Classic content mistakes

Halloween is fast approaching – but it isn’t just ghosts and ghouls we need to be wary of as we enter the spooky season (and beyond). It’s also those classic content mistakes that come back to haunt us…

From terrifying typos to painfully prolonged prose, we can all be in the danger zone when it comes to age-old content concerns. Try as we might, we can fall foul of some seriously frightful faux pas. Here are some tips and tricks on how to purge the dastardly demons that are those classic content mistakes and ward off those scares for good…

Battle the boredom

One particular cause for concern when it comes to classic content mistakes is heavy, dull and drawn out wording – unnecessarily long sentences and paragraphs fit into this category. It’s no fun to find yourself getting lost in a maze of prose, losing your breath and your train of thought because there’s too much text to process! Similarly, overloading people with data is also another no-no.

Unily suggests selecting your channels wisely and only sending out essential information, as this is a more effective means of communicating than inundating individuals with constant messages. Meanwhile, WordStream advises that writers shouldn’t fall into the trap of writing complex sentences in order to sound more authoritative, because in most cases, it’s more impactful to be concise. In other words, write as if it’s on a need-to-know basis, and remember that less is more.

Cut the commas

When writing content it can also be easy to slip into the habit of going a bit crazy with the commas. BtB says that a sentence should contain no unnecessary commas for the same reason that a symphony should have no unnecessary pauses. The purpose of the comma is to add clarity, but they also add rhythm. If we employ too many then our writing can actually become quite disjointed and difficult to read.

Wrangle the repetition

The English language is rife with great terminology, and yet we sometimes find ourselves stuck for phrasing and can (often unintentionally) use the same words in quick succession. Zapier acknowledges that people appreciate variety and suggests that to avoid repetition – one of the most classic content mistakes – you should ask yourself while writing if you’ve already made this statement before in your piece. Then you can cut down or replace words that are used frequently. If all else fails – you can just do it the old-fashioned way and consult a thesaurus!

Manage your material

After a piece of copy has been drafted, subbed, proofread and sent on, it can be easy to think that your work there is done. However, getting a grasp on the effectiveness of your writing is an important factor that shouldn’t go ignored.

This means monitoring the analytics and getting into the nitty gritty of your content so that you can fathom what pieces are proving popular and which ones need a little more pizazz. Boot Camp Media says that high bounce rates and low conversions are likely clues that the copy needs further tweaks. Don’t see this as a failing or a criticism though – see it as a chance to learn and develop.

Banish those typos

And finally – saving quite possibly the worst for last… the truly terrifying typo. Misspellings, forgotten words, the wrong words… all bring a writer a huge degree of dread. But fear not! They (and the impending sense of doom that come with them) can be avoided.

According to Quick and Dirty Tips, the best way to find typos is to have another person read your work, as someone coming at the work cold will be more likely to spot something previously missed. However, in instances where this isn’t possible or practical, there’s also the option to print your work out and review it that way, or read the words aloud to see if they make sense. Of course, we’re only human and we all make mistakes, but if you allow yourself plenty of time for proofreading, then you’ll be more focused (and more likely to keep the typo terrors at bay).

Combat those classic content mistakes

Truthfully, we can all be found guilty of making these classic content mistakes once in a while. And though they may creep back on occasion, there are ways we can stay on track. Stay alert and aware to keep the slip-ups to a minimum, and keep them buried away in the graveyard of errors…

If you need help banishing those classic content mistake, why not get in touch?