As the saying goes – ‘everyone’s a critic’, which means when it comes to website copywriting your copy needs to be spot on. If your website copywriting has been at the receiving end of a ticked off client, colleague or superior then it can be tempting to either run away and weep or defend your copywriting even if you think your critics have a point. Instead, face your critics and learn from the experience with this simple guide to handling website copywriting criticism.

1) Ask for specific feedback

If you pass your website copywriting to your boss for sign off and they throw it back in your face with a general ‘this is rubbish’ or ‘try harder’ then you need to find out the specific parts of the copy they have an issue with. It could be the actual way you’ve written the copy such as poor grammar or an incorrect tone of voice or it could be the concept in the piece of work. Be brave and ask for specific feedback so you can overcome the precise issues in that piece of writing and create a better piece of finished copy.

2) See the positive side

Looking at the brighter side of criticism can be tough when you’re in the moment – a critical email from a client pointing out spelling mistakes or a going over from your boss about a poor blog post is always going to hurt. Instead of letting the criticism get you down use it as a way of improving your writing. If you’ve been told you have issues with your spelling then create a list of words you often spell incorrectly or grammatical mistakes you’ve been pulled up on and refer to this as you create your copy. If you have trouble perfecting the tone of voice of your company for example, then create a ‘house-style’ document for your company so you know which words to use when you write. Using criticism as a way of improving your website copywriting skills is a positive way to handle your critics.

3) Don’t give your critics any ammo

Take the time to create brilliant pieces of website copywriting and you will be sure to silence your critics. If you’ve written a great piece of online copy and proofread it so you know it is error free then you will be in a much better position to handle any criticism. If you’re not confident that the piece of website copywriting you’ve created is the best it can be then you’ll have a very shaky foundation to stand on when it comes to defending your work.

Criticism can be a great way to develop as a website copywriter so even though it can be tough it’s usually worth listening to! For help on any aspect of website copywriting please get in touch with our website copywriters on 0114 2580393 or send email us at talktous@pureinkcreative.com.

Editors are renowned for being ruthless – just think of how editors are portrayed in popular culture from the manic  J. Jonah Jameson in the Spider-man comics and films to golden oldies like the manipulating genius Walter Burns (played by Cary Grant) in the film His Girl Friday. Although you don’t have to have quite as much attitude as these fictional editors when it comes to editing your own website copywriting, you do still need to be ruthless. Forget the ‘this will do’ outlook and opt instead for some brutal editing of your website copywriting with these ten top tips.

1. Read your website copywriting out loud so you can get the best sense of the pace and tone of the copy. By listening to your words out loud you should be easily able to flag up any redundant words, dodgy grammar or overlong sentences.

2. Print your work out instead of just reading it on your computer screen. Having a hard copy of your work in your hands can make it easier to read and edit with an editor’s most powerful weapon – a red pen!

3. Cut out any words which aren’t necessary and don’t help your writing flow. Be careful not to over edit and erase your brand though as your website copy needs to get across your company’s personality.

4. Check one element at a time instead of checking for spelling errors, grammatical mistakes and overlong sections in the one read through.

5. Set yourself a word limit before you start your website copywriting to avoid lengthy edits when you’ve finished your first draft. People like to read short and to the point content online so pick a word count and stick to it.

6. Go with your instincts and if a word, sentence or entire paragraph just doesn’t sound right then try rewriting it or following the saying ‘if in doubt, cut it out’.

7. Be wary of making the same point in a variety of ways to make sure it’s covered as this will make your writing wordy and repetitive. If you have a point to make, write it clearly once and then move on.

8. Ask someone else to read it or even edit it on your behalf. Website copywriters write for the web for a living so they will be able to edit your writing so that it appeals directly to your website visitors.

9. When writing for the web don’t get carried away and edit out your keywords otherwise your website content won’t be optimised for the search engines.

10. Erase any jargon unless you are writing a technical piece which you know your visitors will understand. If not, get rid of any complicated words and speak plain English instead.

It can be tough editing your own work but by being ruthless you know you will produce your best work which will be read by many happy website visitors.

Shopping online is no doubt a good way to find cheap Christmas presents without the hassle of hitting the high street. However, before Christmas I nearly got stung when I was shopping online for a Links of London bracelet for a present. I found a website which was offering these bracelets with 60% off which seemed like a pretty good deal – until I read the small print. I checked out the About Us page, FAQ page and a number of product pages and they were all littered with spelling mistakes and grammatical errors. After doing a little research into whether the website was legitimate or not I found this article on the Guardian website which states that 1,200 websites just like the one I nearly gave my cash to had been closed by the police after being exposed as scams.

The lesson here is that poor spelling and grammar on a website can lead customers to suspect the worst about your business and view your company as less than professional and potentially dangerous. Proofreading everything you create for your website or better still, getting professional website copywriters to create and proof the content for you, will ensure that your customers view you as a trustworthy company to do business with.

Don’t give your customers a reason to doubt your authenticity, ask the expert website copywriters to help you out with your website copy.

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!