A single spelling mistake can cut online sales for a business by half, according to one analysis of website figures. It’s not just the little guys without professional copywriters who have suffered from bad spelling mistakes – even the most prestigious enterprises around the world have let these errors slip past their editing and publishing team. Want to see some of these spelling and grammar errors yourself? Just look up the hashtag #ShouldHaveUsedEliteWords on Facebook to see some of the errors our team has spotted!
Just a few years ago in 2019, Australia saw one of its worst spelling mistakes published on none other than our brand new $50 note. After a highly anticipated redesign of the AU$50 banknote, it was discovered that the redesign included the misspelling of the word “responsibility,” which was printed to spell ‘responsibilty’. The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) claimed responsibil(i)ty for the typo on 46 million new $50 banknotes.
The spelling error became a PR headache for the Reserve Bank of Australia as it reached national headlines. But the headlines didn’t stop there – even international news outlets jumped on Australia’s blunder. The BBC called the spelling mistake an “embarrassing typo,” while U.S.News claimed that “software advancements [with spell checkers] don’t seem to have reached the central bank of Australia.” This demonstrates the extensive repercussions that just one small spelling error can cause. By using a professional, high quality copy editor, these consequences can be avoided.
Spelling errors are not just embarrassing; they can also seriously affect a business’ reputation and credibility. This can result in fewer sales and lost customers, as poor spelling and grammar are associated with a lack of professionalism and trustworthiness. It is also common for spam and phishing websites and emails to include spelling and grammatical mistakes, and many consumers have learnt to stay away from such content. Therefore, when a business’ marketing material is littered with spelling and grammar mistakes, potential customers tend to look for alternatives that appear more legitimate.
Your customers aren’t the only ones criticising your spelling mistakes – Google is too. Popular search engines like Google may penalise poor quality writing containing spelling and grammar mistakes. SEO isn’t just about keywords and backlinks; high quality copywriting is another factor that can dramatically influence whether your website will get any online exposure. It is therefore essential to maximise your brand’s trustworthiness and credibility to both your customers and to Google. The best way to do this is by hiring a professional copy editor who can guarantee that your content is polished and of high quality.
A good copy editor not only ensures that your writing is free of spelling and grammar errors, but also ensures your piece is the best it can be to achieve your goals. At Elite Words, spelling and grammar is our forte, but so is content marketing. When we edit your work, we also ensure that it is suitable for your target audience by assessing elements such as word-choice, writing style, tone, and content. For years, we’ve been writing all sorts of content for a variety of different target audiences, so we know what works and what doesn’t.
To find out more about how Elite Words can help you produce high quality, polished content, contact us today!
