Perhaps businesses underestimate the effect that copywriting errors have on the credibility of their websites. Perhaps it is only a handful of people who are negatively affected and perturbed by these grammatical mishaps, but certainly, I for one can confidently say that these egregious blunders paint a lasting image of a business’ attention to the finer details.

When reviewing companies in the search engine marketing field, the attention to detail on the company website, or lack thereof is a subtle indicator of how efficiently and accurately the smallest details are executed. After all, pay-per-click advertising is a service that requires an incredibly high level of attention to the finest details, one incorrect bid or check in the wrong box, and there goes some of that valuable money that the hired company is supposed to be managing.

You may argue that in the greater scheme of things there are more important things to do than go through the website copywriting with a fine tooth comb, but I would argue to the contrary.

For years, job applicants have been hammered for grammatical and spelling errors on their applications. If judgement can be passed on an individual from a résumé document, then why should a company website not carry the same clout? It is after all, a company’s summary of its assets and services – a compelling online summary of what the company can offer you and why the fit would be mutually beneficial.

Below I will summarise some of the website copywriting errors that cleanly wipe off a few points on a company’s score sheet when they glaringly appear on the company site.

#1. AdWords NOT Adwords
When an SEM agency offers ‘Adwords’ management services, it is troubling to consider that said company cannot even take the time to correctly identify the trademark of the service that they are offering clients.

Correct spelling: AdWords – capital ‘A’ and capital ‘W’

#2. It’s 2009! Even closer to 2010 than 2008!
If you have STILL not changed your copyright stamp to ‘copyright 2009’ in mid-July, you may as well leave it until 2010 and perhaps be timely next year.

If it hasn’t been a priority to date, it’s unlikely to become one now.

#3. The ‘Effect’ of Misusing ‘Affect’
Confusion between effect and affect occurs frequently. In reality, both these words have a function as a verb and a noun, but rather than adding confusion into the mix, let’s focus on their commonly used English meanings.

• Affect is commonly used as a verb. A synonym would be ‘to influence’
  i.e.: The relevance of keywords selected in an SEO project will affect traffic and conversions

• Effect is commonly used as a noun. A synonym would be ‘outcome’
  i.e.: The relevance of keywords selected in an SEO project will have an effect on traffic and conversions

#4. The Apostrophe
There appears to be a widespread ignorance of the correct use of the apostrophe. The greatest misuse of the apostrophe arises when the distinction between a ‘contraction’ and a ‘possessive pronoun’ is not made, particularly in the use of its and it’s.

To clarify
The possessive pronoun: its
It replaces the noun and expresses a relationship of belonging

• So, instead of saying: The company offers the company’s SEO services
• We can say: The company offers its SEO services

The possessive pronoun (its) is commonly confused with the contraction of ‘it is’ which looks like (it’s)

There is a clear difference in meaning between it is (the contraction) and that which belongs to it (the possessive pronoun)

• So, when you incorrectly write: The company offers it’s services
• Understand that you are writing: The company offers it is services

If more people understood the grammar behind this contraction and the possessive pronoun, the error would be made less frequently, because the mistake would become glaringly obvious.

#5. That Blog Needs an Update
It is disconcerting when SEM agencies and more so, social media experts host a blog but have not posted a new entry since, say February 2009. A thought, if you are updating your blog quarterly, perhaps it’s time to opt for a newsletter.

An infrequently updated blog tells clients that you may not take these resource intensive and repetitive tasks too seriously. The question may then arise, are any other time-consuming tasks in the search campaign being overlooked, such as monthly link building or ongoing monthly pay-per-click management?