Do Spelling and Grammar Matter in Digital Marketing?

How would you feel if someone misspelled your name or sent you a text with grammatical errors? At worst, I won't read that text. After all, it's hectic and boring reading a message with spelling, grammar, and punctuation errors.

The same thing happens in digital marketing. Spelling, grammar, and punctuation may sound trivial in digital marketing, but they aren't. They are the foundation of any marketing strategy—they affect your content's credibility, readability, and engagement.

If you want to prosper as a digital marketer, you need to know how to create high-quality content that attracts, converts, and retains a target audience. You can only achieve this if you use the correct spelling, punctuation, and grammar.

Now, let's go over some of the reasons why spelling and grammar are important in digital marketing.

Spelling and grammar mistakes can affect your SEO

You have probably received a ‘did you mean’ message when looking for something online, but incorrectly typed the keywords. That's what search engines will do to your content if you make spelling and grammar errors—the correct words won't be seen.

That has a direct impact on your SEO. Imagine you're promoting online casinos compatible with mobile devices, but you make consistent spelling and grammar mistakes in the text. First, your SEO efforts won't pay because these typos may prevent search engines from pulling and matching your content with searchers' intent.

If your page can't answer searchers' intent, they will leave as soon as they land on it. This increases your bounce rate and lowers the time visitors stay on your page. If this persists, Google and other search engine algorithms will flag your site as low quality, untrustworthy, and lacking authority.

So, if you want to make your site relevant, authoritative, and trustworthy, don't overlook spelling and grammar in your on-page SEO efforts.

Typos can affect your brand's credibility

Your brand's image and credibility matter in digital marketing. How you write your content (using the correct spelling, punctuation, and grammar) tells us more about your company.

One of the common grammatical mistakes digital marketers make is using ‘your’ instead of ‘you’re’. While this typo has little or no effect on internet threads, it can harm your brand's reputation when reaching out to existing and potential customers.

Let's say you're sending a follow-up email to a potential client. In your text, you make this typo, ‘If your still looking for a digital marketer, you can contact me.’

Remember, the quality of your written content is a reflection of your work and credibility. Making such an error shows you are not serious about your services, and gives clients a bad impression of your company. This may prompt them to seek the same services elsewhere.

Spelling and grammar can change the meaning of your content

Do you know why we learn spelling and grammar in school? Communication is a life skill, and we learn spelling, punctuation, and grammar to communicate effectively, especially in business.

While you may overlook spelling and grammar mistakes, your audience won't. The last thing you want is for your audience to interpret your message differently from its original intent.

A minor typo, like using ‘you’ instead of ‘your’, can alter the meaning of your message. For example, “You support ticket number is K0045.” While you may term this as ‘human error', it can affect your brand's commitment to offering quality services.

Spelling mistakes and typos can cost you money

I know this may seem trivial, but it isn't. A simple spelling mistake or typo can cost your business a lot of money. You don't believe me?

A retail sales analysis by BBC showed that a single spelling mistake reduced consumer spending by half. That's millions of pounds of lost revenue. Another study by Website Planet indicated that typos could increase your Google ad spend by 10-17%, depending on your niche.

These are some of the reasons why correct spelling and grammar matter in digital marketing. But how can you avoid spelling and grammar mistakes?

How to Avoid Spelling and Grammar Mistakes

Keep your audience in mind

Your audience is your lifeblood, and it has its language preferences. Some audiences favor slang while others prefer a formal and professional tone. Once you understand your audience, you can tailor your language and tone to meet their needs. That includes using correct spelling and grammar that resonate with them.

Use online grammar tools

Not sure about your write-up? The internet has a range of free and premium proofreading tools that can improve your content. For example, Grammarly shows spelling and grammar errors and suggests how to rewrite your sentences. Hemingway Editor ‘grades’ your content and indicates where you need to rewrite to improve its readability.

Read your content aloud

The simplest way to identify typos is by reading your piece aloud. This helps you catch more grammar mistakes in your sentences (grammar errors sound more wrong when reading aloud than silently in your head).

If that's not enough, take a break if you've been working for long. Some typos are due to exhaustion, and once you unwind, you can avoid such mistakes naturally.

Two heads are better than one–hire someone

It's never a bad idea to call a friend or hire an expert to proofread your work before publishing it. This is a win-win situation as they may see typos that you couldn't. In return, you'll uphold your brand credibility and attract more clients, boosting your revenue.