Regardless of what you are writing, proofreading is a critical task that should always be carried out during the final stages of editing. 

Although copywriting and proofreading are separate disciplines, most copywriters will engage in proofreading before submitting their work. This ensures any inconsistencies and errors within content are effectively corrected, enabling audiences to understand your writing. 

Keep reading to unveil what SEO proofreading is, why it’s important and discover tips for effective proofreading.

What Is SEO Proofreading? 

Proofreading is an examination process which involves identifying errors in written copy. This is carried out to ensure that writing is high-quality, readable, and engaging. Common language mistakes that copywriters look out for when proofreading include: 

• Spelling errors

• Grammatical errors

• Punctuation errors

• Copy-paste errors

• Factual errors

• Formatting inconsistencies

• Duplicated words

• Plagiarism

Search engine optimization (SEO) proofreading involves checking all the traditional errors detailed above while additionally seeking mistakes which may impact the ranking of digital copy, such as the use of relevant keywords, links, and topics. 

Why Is Proofreading Important for SEO Copy? 

Proofreading is important for ensuring that SEO copy is free of any linguistic errors which may impact how high your digital work ranks, the volume of organic traffic received, and how well it attracts target audiences. For instance, if your SEO keywords are misspelt, they won’t positively contribute to the rankings of your writing, which will reduce how visible your content is. 

5 Benefits of Proofreading SEO Copy

Here are five fantastic benefits presented from proofreading SEO copy before publishing: 

1.  Ensures Readers Are focused on the Message, Not the Mistakes

Catching a mistake whilst reading, whether it be spelling, grammar, or punctuation, can be significantly distracting for readers. This can draw your audience’s focus away from your writing, ultimately affecting the overall engagement and retention of your website.

Proofreading will ensure your writing is flawless and impactful as audiences will have a far easier time reading information and digesting important messages. 

2.  Promotes Credibility 

Spotting language errors, inconsistencies, and inaccuracies will likely cause audiences to question how trustworthy your content is. Proofreading will help you identify and remove any mistakes, ensuring your writing appears well-organised, clean, and credible. 

3.  Improves Readability

When writing content, it is easy to sometimes go overboard, writing lengthy or unnecessary information. Many readers struggle to read overly wordy content, especially if it contains lots of irrelevant text. 

Proofreading your work before publishing it will encourage you to look at your writing with a fresh set of eyes and pinpoint any areas which may impact the readability of your content. This can help you remove any writing which may otherwise deter or confuse readers.

4.  Creates Engaging Copy

It’s not uncommon for writers to go overboard on formal and dull language. It is essential to check your work over once it’s complete to ensure you have used interesting language and maintained an engaging tone, to ensure readers don’t lose interest in your content. 

Engagement is important when producing SEO copy as it will generate leads. This means that prospective customers will be effectively targeted, redirecting their interest in the content to interest in a product or service. 

5.  Supports SEO 

Aside from using relevant SEO keywords and links, proofreading will ensure your copy retains the attention of readers for longer and increase online traffic, which will enable search engines, such as Google, to understand that your content is popular amongst audiences. 

This will ultimately encourage algorithms to favour your content and rank it higher on the search engine results page (SERP). 

7 Tips for Proofreading SEO Copy

Although proofreading SEO copy may seem like a long-winded and complicated task, there are ways to make it easier. Once you fully understand how to proofread, you can create an effective strategy that is tailored to your workflow, enabling you to productively proofread your writing. Here’s a shortlist of the most important tips to consider when proofreading your SEO copy: 

1.  Know Your Client and Target Audience

Proofreading extends beyond spelling checks and grammar checks. It involves checking you have maintained a consistent tone and message throughout your writing which resonates with target audiences and accurately reflects the client you are working for. 

Referring to your client’s brief when proofreading your work will enable you to assess whether you have successfully embodied their brand voice.

2.  Use Proofreading Tools

You may think that proofreading your SEO content is a time-consuming task, however, there are many digital tools which can assist you during this stage, saving both time and effort. 

The top grammar and spell-checking tools include Grammarly and ProWritingAid. Both tools use an advanced algorithm which identifies errors. When using either tool you can also check your writing in real time and generate summary reports once your work is complete.

3.  Research SEO Keywords

It’s recommended to complete your keyword research prior to writing your SEO copy. However, if your completed copy has space for additional text, you can conduct further research to find high-ranking keywords as this will further optimise your writing. 

There are many beginner friendly tools available that will help you identify relevant SEO keywords, including Ubersuggest and Google Trends, which are both free to use and updated in real-time. 

4.  Strategically Place Keywords

It is important to strategically place keywords in your writing to further optimise your SEO copy. Areas where keywords have the most impact include meta descriptions, meta tags, headings, subtitles, introduction, and conclusion. 

Tools such as Surfer SEO allow you to see the volume of keywords you have used, so you can determine whether you have included a sufficient amount that will improve your SERP rankings. 

5.  Use Optimised Links and Images

The images and links you include in your copy will also contribute toward SEO. Checking you have used keyword-dense anchor texts, captions, filenames, and alt texts will boost the ranking of your copy. 

6.  Read Your Copy Out Loud

Reading your copy out loud when proofreading is a terrific way of checking your writing is conversational, readable and engaging. If you struggle to read certain areas, it may be worth revising them to establish more clarity.  

7.  Check How Your Copy Appears on Different Devices and Browsers

It’s extremely important to check the format of your content across different devices and browsers. This will allow you to assess how appealing and readable your copy is across different digital channels, so you can maintain a consistent user experience. 

StackEdit is a writer tool which enables you to preview the appearance of your content across different sites before publishing it, so you can easily determine whether it’s up-to-standard. 

FAQs

What Is the Role of SEO in Copywriting?

SEO in copywriting involves combining effective SEO practices, such as keyword research, with engaging language that attracts target audiences. The goal of SEO copywriting is to raise brand awareness through increased visibility and draw in prospective customers, tempting them to purchase a product or service. 

What Makes a Good SEO Copywriter?

A successful SEO copywriter can understand the needs of their client and users while knowing how search engines operate. They must be versatile enough to change their writing tone to suit different clients and appeal to specific audiences, and should be able to articulate messages that are optimised while being impactful and reflective of a business. The most desirable skills for an SEO copywriter include: 

• Exceptionally articulate

• Creative thinking

• Experienced researcher

• Content management 

• Interpersonal and communication skills

Does SEO Matter? 

SEO is essential as it increases the visibility of a website, generating more traffic. This subsequently increases brand awareness and presents more opportunities, such as purchases which are necessary to keeping a business afloat.