Proofreading course – guidelines

When completing the tasks in the proofreading course, it is necessary to take into account:

linguistic, punctuation and spelling correctness;
the appropriate structure of the text for positioning;
the substantive layer of the proofread text;
formatting (including headings, bullet points, bolding);
adaptation of the appearance of the text under branding guidelines.

Proofreading course – tasks

Task 1 – Correction of blog article

Hi [name],

thank you for signing up for the proofreading course. During the course you will complete 12 tasks, and here is the first one: correction of blog article. Your task is to check the text and make corrections in change tracking mode. Then I will send you my comments and suggestions. This formula will repeat 12 times – for each text.

I am sending the guidelines for the text that the copywriter received:

Article title: Imposter syndrome – what is it and how to deal with it?
Keywords: imposter syndrome, how to deal with imposter syndrome

Article guidelines:

The article should contain 3000 characters with spaces (the number of characters in each text may vary by about +/-5%). You can easily check the number of characters in the article in a word processor or, for example, on this page: https://wordcounter.net/character-count.
The text should contain a short introduction (lead) and a development, i.e. main body. At the end you can also include a summary of the text in a few sentences.
The introduction to the article is to encourage the user to read the whole article. Lead should contain about 150-400 characters with spaces.
Use headings in the text every 500-1500 characters with spaces. In H2 headings always try to include keywords, in subsequent headings (H3-H6) it is not necessary, but it will not be wrong to include them there.
Keywords should also be in the introduction and occasionally in the main body (1-2 times for every 1000 characters with spaces).
Try to use keywords naturally, pay attention to proper grammar.

If you have any questions, please let me know.

Task 2 – Correction of category description

The guidelines for the text that the copywriter received:

Create a category description “sofas” for an online furniture store.
The category description should be 2000 characters with spaces.
Include in the description the keyword – sofas, sofas for living room. Also replace the sofa models from our store.
Use headings in the description – title and H2 headings.

Task 3 – Correction of blog article

The guidelines for the text that the copywriter received:

Article title: What are soft skills and how to develop them?
Keywords: soft skills, personal skills, interpersonal skills

Article guidelines:

The article should contain 3000 characters with spaces.
The text should contain a short introduction (lead) and a development, i.e. main body. At the end you can also include a summary of the text in a few sentences.
The introduction to the article is to encourage the user to read the whole article. Lead should contain about 150-400 characters with spaces.
Use headings in the text every 500-1500 characters with spaces. In H2 headings always try to include keywords, in subsequent headings (H3-H6) it is not necessary, but it will not be wrong to include them there.
Keywords should also be in the introduction and occasionally in the main body (1-2 times for every 1000 characters with spaces).
Try to use keywords naturally, pay attention to proper grammar.

Task 4 – Correction of blog article

The guidelines for the text that the copywriter received:

Article title: How to save money? The best ways to save money
Keywords: how to save the money, ways to save money

Article guidelines:

The article should contain 3000 characters with spaces.
The text should contain a short introduction (lead) and a development, i.e. main body. At the end you can also include a summary of the text in a few sentences.
The introduction to the article is to encourage the user to read the whole article. Lead should contain about 150-400 characters with spaces.
Use headings in the text every 500-1500 characters with spaces. In H2 headings always try to include keywords, in subsequent headings (H3-H6) it is not necessary, but it will not be wrong to include them there.
Keywords should also be in the introduction and occasionally in the main body (1-2 times for every 1000 characters with spaces).
Try to use keywords naturally, pay attention to proper grammar.

Task 5 – Correction of product description

The guidelines for the text that the copywriter received:

Create a product description – JUMI ARAGON laptop stand
The product description should contain 1000 characters with spaces.
Include keywords in the description – laptop stand, JUMI ARAGON laptop stand
Use headings in the description – title and H2 headings
Use the language of benefit to encourage the customer to buy.
You can use bullets and bold in the description, which will make it much easier for the customer to perceive the text.

Task 6 – Correction of blog article

The guidelines for the text that the copywriter received:

Article title: How to write a good text? 8 effective tips
Keywords: good text, how to write a good text

Article guidelines:

The article should contain 4000 characters with spaces.
The text should contain a short introduction (lead) and a development, i.e. main body. At the end you can also include a summary of the text in a few sentences.
The introduction to the article is to encourage the user to read the whole article. Lead should contain about 150-400 characters with spaces.
Use headings in the text every 500-1500 characters with spaces. In H2 headings always try to include keywords, in subsequent headings (H3-H6) it is not necessary, but it will not be wrong to include them there.
Keywords should also be in the introduction and occasionally in the main body (1-2 times for every 1000 characters with spaces).
Try to use keywords naturally, pay attention to proper grammar.

