How to Edit & Proofread Your Website Copy: a Guide
You know that moment when you're scrolling through a website and spot a glaring typo? Your brain screeches to a halt. Everything stops. The flow breaks. Trust crumbles. And before you know it, you're backing out faster than someone who's just walked into the wrong party.
Now flip the script. That's your website. Those are your visitors. And that split-second judgment? It's happening thousands of times a day.
Here's the uncomfortable truth most business owners don't want to face: your website copy is being judged with the ruthlessness of a reality TV show. One misplaced apostrophe, one awkward sentence, one tone-deaf paragraph, and you're out. Game over. Next contestant, please.
Professional copywriters know something that most business owners don't: every single word on your website is either helping you or hurting you. There's no neutral ground. No "good enough" middle space. Your copy is either building trust or eroding it, creating clarity or confusion, moving people closer to buying or giving them reasons to leave.
The businesses winning online aren't necessarily the ones with the biggest budgets or the flashiest designs. They're the ones whose copy makes visitors think, "Finally, someone who gets it. Someone who speaks my language. Someone I can trust."
Ready to join them? ⬇️
Why website copy editing matters a lot
We live in a world where people write "your welcome" without irony and use apostrophes like confetti. So why should you care about polished website copy when everyone else seems to wing it?
Because your website isn't a text message to your mate. It's your shop window, your sales pitch, and your first impression all rolled into one. Typos and grammatical errors are examples of earned credibility that either immediately turn off readers or slowly damage credibility throughout your copy.
Think about it: when you land on a website that's peppered with errors, what's your gut reaction? If you're like most people, you start questioning everything. If they can't be bothered to spell-check their homepage, what does that say about their attention to detail with your order? Or their customer service? Or the quality of their actual products?
The business impact of proofreading & editing
The cost of poor copy extends far beyond embarrassment. Website Planet's study showed that typos could increase your Google ad spend by somewhere between 10 and 17%, depending on your market. And in the UK, bad grammar could cost you over 70% more per click.
Here's what happens when you get it right: case studies show that simple copy improvements can yield significant results. L'Axelle saw a 38.3% increase in conversion rates after switching from comfort-oriented copy to action-oriented headlines. BaseKit increased their conversion rate by 25% with a cleaner, more readable pricing page design.
The SEO angle
Here's where it gets really interesting. Search engines prioritise well-crafted, error-free content, and errors in grammar, spelling, or punctuation can negatively affect a page's ranking.
Google doesn't directly penalise typos, but it absolutely notices when people bounce from your site faster than you can say "spellcheck". High bounce rates and decreased user engagement are signals that Google interprets as indicators of poor quality content.
Plus, people are less likely to link to poorly written content than to reputable sources. And backlinks? They're SEO gold.
The accessibility connection
Here's something most businesses overlook: proper copy editing supports web accessibility. Clear, well-structured content with proper headings, simple language, and logical flow benefits users with cognitive disabilities, non-native English speakers, and anyone who might be distracted while reading.
While not a requirement for accessibility, it is best to write at as low a reading level as is appropriate for your content. Doing so benefits people with cognitive impairments, people who do not speak English as a first language, and people who may be distracted while reading.
The difference between editing and proofreading (and why you need both)
Before we dive into the how-to, let's clear up some confusion. Editing and proofreading aren't the same thing, and treating them as interchangeable is like using a hammer when you need a screwdriver.
Content editing is the big-picture stuff. It's about:
Substance of the content itself, readability, clarity, logic, structure and organisation, voice and tone consistency
Whether your message actually makes sense
Cutting the waffle and tightening your copy
Ensuring your content meets user needs and business goals
Copy editing focuses on:
Grammar, punctuation, spelling, style consistency, syntax and usage
Word choice and sentence structure
Consistent terminology and punctuation throughout the document
Brand voice adherence
Proofreading is the final polish. It catches:
Typos and repeated words
Final formatting inconsistencies
Meta information that's displayed in search results but may contain errors
Last-minute errors introduced during editing
Think of content editing as renovating your house, copy editing as interior decorating, and proofreading as giving it a final clean before the guests arrive. All essential, but you wouldn't hoover before you've finished knocking down walls.
My comprehensive website copy editing process
Stage 1: Pre-editing preparation
Create your master editing document
Most people go wrong by trying to edit directly in their website editor, jumping between pages and losing track of what they've already checked. Don't be that person.
Instead, create what I call a "master document" – a single file containing all your website copy. Here's how:
Gather every word on your site:
Homepage copy and navigation labels
About page content and team bios
Service or product descriptions
Blog posts and case studies
Contact page text and forms
Footer content and legal pages
Meta descriptions and title tags that appear in search results
Image alt text and captions
💡Use an SEO tool like Screaming Frog to crawl your site and generate a complete list of URLs. Then copy and paste the text from each page into your master document.
