Grammar is more than merely avoiding mistakes and understanding how it works. While it can be argued that knowing the do’s and don’ts of grammar will not necessarily make you a better writer, it’s widely accepted that it will help you communicate better.
For this matter, many grammar tools can help you proofread your content materials to make sure that they’re free of grammatical errors before publishing. Grammarly is probably something that you’ve been actively using. The free version of this tool helps identify spelling and grammar mistakes as well as reducing the wordiness of the content. You will have to pay a monthly subscription fee to access its premium features, which include identifying passive voice misuse, redundant words, and tone adjustments, among other advanced suggestions.
Grammarly Premium may be worth the expense, but other free Grammarly alternatives can help you write great content that is free of grammatical errors. These include ProWritingAid, Ginger, and Language Tool, to name a few.
Here are some reasons how Grammar can affect your content creation, and overall brand.
Grammar affects your brand image.
Poor grammar is an eyesore in blogs, case studies, and other marketing materials. The damage includes loss of credibility and loss of potential customers, both of which can directly affect your bottom line. Put yourself in the shoes of a customer: would you buy from a website that doesn’t take grammar and spelling errors seriously? We don’t think so. Because, unfortunately, poor grammar and spelling are often associated with a lack of intelligence. At the very least, it looks sloppy and unprofessional.
Another reason you should take grammar seriously is it is a reflection of your brand image. When done correctly, it can help you:
- Create a good first impression.
- Establish a good reputation for being able to communicate clearly and correctly.
- Communicate more effectively.
Beyond that, grammar also matters a great deal at a content marketing level. Poor grammar may result in a bad reputation, poor user experience, and low search rankings.
Grammar affects the user experience of your customers.
Proper grammar is a factor in the readability of an article. It’s not like readers would take the time to decipher improperly structured sentences—in many cases, they would give up in the middle of the article. It means a grammatical error can easily lose the interest of your readers. It may result in a higher bounce rate (the percentage of users who visit a particular site but navigate away from the site after viewing just one page), which may negatively affect your search engine rankings.
Grammar can affect search engine rankings.
Although Google has not specifically confirmed that grammar is one of its ranking factors in their algorithm, what’s clear is their user-first approach, which aims to provide value to their users. Why would the search engine show your error-filled page when there are existing contents that are of higher quality—Ones that are free of grammatical error and typos.
It goes to show that constantly watching the quality of content that you produce matters not only for your reputation but your search engine rankings as well. Have you checked the article you are about to publish for spelling, factual, grammatical, or stylistic errors?
How to Improve Your Content
While such tools are helpful—giving you a second set of eyes to look over your writing—you shouldn’t completely rely on them to produce quality content.
In conclusion, below are some tips on how to improve your content marketing efforts.
Keep an eye out for your grammar and spellings – The value of grammar and spelling in content marketing cannot be overstated. Make sure to maximize the use of the grammar tools mentioned above to save time in proofreading your content.
Remember that your content reflects your brand – Anytime you write an article, a press release, social media post, or any other marketing material, keep in mind that it would represent your brand. Therefore, publishing quality content would help you establish authority in the sector.
Avoid careless mistakes – These include spelling these as this. While this may sound petty, you’re not sure whether your users will be as forgiving as you think they are. Studies even suggest that wrong spellings and grammar rank as the most annoying on social media.
Takeaway
Grammar matters and will always do. Just imagine how you would feel when you read an article, receive an e-mail, or come across a social media post that is laden with poor grammar. You would probably be just as annoyed as them, if not more.
It is advisable that when writing, always have your users in mind. Be conversational in your approach, and make it easy for the reader. Keep your content self-explanatory and avoid using irrelevant slang or pretentious words that could only confuse your audience.
What are your thoughts on the importance of good grammar in content marketing? Leave a comment below, and be sure to share this article with your friends!
