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Tuesday, 22 January 2013

A Good Idea is Not Enough: Why You Need to Proofread Every Post

Blog tips World, every serious blogger knows that content is king. You can optimize your site for better search engine rankings, you can grow your presence in social media, you can send out e-mail newsletters — but at the end of the day, if your content is unoriginal, boring, or just plain lousy, you probably won't see your 15 minutes of fame.
What makes good content? The kind of content that drives traffic to your site and drives your ranking up is original and inherently valuable to your readers. This doesn't mean that all your posts have to be about ways to save money or make your home more green; Allie from Hyperbole and a Half writes only humorous posts, but if you browse through the comments section of any given post, you'll see firsthand the value her posts bring to her readers.


But a good idea is not enough.

A good idea poorly executed is just as ineffective as a bad idea. In fact, a bad idea excellently written might be more successful than a good post written hastily with no thought given to proofreading, grammar, or structure.

When you put time into your posts — this means reviewing them after they've been written to check for clarity, coherence, mistakes, etc. — you give the impression that you are professional, that you do this for a living. Even if you're just writing a post about the color of your wallpaper (can you imagine something duller?), write it like a professional and readers will be impressed.

 Things to strive for: 

  • Clarity: Are your ideas clearly stated in a way that your readers will understand? 
  • Coherence: Do your ideas fundamentally make sense? 
  • Accuracy: Is your content backed by research? Is your information up-to-date? 
  • Fluidity: Does your post flow seamlessly from one idea to the next? 
  • Personality: Are you writing in a voice that is uniquely yours in an engaging way?

Things to look out for: 

  • Grammar mistakes: If you aren’t writing in your native language, consider brushing up the grammar rules of the language you are writing in. 
  • Mechanical mistakes: These are very common, even among fluent speakers and include: Spelling Punctuation Capitalization Homophone confusion ("there," "their," and "they're" Run-on sentences
  • Before you publish each post, take 30 minutes to review it, checking for all the above criteria. Be professional in your writing and your readers will believe you are a professional!

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