Originally published July 20, 2021 , updated on August 31, 2024

Just because something you have written sounds good to you doesn’t mean it will sound good to everyone else. You may believe that your writing is perfect. But no one’s writing ever is. Even the best writers in the world don’t get by without making a few mistakes. This is why they use professional proofreading services and editing.

The two are not the same, but they do work hand-in-hand. Proofreaders spot typos, correct spelling, grammar, syntax and other errors. A professional editing service ensures that your articles have a good flow. Making use of these services also ensures that your stories read well and the format is easy to follow.

Here are eight reasons why you and your company need proofreading and editing services.

Proofreading Services Give You a Safety Net

When you’re in the writing zone, the words are flowing. This might mean that you are probably not paying much attention to spelling and grammar. Knowing that your work will go through at least one more round of checks before being published gives you some peace of mind while writing. You can get a bit more creative knowing someone can make sense of your writing in the next step. Of course, the goal is to get it right the first time. This takes out too many rounds of changes. But it’s good to know that there’s an editor and proofreader to lean on.

Professional Editing Services Help to Clarify Complicated Pieces or Jargon

We know that your business is technical and filled with words and terms that are difficult to understand. This often means that your writing might come across as a bit complicated from time to time. A professional editor can assist you in this regard. They will rewrite complex terms and jargon in a way that is easy for everyone to understand. Even if we think we’ve presented terms and ideas in an uncomplicated way, readers might still struggle. This is especially true if they have little to no background on the subject matter. An editor will spot this and clear things up a bit more. They will uncomplicate the writing. And they will make pieces more digestable.

Proofreading Services Provide a Learning Experience

When you use proofreading services and check the changes made, you learn a lot along the way. You will start to spot your most common mistakes and catch them in your writing further down the line. You will also see how editors reword or rephrase your writing. This can be used as a learning experience to improve your writing going forward. And it makes the turnaround on each piece a lot quicker with fewer changes.

Professional Editing Services Save Time and Effort

When you’re doing things alone, all the proofreading and editing is left up to you. It takes a lot of time if you’re doing it on your own. You will need to print the content, check the grammar and spelling, make the changes, read it aloud, make further changes and do it all again. When you use a service to do this for you, you cut out a lot of that work, leaving you with time to write more content and run your business.

It Increases Your Chance of Publication

If you are writing thought-leadership articles or content pieces that you hope to land in the media, using these services is a must. Having clean and clear copy increases your chance of publication. It also increases your chances of being asked to produce another piece. It may even land you the opportunity to write for said publication on an ongoing basis. You will be surprised at how much of a difference using the best proofreading services will make to your content. Even if you think you’ve sent them the best copy, it can always be improved. This is why these services and this step is important. There is always room for improvement.

A Professional Proofreader and Editor Will Keep Your Voice Consistent

Every business and brand has a voice. When you are producing high-volume pieces of content on a regular basis, it can often lead to inconsistencies in the voice. A proofreader and editor will ensure that your business’s voice is consistent throughout. If you sound too casual in one piece and formal in another, your team of editors and proofreaders will bring the copy back on-brand. This ensures that there’s consistency in the brand voice, no matter what the content.

Proofreading Services Help With Formatting

No matter what the content piece – a whitepaper, an ebook or a blog – there needs to be a logical flow. Professional proofreaders will manage this for you. If your piece looks a bit disorganised, this is cleared up in the proofreading and editing process. They make the piece more readable and digestible to your audience and customers. They will also break up the copy if it’s too long. Adding sub-headings or different sections assists in this process.

They Can Assist With a Style Guide

Over time, the proofreader and editor you have been working with for a while should know your business and style. They can use this information to help you compile a style guide. This guide should apply to all content pieces going forward. Everyone benefits from this guide. A style guide will assist the writer, editor as well as the proofreader down the line. It should include how you write headings and how you punctuate bullet points. It should also note the tone for different pieces of content. For example, the different tones for your social media channels versus your blog articles. These style guides are exceptionally handy and will help all team members stay on the same page.

These are just the top reasons why you should use professional proofreading services and editing. In a nutshell, it ensures that all your content is clean, clear and easy to read.

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