Spelling Mistakes on Web Pages

Writing is a system of graphic representation, where spelling mistakes reveal the deficiency of some professionals and non-professionals when it comes to the quality control of their work; and in the case of the Internet, writing being the main communication system, we see how Spelling Mistakes on Web Pages annoy users and learned people alike.

On this occasion, hand in hand with the ZARZA Engineers, we will analyze the topic in depth, and share processes to improve this weakness in the web engineering industry.

The Myth: Spelling errors hurt the ranking of websites

We would like to begin by clarifying that, according to Google and other search algorithms, Spelling Mistakes on Web Pages do NOT subtract points when it comes to ranking, but on the contrary, writing well DOES add relevance. Which means that if we do professional proofreading and writing work, we will find a benefit for the product or service we are promoting via the web.

Across the length and breadth of the Internet, we encounter cases that can be compared to opening the vast majority of traditional print newspapers, where neither the journalists themselves (with their very respectable exceptions) nor the editors manage to filter 100% of the spelling mistakes in their articles and content; and perhaps, when the vast majority of documents are analyzed by a philologist, they will find errors. However, the more we proofread and use the techniques we mention below, the fewer Spelling Mistakes on Web Pages we will have.

Do Spelling Mistakes on Web Pages affect the corporate image?

Of course. Since 2003, when we at ZARZA began developing the first websites in the region, we found that many users and visitors of the websites were the ones reporting errors in both wording and spelling, many in the texts provided by the clients themselves, and they pointed out to us, in short texts, a large number of errors. Demonstrating that educated people who enjoy reading and writing correctly are annoyed by seeing Spelling Mistakes on Web Pages, and it gives them the impression that the writer may or may not be a good professional, but is without a doubt not a perfectionist.

The above is a clear example of what we can avoid as Internet professionals, where we must seek to bring, hand in hand with our knowledge of Information Technology, basic principles of quality control when reviewing and advising our clients on the importance of correcting Spelling Mistakes on Web Pages.

Correcting Spelling Mistakes on Web Pages

Many of our colleagues tell us that the texts their clients send them are riddled with wording, grammar and spelling problems, which undoubtedly results in Spelling Mistakes on Web Pages, and that is when we suggest they talk to their clients and offer them the service of reviewing and correcting these texts, or arranging the work through a philologist; however, many clients do not see the point of investing in this, which leads us to a crossroads. In these cases, since time is money, we should at least ensure that the texts we use in the common areas of the template are written correctly, which most of the time will not take us more than an hour.

In the event that the client responds affirmatively and wants us to review their content, or they wish to review it themselves, we could use the following steps to minimize the number of Spelling Mistakes on Web Pages.

• Step 1: Review via Text Editor

  Copying the client’s texts into a text editor, or into several such as Microsoft Word or Libre Office Writer, can quickly point out the main Spelling Mistakes on Web Pages; and thus we will quickly correct many of the common errors.

• Step 2: Read aloud

  The brain is made to respond to sounds, which in this case, being created by reading the client’s content aloud, will be able to point out errors of wording, agreement and eloquence between what is written and what should be communicated. In this respect, we will be able to identify punctuation problems, as well as errors in the use of context.

• Step 3: Read silently

  After we have reviewed the texts, and after we have read them aloud, we will undoubtedly have been able to correct many Spelling Mistakes on Web Pages; however, the process takes us to the step of silent reading, where instead of analyzing aspects of following ideas, we will appreciate the substance of the reading, and what is meant to be communicated.

• Step 4: External Review

  The last step is to use some other external review tool. In the case of ZARZA, the Engineers receive preparation courses taught by professional philologists, so we always try to have two or three engineers read the texts to make sure that the work delivered to the client is optimal. However, external review can be carried out with the help of online tools, by googling according to our requirements and relying on external applications and/or services.

Spelling Mistakes on Web Pages cost companies millions

In a practical and hypothetical case, if we can choose, we will probably prefer to buy a washing machine rather than something advertised to us as a “washing masheen”. Even if only because the former seems to come from a more serious, trustworthy store that at least has agents who know how to write. That tendency, according to statistics, is precisely the decision that thousands of Internet users make every day when they browse in search of an online service.

Sales are about trust and credibility. Many users form an opinion of the page they are visiting in a few seconds, and if they find a mistake, it will not exactly help them stay in the store they are using, being able to find an alternative with a couple of searches, where perhaps spelling mistakes on web pages are not the order of the day.