Strip the formatting. All those different fonts, colours, and sizes are distracting when you're trying to focus on the words. Clear all the formatting and apply a basic universal font. You'll thank me later.
Set up your editing environment
Find a quiet place to work. Don't try to do your proofreading in front of the TV or while you're chugging away on the treadmill. If possible, do your editing and proofreading in several short blocks of time. Your concentration may start to wane if you try to proofread the entire text at one time.
Stage 2: The strategic content edit
This is where you transform your copy from "meh" to "magnificent".
Audit your content strategy alignment
Before diving into sentence-level changes, step back and ask:
Does this topic align with our content strategy? Will our readers/buyer personas care about it?
What's the main goal of this page? Does the content serve that goal effectively?
Are you answering the questions your audience actually has?
Check your structure and flow
Content edits examine whether the content is hitting the mark, how easy it is to follow, and whether it can be better organised. Look at:
Logical progression: Does your copy follow a clear path from problem to solution?
Scannable structure: Can you incorporate numbered lists and/or bullets to make it easier for readers to skim, scan, and identify important takeaways?
Visual hierarchy: Headings allow users to get a sense of the structure and organisation of the page, particularly benefiting users with cognitive impairments or low vision
Optimise for user experience
Define your target audience and identify key demographics and pain points to create tailored content that increases communication effectiveness. For each section, ask:
What does the user need to know at this point?
What action should they take next?
Have you removed unnecessary friction?
Stage 3: The line-by-line copy edit
This is where you put on your detective hat and scrutinise every sentence.
Sentence structure and clarity
The first rule of good copy editing is to cut long sentences short. Sentences that are both lengthy and extensive generally develop the propensity of losing reader interest. Look for:
Sentences longer than two lines (usually a sign they need splitting)
Passive voice where active would be stronger
Several conflicting ideas in one sentence, none of which can reach the target audience because the reader loses focus midway
Unclear pronouns (what does "it" refer to, exactly?)
Strategic word choice
Use words and language that resonate with the reader. People tend to connect with other people who talk and sound like them. Every word should earn its place. Ruthlessly cut:
Redundant phrases ("advance planning", "future plans")
Filler words that add nothing ("really", "very", "quite")
Prepositions that prolong sentences – when cut, they can shorten sentence size by almost half
Corporate speak that makes you sound like a robot
Maintain consistency
Maintain consistency throughout your document. This includes using consistent formatting, terminology, and tone. For example, if "healthcare" is the correct spelling, you should never also write "health-care," "health care," or "Health-Care" within the same paper.
Stage 4: SEO optimisation during editing
Here's where your copy editing becomes a business strategy, not just a perfectionist's pursuit.
Strategic keyword integration
Keywords, when used correctly, are a significant part of content marketing and SEO. Proofreading ensures that your keywords and phrases are used effectively throughout your content, reading naturally and not feeling forced into the copy.
WCAG-compliant structure
Use short headings to group related paragraphs and clearly describe the sections. Visual readers identify headers by scanning pages for text of a larger size or different style. Assistive technology users cannot see these visual changes, so headings must be semantically "tagged".
Your heading hierarchy should be:
H1: Main page title (one per page)
H2: Major section headings
H3: Subsection headings
H4-H6: Further subdivision as needed
Mobile-first editing considerations
If it looks good on mobile, it's probably the right length. With most traffic coming from mobile devices:
Keep paragraphs even shorter for mobile screens
Ensure headings work on small screens
Use short paragraphs, headings, and bullet points so visitors can absorb your ideas quickly
Stage 5: The comprehensive proofreading phase
Right, you've done the hard graft. Now it's time for the final polish.
Take a strategic break
It's hard to edit or proofread a paper that you've just finished writing – it's still too familiar, and you tend to skip over errors. Step away from your copy. The brain needs time to reset.
Change your perspective systematically
Print it out if possible, especially if you're editing your own copy and wrote it on-screen. Looking at text on paper gives you a fresh perspective and often makes it easier to see mistakes.
If printing isn't practical, try these proven techniques:
Altering the size, spacing, colour, or style of the text may trick your brain into thinking it's seeing an unfamiliar document
Reading on a different device
Reading out loud, which forces you to say each word and also lets you hear how the words sound together
Separating the text into individual sentences by pressing return after every period, then reading each sentence separately
Use tools strategically (but don't rely on them blindly)
Grammarly has over 40 million daily active users and processes over 14 billion words per day through its AI systems. Grammarly's error detection accuracy rate is approximately 95%. There's a reason it's popular – it works. But it's not infallible.
