Why You Should Hire a Professional Proofreader

You might think spelling is not a big deal, but the truth is that it matters. Many businesses and website owners do not hire a professional proofreader because they want to save a few bucks, but this could end up hurting them in the long run. The following are a few reasons you should consider professional proofreading services and how to choose the right proofreader.

Why Proofreading Matters

One of the main reasons you should consider a proofreader for hire is online readers can be unforgiving. For example, in England, it was estimated that spelling errors cost businesses millions of dollars in sales, because people do not want to see spelling errors when they visit a website. There are many reasons why this might happen, like the following:

• Spelling errors or sentence structure errors might confuse readers
• Errors could make the site seem illegitimate

Online visitors are a fickle bunch, and it seems like having obvious spelling errors makes people distrust the authority the site is claiming. It makes sense that sites lose money when they do not use a proofreader. You might also lose visitors who might have returned or shared your content with others.

In fact, another study shows that spelling errors hurt the brand, which ends up hurting marketing. This means that your brand will be associated with these mistakes, and it is very hard to re-brand a site or company.

It should be noted that spelling mistakes are rampant online so much so that there is a list detailing some of the most common offenders.

Some people spell accommodation as 'accomodation' while others miss the 'e' in management, making the word 'managment.' The following is a list of some of the most common spelling errors that might affect someone. The first word will be spelled incorrectly, and the second word will be spelled incorrectly. Look for the following possible errors on your site:

• infomation--information
• recieve--receive
• recieved--received
• independant--independent
• assesment--assessment
• commerical--commercial
• accomodate--accommodate
• thier--their
• occured--occurred
• occuring--occurring
• opportunites--opportunities

Of course, some bloggers or site owners have a lot of work published, which makes self-proofreading no more enough. This is why it is important for you to hire a proofreader. A professional will proofread your entire site, and you will not have to waste your time. Keep in mind that proofreaders can also do professional thesis editing, so they can help tighten up some of your posts if necessary.

Finding the Right Proofreader

The following are some of the things that you should consider when choosing the right professional. Do not be afraid to ask questions, as you want a proofreader who will be able to fulfill your needs.

Price

Nobody wants to talk about price right away, but it is important because it might be a defining factor. You do not want to just choose a service that charges a low price, as this could mean mediocre service. You might want to stick to a price that is somewhere in the middle or a little higher.

Expertise

Be sure that you pay attention to the service specialty. It is wise to talk to professionals who have some experience with the subject matter of the writing, especially if you are going to require more than just proofreading services. Knowledge of the subject matter should help you stay on the same page regarding changes or additions, which should save time.

Native Tongue

You should make sure that the professional who is hired knows the language well. This is the reason why it is recommended that you choose someone whose native language is the one you speak. Of course, this is not absolutely necessary, but it might ensure that innuendos within the text are preserved. It should also ensure that your piece is easily understood by your readers. Keep in mind that language is subtle; for example, UK English is very different from American English.

Now, you know that you should not ignore proofreading and editing. You can think of these services as an investment, because that is truly what they are. Hopefully, these tips can help guide you in the right direction when choosing a professional proofreader.