I was conversing with a friend the other day about how fun it would be to have a mobile app that quizzed you on grammar and then put you through lessons for the mistakes that you made.
No matter how good you are with words, you can always be better.
And the better you are, the clearer your communication will be and the better you’ll connect with your customers.
Instead of using 1,000 words to describe what your product is and why it matters, you’ll use 100 and then 10 and you might be surprised how you can get it as low as 3-5 words.
Now to answer the question of the headline: why do grammar sentence structure and accuracy in copywriting matter?
Ultimately no matter how you say it, your reader will understand, right? Well, maybe not. If I leave a word out here or misuse a word there, it will degrade the readers’ ability to understand what I’m saying.
But not only will the reader struggle to understand the content, but they might feel fatigued as they read and decide to abandon the information.
I make mistakes. People catch those mistakes and I try to grow from them. I’m far from perfect but I put forth ample effort.
Grammar, sentence structure and accurate word usage matter for a variety of reasons. Let me explain.
SEO
When it comes to websites, SEO seems to reign supreme. I’m a fan of starting with customer-centric copy and then adding in sprinklings of SEO tactics, but I digress.
Ultimately, you can employ perfect SEO tactics and still struggle to rank due to poor grammar, typos, complicated sentence structure, chunky blocks of text and a lack of headings.
Readability plays a huge role in SEO. Producing high-quality, easy-to-read text is one of the benefits of hiring a freelance copywriter.
Reputation
I never leave a website due to minor grammar errors. If the website holds the information I’m looking for, I’ll stick around.
But mistake after mistake wears on me and I begin to wonder how serious this business actually is.
Your reputation hinges on how well you communicate with your customers. Failing to describe your products or services with incredible clarity will lead to bouncing website visitors or customers who glance at what you have to say and never engage with your call to action.
Professionalism
Nothing screams “I’m operating this business from my basement” quite like poorly written copy.
You might understand your target audience’s pain points and challenges with incredible clarity. But if you can’t communicate those challenges and explain your value, you’ll lose customer after customer.
How you write directly impacts your professionalism. So throw out the jargon, proofread carefully, use a grammar checker like Grammarly, and keep it simple. You won’t sound smarter by using big, complicated words. I promise.
Customer Interest and Understanding
Poorly crafted content will make your customers glance and then go on their way – probably to your competitors’ content.
You want your customers to understand your value immediately. It shouldn’t be hard because let’s face it, there’s enough in life that is hard.
Reading your content shouldn’t feel like they are in school, at work or studying for a Ph.D.
This all sounds easy on the surface, but it’s harder to summarize your value in a few words than it is to do so in hundreds. And that’s why you’ll see poor copy on many small business websites and even websites for enormous companies that haven’t taken the time to focus that content with incredible clarity.
Ready for a new perspective on your content and a fresh set of eyes to prevent grammar mistakes? Book a free consultation with Bridge the Gap Communication. And if you know about an app that teaches grammar to adults, send me the link to download ASAP!