Does a web site need to be well written?

As a copywriter, I'm bound to say yes.

Just consider though, the drawbacks of not taking the time to check what you're publishing.

If what you are saying isn't crystal clear

• your audience won't understand what you are trying to say
• you will lose credibility for your business and your products
• you won't get even interested readers through to the point where you make a sale

Some people argue that the information you put on a web site is so transitory that getting it grammatically right really isn't important. Yet once published, web pages remain in existence for ever, and can be found through search engines long after you thought you'd replaced them.

Content management systems don't help the situation. Content owners - the people doing the job on a day-to-day basis - are often encouraged to take control of writing and posting their own content. Yet not everyone - in fact not many - have the skills to write accurately and effectively.

If you employ accountants to do your bookwork, a mechanic to mend your car or a builder to put up your extension, you are using other people's skills to do a better job than you could yourself - even if you had the time to give it a shot. Writing for marketing is a skilled job too. At the least, encourage your web content producers to get a second opinion on their copy before they publish. Even better, ask a professional to proofread, edit or write your content so that what you say to the world is polished, clear and a credit to your business.