Essential proofreading tools:
Grammarly or ProWritingAid for grammar and style
Hemingway Editor for readability – it highlights complex sentences and suggests improvements
Your browser's built-in spellcheck as a backup
PerfectIt as a consistency checker for professional documents
But remember: you should never blindly accept the recommendations of a grammar checker, no matter how powerful the AI behind it. Following grammar checker advice sometimes introduces new errors or changes the meaning.
The ultimate website copy editing checklist
Create this comprehensive proofreading checklist and work through it systematically:
Content and structure
Does each page have a clear purpose and call-to-action?
Is the content comprehensive and valuable to your target audience?
Does the introduction capture the reader's attention and explain the value they'll get?
Are headings descriptive and properly structured (H1, H2, H3)?
Is the content scannable with appropriate use of bullets and lists?
Grammar and mechanics
Spelling, grammar, and punctuation errors corrected
Consistent style (capitalisation, hyphenation, and numbers)
Subject-verb agreement throughout
Consistent tense usage
Correct syntax and usage
Brand and voice consistency
Brand voice guidelines followed consistently
Company name spelled correctly everywhere
Consistent use of brand terminology
Tone appropriate for target audience
Acronyms spelled out on first use
Technical elements
All links tested and working properly
Image alt text included for accessibility
Meta descriptions and title tags optimised
Contact information accurate and up-to-date
Forms tested for functionality
SEO and accessibility
Main keyword included in title and first paragraph
Related keywords and synonyms used naturally throughout
Content readable at appropriate level for audience
Interactive elements easily identifiable and accessible via keyboard
Sufficient colour contrast for readability
Mobile and cross-browser testing
Content displays properly on mobile devices
Spacing and alignment work across different screen sizes
No horizontal scrolling required
Text remains readable when zoomed to 200%
Site functions properly across major browsers
9 tools and resources for editing & proofreading
Essential free tools
Grammarly Free: 30.53% of adults aged 18-24 and 31.15% aged 25-34 use Grammarly. The free version catches most basic errors and includes 100 monthly uses of generative AI and automatically generates citations when visiting compatible source sites.
Hemingway Editor: Highlights complex sentences and suggests improvements for readability. Perfect for ensuring your copy is accessible to a broad audience.
Google PageSpeed Insights: The most popular tool to instantly gain insights into website performance and offers suggestions for improvement.
Premium tools worth the investment
Grammarly Premium: 99% of students surveyed stated that Grammarly helped increase their grades. Offers advanced tone and clarity suggestions, plagiarism detection, and up to 2,000 monthly uses of generative AI features.
ProWritingAid: More detailed reports than Grammarly, especially good for longer content. Looks for grammatical and punctuation mistakes, plus structural issues like repetition, clichés, and lack of variety in sentence length.
Screaming Frog: For technical SEO and finding all the pages on your site that need editing attention.
Browser extensions and shortcuts
Grammarly browser extension: Downloaded over 10 million times on Google Chrome alone
EditThisCookie: For testing how your site behaves when cookies are deleted
Web Developer toolbar: For quick accessibility and markup checks
When to call in the professionals
Sometimes DIY isn't enough. Consider hiring professional help when:
Your website is your primary sales tool and conversion rates directly impact revenue
You're in a highly competitive market where every advantage matters
You lack the time to do it properly (and let's be honest, good editing takes time)
You need industry-specific expertise for technical or regulated content
English isn't your first language and you want native-level precision
The key is finding editors who understand both your industry and your brand voice. Look for:
Relevant experience in your sector
Understanding of SEO and web accessibility
Portfolio of successful website projects
Clear communication about their process and timeline
The bottom line
Here's what it comes down to: every typo on your website is a potential customer walking away. Every grammatical error is a search ranking you're not getting. Every unclear sentence is a conversion you're missing.
But here's the flip side – every error you fix, every sentence you tighten, every paragraph you polish is money in the bank.
Your website copy is working 24/7 to represent your business. It's your most tireless salesperson, your most patient customer service rep, and your most accessible brand ambassador. Isn't it worth making sure it's doing the best job possible?
Ready to transform your website copy?
You've got the tools, you've got the process, and you know why it matters. Time to roll up your sleeves and give your website the editing attention it deserves.
But if you're thinking "this sounds brilliant, but I haven't got time to implement it properly" – I get it. Running a business is hard enough without becoming a copy editing expert too.
That's where I come in. I specialise in crafting website copy that doesn't just look professional – it converts visitors into customers and climbs the search rankings while it's at it.
Ready to see what properly edited, strategically crafted website copy can do for your business? Book a chat with me
