The damage caused by (online) spelling mistakes

“With us, you pay less than with the competition.” Would you buy from an online shop that has a statement like that on its website? Probably not. Grammatical and spelling errors are frequently cited reasons for questioning the reliability of an online shop.

Fake online shop?

“If you come across awkward sentences, you need to be on your guard,” writes De Consumentenbond on its ‘fake online shop checklist’. It is no coincidence that the Consumers’ Association has included the heading ‘grammatical errors’ in this checklist for identifying fake online shops. It’s a shame, of course, when your online shop is actually reliable but gives the wrong impression due to grammatical errors. Texts that are difficult to read and spelling mistakes are high on the list of website annoyances. This annoyance is mentioned in the same breath as others such as poor introductions like ‘Welcome to our website’, contact details that are impossible to find, and search bars that are too general.

A disaster for your reputation

As well as giving an unreliable, sloppy and unprofessional impression, a poor recruitment text can also ruin your reputation in the blink of an eye. A spelling mistake, after all, creates a domino effect. You’ll often be forgiven for the first spelling mistake, but by the second, the reader (i.e. potential customer) will form a negative opinion of your online shop, and that negative opinion in turn leads to a negative view of you and your company name. The likelihood of the potential customer actually buying from you becomes increasingly slim. So don’t underestimate this aspect of reputation management.

Outsource it!

Want to be sure your website comes across as reliable and professional? Then leave it to the specialists. Often, you know exactly what you want to say, but you just can’t seem to get that first sentence down on paper. Does that sound familiar? Then don’t keep mulling it over yourself – call in the specialists. This will save you a lot of time and frustration. Professional copywriters can turn your story into an easy-to-read text in no time at all. They always take into account your desired tone of voice – in other words, the way you want to communicate with your customers and the atmosphere you want to convey. It’ll be just as if you’d written it yourself! What’s more, the technical aspects of SEO are handled effectively, ensuring your website or online shop is easy to find online. That’s a real bonus.