Website Proofreading: How to Check Content Before You Publish
CorrectNow Editorial Team · 6 min read
A website is often the first place a customer meets your business, and they judge it quickly. Spelling mistakes, inconsistent terms and unclear buttons make even a good product look unfinished. Unlike a printed brochure, a website also has parts that are easy to forget: menus, error messages, form labels and page titles.
This guide gives you a proofreading process for new pages and site launches. It works for a one-page portfolio and for a large site with many contributors.
Proofread outside the content editor
Most website builders show content in a narrow editing box that looks nothing like the live page. Errors hide well there. Copy the text into a separate document or a grammar checker for the language pass, then check the result on a preview of the real page for layout.
Separating these two jobs helps. When you read for grammar, you are not distracted by design. When you check the layout, you are not stopping at every comma.
Verb or noun? Common website word pairs
Websites are full of words that change form depending on whether they are a verb or a noun. As a verb they are usually two words; as a noun or adjective they are usually one. Buttons and instructions use the verb form.
- Incorrect: Login to your account. – Correct: Log in to your account. (Log in is the verb; login is the noun, as in the login page.)
- Incorrect: Setup your profile in two steps. – Correct: Set up your profile in two steps. (Set up is the verb; setup is the noun.)
- Incorrect: Checkout our new range. – Correct: Check out our new range. (Check out is the verb; checkout is the noun, as in go to checkout.)
Consistency across pages
On a website, consistency matters as much as correctness. Readers notice when the same thing has three different names. Decide on your conventions and write them down in a short style sheet that every contributor can see.
- Product and feature names, including capital letters
- British or American spelling, used throughout
- Heading style: sentence case or title case
- How you write dates, times and phone numbers
- Whether you address the reader as you, and the business as we
Do not forget the hidden text
Some of the most important text on a site is not in the main body. It is easy to skip because it only appears in certain situations or in search results.
- Page titles and meta descriptions shown in search results
- Navigation menus and footer links
- Button labels and form field labels
- Error messages, confirmation messages and empty states
- Image alt text for screen reader users
- Automatic emails sent after sign-up or purchase
Check links, numbers and facts
Grammar is only part of proofreading. Click every link and make sure it goes to the right page. Check that phone numbers, addresses, opening hours and dates are current. If a page mentions prices or plan details, confirm them with whoever owns that information, because they change more often than the page is updated.
- Incorrect: Our office is open from Monday to Friday, 9 am to 6 pm, and Saturday's. – Correct: Our office is open from Monday to Friday, 9 am to 6 pm, and on Saturdays. (Plural days do not take an apostrophe.)
Review on mobile and in every language
Many visitors will see your site on a phone. Check that headings do not break awkwardly, that buttons are not cut off and that long words do not overflow. A heading that reads well on a laptop can become a confusing three-line block on a small screen.
If your site has versions in several languages, each version needs its own proofreading by someone who reads that language well. Do not assume a translated page is correct because the original was.
Building proofreading into your publishing process
The simplest rule is that nobody publishes their own page without a second check, either by a colleague or a tool followed by a colleague. For language checks, CorrectNow detects the language automatically and explains each correction, which helps teams with writers of different backgrounds agree on what is right. Keep a record of recurring mistakes and add them to your style sheet so they stop coming back.
Frequently asked questions
Is it login or log in?
Use log in when it is an action, as in “Log in to continue.” Use login as a noun or adjective, as in “the login page.”
How often should I proofread an existing website?
Review key pages whenever products, prices or contact details change, and do a general review at regular intervals. Pages edited by several people tend to collect inconsistencies over time.
Can I proofread a page in a language I do not speak?
A grammar checker can catch many spelling and grammar errors, but for published pages it is best to also have a fluent speaker review the text for meaning and tone.
Proofread website copy in the editor · Browse supported languages · Check text in your website builder