Write the text of your website well

This may seem like an obvious statement to some, but to others it is not. Correct spelling on your website is a must, as is punctuation and capitalization.

Too often, I come across misspelled words on websites. Nobody is immune to this. I’ve been guilty of it myself a couple of times, but I’ve gone back and corrected it. Some things that are often misspelled include words with two vowels in a row, omitting vowels, words with two identical consonants in a row, and words that are used infrequently.

Also, there are words that are homophones, or sound the same, that are spelled correctly, but used in the wrong context. Watch out for listen versus here. They also know when to use it’s instead of it’s, loose instead of loose, then and that, there, his and them. Be careful with the two, for and also, they were where and we are, you and you are.

Although this will not catch homophones, you can try to check the spelling of your website in a word processor such as Microsoft Word. Another option is to use [http://www.spellcheck.net].

Capitalization is also important. The first letter of each sentence must be capitalized. The first letter of any name should be too. Every instance of the word “I” must be capitalized.

Correct punctuation is essential. Each sentence must have a period, a question mark, or an exclamation point. Please, please, please don’t put an exclamation point in every sentence on your website. Use it sparingly.

If you are quoting someone who has something misspelled, or some kind of mistake, you should not correct it. If it is a misspelling, after the word write (sic) in parentheses, as I have done there. That word is Latin and means “thus” or “thus.” In other words, you know it’s misspelled, but that’s the way the source material was.

If you notice over time that you are missing some errors in your website writing, it may be time to find someone to help you. Find a friend who has majored in English or worked for their school newspaper. Or, if you’re lucky, you may meet someone who is a professional writer who is willing to help you.

No matter how you do it, correct those mistakes. Having them on your website is a sign of unprofessionalism, so it’s worth fixing them all.