Task 7 – Correction of blog article

The guidelines for the text that the copywriter received:

Article title: What is fake news and how to recognize it?
Keyword: fake news

Article guidelines:

The article should contain 4000 characters with spaces.
The text should contain a short introduction (lead) and a development, i.e. main body. At the end you can also include a summary of the text in a few sentences.
The introduction to the article is to encourage the user to read the whole article. Lead should contain about 150-400 characters with spaces.
Use headings in the text every 500-1500 characters with spaces. In H2 headings always try to include keywords, in subsequent headings (H3-H6) it is not necessary, but it will not be wrong to include them there.
Keywords should also be in the introduction and occasionally in the main body (1-2 times for every 1000 characters with spaces).
Try to use keywords naturally, pay attention to proper grammar.

Task 8 – Correction of sponsored article

This time your task is to proofread a sponsored article. Its form is not very different from a blog article, except that in the sponsored text there is a link to a specific site.

The guidelines for the text that the copywriter received:

Title: How to run a company blog and is it worth doing?
Keywords: running a blog, company blog, corporate blog

Anchor text, i.e. the word that should be linked: copywriter
Link to tag in anchor text: https://contentwriter.us/how-to-become-a-copywriter/

Task 9 – Correction of blog article

The guidelines for the text that the copywriter received:

Article title: What is procrastination and how to fight it?
Keywords: procrastination, how to overcome procrastination

Article guidelines:

The article should contain 4000 characters with spaces.
The text should contain a short introduction (lead) and a development, i.e. main body. At the end you can also include a summary of the text in a few sentences.
The introduction to the article is to encourage the user to read the whole article. Lead should contain about 150-400 characters with spaces.
Use headings in the text every 500-1500 characters with spaces. In H2 headings always try to include keywords, in subsequent headings (H3-H6) it is not necessary, but it will not be wrong to include them there.
Keywords should also be in the introduction and occasionally in the main body (1-2 times for every 1000 characters with spaces).
Try to use keywords naturally, pay attention to proper grammar.

Task 10 – Correction of blog article

The guidelines for the text that the copywriter received:

Article title: Is bread fattening? What kind of bread to choose on a diet?
Keywords: bread, is bread fattening

Article guidelines:

The article should contain 4000 characters with spaces.
The text should contain a short introduction (lead) and a development, i.e. main body. At the end you can also include a summary of the text in a few sentences.
The introduction to the article is to encourage the user to read the whole article. Lead should contain about 150-400 characters with spaces.
Use headings in the text every 500-1500 characters with spaces. In H2 headings always try to include keywords, in subsequent headings (H3-H6) it is not necessary, but it will not be wrong to include them there.
Keywords should also be in the introduction and occasionally in the main body (1-2 times for every 1000 characters with spaces).
Try to use keywords naturally, pay attention to proper grammar.

Task 11 – Correction of Facebook post

The guidelines for the post that the copywriter received:

Create a Facebook post for a content marketing agency’s fanpage.
Describe in the post some interesting issue from the copywriting, content writing, marketing or SEO industry.
The Facebook post should contain 600 characters with spaces.
You can use the language of benefits.
Use call to action – for example, encourage readers to leave a comment.
Use bullets and emoticons.

Task 12 – Correction of blog article

The guidelines for the text that the copywriter received:

Article title: How to set up a home office? Arranging a home office space
Keywords: home office, home office space

Article guidelines:

The article should contain 5000 characters with spaces.
The text should contain a short introduction (lead) and a development, i.e. main body. At the end you can also include a summary of the text in a few sentences.
The introduction to the article is to encourage the user to read the whole article. Lead should contain about 150-400 characters with spaces.
Use headings in the text every 500-1500 characters with spaces. In H2 headings always try to include keywords, in subsequent headings (H3-H6) it is not necessary, but it will not be wrong to include them there.
Keywords should also be in the introduction and occasionally in the main body (1-2 times for every 1000 characters with spaces).
Try to use keywords naturally, pay attention to proper grammar.

Tasks – files

Tasks to download

Download the tasks and translate them into your language.
Add errors – linguistic, punctuation, spelling, phraseological errors; typos, double spaces, repetitions, incorrect characters (e.g. semicolon instead of colon, period in a headline), incorrect marking of headings, etc. These “pitfalls” will be a learning experience for your trainees.
Save the files in two versions – one with errors (which will be sent to the trainees), the other with marked errors (which will be a comparison for the training supervisor). The version with marked errors: you can add changes in change tracking mode, add comments, mark something with a different color, etc.