Eight Blog Proofreading Tips to Help You Publish Perfect Posts

Nov 16, 2011 by Ajeet Khurana

Writing for a blog is completely different than other types of writing. The reality bloggers face is that there are hundreds of millions of blogs from which readers can choose. If your blog posts are not perfect, your readers will likely decide not to return. The following are eight blog proofreading tips that will help you publish perfect posts and thereby retain readers.

1. Step away from your computer.
   When writing a blog post, it is tempting to click “Publish” immediately after you’ve finished your first draft; however, take a moment and step away from your computer. After a few minutes, come back and read your post with a fresh pair of eyes.
2. Use a spell-checker.
   This may seem pretty obvious, but it is surprising how many blog posts go live with spelling errors that should havebeen caught by a spell-checker. Don’t rely exclusively on spotting the squiggly red line under your mistakes. Instead, copy and paste your content into Microsoft Word and actually run the spell-checker, as the Microsoft Word spell-checker is far more comprehensive than the spell-checker that comes with most blogging software.
3. Enlist a second pair of eyes.
   There is a reason why even the most gifted writers have proofreaders review their work before it is published: It is very difficult to proofread your own work. It is common for writers to miss mistakes simply because they read what theyintended to write.
4. Print before publishing.
   Printing your post and reading it on actual paper can help you spot mistakes you might miss if you proofread your post solely on your computer screen.
5. Pay attention to proper nouns.
   If you have hopes of attracting and retaining loyal readers, double-check your proper nouns. If potential readers search Google for information about a specific Hollywood star, they will not be able to find your blog if you have misspelled the star’s name.
6. Past or present?
   Make a choice when writing your post: Are you living in the past or the present? Stick with your decision and make sure your verbs are consistent with that choice throughout your entire post.
7. Double-check subject-verb agreement.
   Another common grammatical mistake made in blog posts is incorrect subject-verb agreement. Plural subjects get plural verbs. Singular subjects get singular verbs. It is a simple concept that is easy to overlook.
8. Read your blog out loud.
   There are some writing mistakes that will not be found by a spell-checker or even the best grammar-checker. Reading your posts out loud can help your ears catch mistakes missed by your eyes.

What People Are Looking For:

Proof reading tools in a computer apart from spell checker or grammar checker.