What’s the Difference Between Content Editing and Copy Editing?
Sarah
High-quality blog content is vital to improving your company’s online visibility. If you want search engines like Google to promote your content, it must be well-written and error-free. That makes copy and content editing essential to the content creation process.
If you’ve heard these terms before and assumed they were interchangeable, you’re not alone. It’s easy to confuse the two. Copy and content editing are both necessary for proper editing, but they’re two distinct and separate aspects of content creation.
Let’s break down the differences between copy and content editing and explain why they’re crucial to publishing well-received, effective SEO content.
What Gets Addressed During Copy Editing?
When you think of editing content, copy editing is likely what you have in mind. A copy editor checks for fundamental errors in text:
Mistakes in Grammar or Spelling
Spell-check and grammar tools are helpful, but they don’t catch every error. Copy editors are trained to identify spelling errors and grammatical mistakes that slip through the cracks. They’ll carefully review the content word by word, ensuring no slipups make it through.
Inconsistencies in Flow, Readability, and Style
Copy editors use a style guide to ensure consistency throughout content. Some clients provide their own style guides. In other cases, the editor might consult an established resource, such as the AP Stylebook.
Additionally, the copy editor will review the text to ensure the message is clear, concise, and appealing. Your brand has a unique voice, and copy editing ensures this voice is consistent throughout your content. Consistency is essential in establishing your company as an authoritative source of information about your products and services.
How Does Content Editing Work?
Copy editors take a detailed look at the writing, while content editors take a bird’s-eye view. A content editor checks to ensure the content is clear and cohesive. They look at the following:
- Tone: Is the text getting its point across in the right way?
- Flow: Does the piece seamlessly transition from one section to the next?
- Structure: Is the content organized properly?
- SEO: Is the copy optimized to give it the best chance of performing well?
Additionally, a content editor will fact-check the piece. For example, suppose that your company sells medical linens. You hire a writer to explain how your linens provide patient comfort. If the writer touches on anything involving medical procedures or patient care, you want a good content editor to ensure the content is accurate.
Copy and Content Editing Matter: Here’s Why
Copy and content editing are essential for putting out polished, clear content. Studies show that audiences can tell when an article isn’t carefully edited. Unedited writing can make a company appear unprofessional, and a customer might decide against making a purchase if they find grammatical or factual errors in content.
Therefore, if an editor doesn’t carefully comb through your content for fundamental errors, inconsistencies, and misinformation, you risk losing customer engagement and interest.
Additionally, if your content isn’t relevant or engaging, Google will be less likely to promote it. This will negatively affect your website’s search engine rankings, resulting in fewer hits to your website and hurting sales.
Streamline Your Results and Polish Your Copy to a Shine When You Outsource Editing
Content creation, including copy and content editing, is challenging and time-consuming. As any business owner knows, time is money. That’s why many companies outsource content creation efforts. In fact, 37% of marketing professionals prefer to outsource copywriting, and 31% outsource editing and proofreading.
A few benefits of outsourcing include:
- Timely, relevant content
- Consistent, high-quality writing
- Up-to-date, expertly implemented SEO techniques
- Improved brand voice and messaging
- Increased web traffic and customer engagement
With a fine-tuned editing process, you can expect results worth the cost of outsourcing your content creation. Partnering with experienced SEO writers and content editors will boost your search engine rankings, giving you time to focus on other aspects of your business.
We Make Editing Easy
Copy and content editing are vital to content creation. However, each approach offers specific advantages. Copy editors look at content in extreme detail, fixing grammatical and spelling mistakes. Content editors examine the bigger picture, fact-checking claims and analyzing flow.
No matter what industry you’re in, having well-edited SEO content is vital. If your content is ineffective, you risk falling behind your competition. Outsourcing can help. If you’re interested in outsourcing copy and content editors to improve the efficiency of your daily operations and beef up your SEO strategy, turn to the expert team at Write Collective. Explore our content marketing packages today!