I just read this article from BBC News that reports online sales are affected by spelling mistakes in website copy. Most importantly the researcher reports that these spelling mistakes cause online sales to be cut in half.
Here's the link to the article: http://linkd.in/qOADUv.
I don't know how scientific Mr. Duncombe's analysis is but it certainly supports our belief at ProofreadNOW.com that a company's credibility is hurt when websites and marketing brochures contain errors.
As I read the comments to the article, I found the following poem written by "T Hill" that illustrates some of the problems you can run into when relying on automated spell checkers. It gave me a chuckle and hope it makes you smile as well. Here is the poem:
Eye have a spelling chequer,
It came with my Pea Sea.
It plane lee marks four my revue
Miss Steaks I can knot sea.
Eye strike the quays and type a whirred
And weight four it two say
Weather eye am write oar wrong
It tells me straight a weigh.
Eye ran this poem threw it,
Your shore real glad two no.
Its vary polished in its weigh.
My chequer tolled me sew.
Thanks, T Hill, for a great illustration.
So readers what are your thoughts about Mr. Duncombe's analysis? Do you wonder about a company's credibility and integrity if the website is poorly written or contains spelling and grammar errors?
I know I do but then I'm clearly biased!
