Have you checked the spelling and grammar on your website? A single spelling error could be catastrophic – read more about the cost below.
In the modern world, a digital presence is essential, regardless of the industry you’re in. If you don’t have a website, you’ll simply be handing the competitive edge to your rivals as many new customers won’t consider a business that isn’t online.
Unfortunately, it’s not enough to simply have a website; it also needs to be representative of the quality that you’re offering. If your skills or experience don’t lay in the world of marketing, copywriting or web design, that can be a problem but it’s not something you can just skim over.
Even something as simple as a spelling mistake on your website could be catastrophic for your business. Don’t believe it? Here are the facts you need to know.
First impressions count
You’ve probably heard the old saying, “First impressions count” – that’s true for websites too. Research suggests that visitors to your site will form an impression in around 50 milliseconds. That’s 0.05 seconds – practically no time at all.
Of course, your visitors aren’t reading your content in that time; the instant impact is all about visual layout. You then have around 6 more seconds before your site visitor decides to stay or leave, and during this time they’ll be noticing things like spelling errors.
Studies have found that sites which contain grammatical errors and spelling mistakes have a much higher bounce rate. This means more visitors will exit your website after only looking at a single page. The numbers are significant too; 85% more visitors leave a site after viewing a single page if there are errors. Ouch.
What’s the problem?
If you’re working in the journalism, print or writing industry, spelling errors may seem relevant to what you do, but how about if your business is in a completely different field? Do spelling mistakes really matter if you’re selling plumbing supplies, for example?
The answer is yes.
Customers care about whether your website is grammatically correct and error-free regardless of the industry you’re in. Having poor content or mistakes can make you appear unprofessional and sloppy. This reflects on your business overall, even if that’s an unfair judgement. Like it or not, customers will assume that if you haven’t taken the time to be accurate on your website, you’ll have the same careless approach to the quality of your goods or service.
One womenswear retailer observed a twofold increase in sales after a simple spelling error was corrected on their website. This aptly demonstrates the impact that a spelling mistake can have.
But it’s not just customers who care. Google and search engines will rank your site according to quality; those with useful, relevant and accurate content will appear much higher in the search results. Poor spelling and grammar could send you sliding back down their rankings, making you much less visible to your target market.
Simple but essential
Spelling may seem like a trivial concern but all the research suggests it’s an area that is vital to get right. The good news is that it’s simple to correct and you could see a real upturn in your digital performance as a result.