The Importance of Content and that Means “Good Content”

August 19, 2008 · Filed Under Fresh Web Content Blog

Any one of us who has worked in this industry for any length of time understands that there is more to writing an article than just making sure it is original. We’ve all seen the ads that say “Native English Writers Only.” It’s usually easy to tell when an article is written by a writer who does not speak English as their native language. But what about the rest of us? How correct are we in our use of grammar, spelling and punctuation?

Are you correct in your usage of these familiar terms?

· It’s, its, it is

· Your, you’re, you are

· There, their, they’re, they are

· Whose, who’s

What about affect and effect, do you know the difference and when to use them properly?

You see, even those of us who speak English every day sometimes make some very common, yet costly mistakes. The misuse of even one of these terms can give an article a very amateur appearance and sound.

Spelling mistakes are no different. With all of the innovations in most of the word processing software available today, there really is no excuse for spelling mistakes in professionally written material. Use of these spell checkers is a must, but is not a replacement for a manual edit. You might use the right spelling for a word, but the word might not be the right one for the sentence – ex. “there” or “their”.

Finally, if you are unsure about the proper use of a comma, semi-colon, or any other punctuation mark, then look it up. There are many books available to explain punctuation and its usage; if you don’t have access to a book, then look on the internet. There are many sites that will provide you with a good explanation.

When a client pays for an article, they expect a professionally written article. Your reputation as a writer depends on you providing material that is up to par. This means that you must be sure your spelling and grammar are 100% accurate and appropriate.