words. For example does your site use the American English spelling of words ending in ‘ize’ or the British English way of ending in ‘ise’? Do you use bullet points or dashes? Do you hyphenate certain words or write them as one? These may seem like minor things to worry about when you’re setting up your site but keeping your presentation in your copy consistent is another way to reassure visitors that you’re the real deal.

Check your site for patterns in the way you present words and then create a check list so every word you write follows the same patterns. Then you have your very own house style sheet.

All over the internet and on leaflets, brochures, newspapers, posters – anywhere you can think of, the poor apostrophe is being abused. Doesn’t matter how big or small your company is – you are still capable of abusing an apostrophe.

There are only a few things you need to remember about apostrophes when copywriting…

Its and It’s
• It’s – abbreviates ‘it is’ or ‘it has’. “It’s important to write engaging copy.”
• Its – is possessive and does not need an apostrophe. “Its pages contained engaging copy.”

Apostrophes and possession
• Singular nouns need an apostrophe and an ‘s’ such as “the girl’s bike”.
• Plural nouns just need an apostrophe after the ‘s’ such as “the girls’ bike”.
• For plurals that don’t end in an ‘s’ add an apostrophe and an ‘s’ such as “the children’s bike”.
• For singular nouns that end in ‘s’ you get to choose such as “Miss Evans’ bike” or “Miss Evans’s bike”.

Apostrophes and omissions
• Omission of figures in dates such as “they get married in April ‘09″.
• You can indicate the omission of letters such as “they’re having fun”.

Once you know the rules for apostrophes you will spot their abuse everywhere. I’ve recently noticed the Radio Times, Cadbury and Tesco assaulting the apostrophe in their written copy.
 

Don’t be an apostrophe abuser – follow the rules above when copywriting.

Check out www.pureinkcreative.com for more grammar information.

Proofreading refers to the process of reading written work for ‘surface errors’. These are errors involving punctuation, spelling, grammar and word choice.

Copyediting refers to the job of correcting these errors and making improvements so the copy is clear and reads naturally. If your copy confuses your visitors then they won’t stay on your site, it’s that simple.

You may think that the odd spelling mistake, grammatical error or typo here and there doesn’t matter. It does. If your website is a mess, it doesn’t matter how great the service you offer is or how amazing your products are - you’ll look unprofessional.

It doesn’t matter how small or large your business is – online proofreading is something you have to do. It’s also something that you shouldn’t try to do yourself. If you’ve written the copy yourself, your familiarity with your work may be blinding you to its possible flaws. You will be so immersed in it that your brain will fill in what you expect to read and errors will be missed. It takes a fresh pair of eyes to make sure that any errors in the copy are spotted.

The image that springs to most peoples’ minds when they think of proofreaders and copyeditors is that of an old ‘know it all’ who loves to tell people that they have made a mistake. Pure Ink Creative don’t conform to this stereotype – in fact we’re the antidote, as all we want is for your copy to be successful for your business.

We offer a full online proofreading service. We don’t stop until we are confident that your copy is error free, flows naturally and conveys your business as professional. If you are interested in using our online proofreading service then all you need to do is send us an email or give us a call and we can take it from there.

So, contact Pure Ink Creative now for online proofreading!