Everyone needs quality content. But finding reliable proofreading and editing services to deliver that content is difficult than normally expected.
Make no mistake about it; there are tons of shady services that will only work against your needs as a business. That is why it’s important to follow up on our 7 tips to know exactly how to find the most reliable proofreading and editing services.
So without wasting your time too much, let’s start.
Determine What You Need
First things first, you have to decide what you actually need. Proofreading and editing are two separate things. They’re different because the processes are different. In proofreading, you’re essentially looking for someone to add the finishing touches to your writing. In editing, you’re asking for a more detailed process where an editor can make big changes to the writing.
This might mean changing the entire subject of the writing, changing the style, the language, etc.
So before you go out and pay someone to solve an issue, determine what you need first. If you already have a sales copy and you’re looking for someone to inspect it and perfect it, then you’re looking for proofreading services.
Determine What Type of Writing You Need
Depending on what sort of industry you work in, you might need proofreaders or editors that specialize in that field. Academic writing is different from blogging. Naturally, an academic writer uses a different language, approach, and writing style than a blogger.
So if you need academic writing, chances are you won’t find one if you don’t do your research. Academic writing is also much more expensive than coming up with blog posts or a sale copy. While some agencies do offer different types of writing, you have to make sure they’re ideal for you.
Look At Their Record
Once you’ve figured out exactly what you need, the next step is to look for reliable service. We always start by looking at a particular writing service record.
It’s no secret that more and more of these services are appearing as years go by. The industry is absolutely huge and a simple Google search on the matter will leave you looking for days. This isn’t a good way to go about this problem.
To find reliable services, you have to focus on what makes a service reliable. For many, it’s having a proven track record. And this is a good starting place.
The more documents and work a particular service has done, the more experienced they are. You can easily determine this one by simply looking at how long they’ve existed. If they’ve been around for years, then that’s a good sign.
Look At Reviews and Ratings
Reviews and ratings are there to make sure we don’t hire the wrong people or do business with the wrong companies. Luckily for us, Google makes it possible to leave a review or rating for a company. And when looking at reliable proofreading and editing services, looking for their reviews and ratings is another great place to start.
To easily figure out this one, simply type the name of the service in Google followed by “Reviews” or “Ratings”. You might even find websites that specialize in reviewing these services. One such website that ranks proofreading and editing services based on numerous criteria is top20writingservices.
If a particular service also has a mobile app, then you can also look at the app’s rating on the App Store or Google Play Store.
Look At Their Prices
The next thing to look at is pricing. As you can imagine, different services offer different prices. There are many ways proofreaders and editors charge for their work. Some charge based on word count, while others by the hour.
If a particular service charge significantly less than what the industry does, then that is an obvious red flag. Most online proofreaders and editors stick to around the same price. However, it is quite easy to notice huge disparities in pricing.
As a general rule of thumb, never pay too much or too little. Always look for a healthy middle ground that is affordable and convenient.
What’s Their Ordering Process Like?
In the case of online services, there has to be some way to order the work. But as you can imagine, some services have a more convenient ordering process than others.
The most reliable services will immediately assign someone to get the job done. It shouldn’t matter if it’s the weekend or if it’s a national holiday, the service will tell you when you can expect the work to be done.
During the ordering process, a reliable service will tell you exactly how much the proofreading or editing will cost you. In addition to that, you should be connected to a proofreader or editor within your field of work.
Delivery Time
Delivery time is an important factor that cannot be overlooked. When looking at the delivery rates for online services, most will charge an additional cost for a faster turnaround.
Depending on the type of work needed, you shouldn’t jump at the opportunity of having your work delivered back in 12 hours. As you can imagine, both proofreading and editing can be quite difficult processes. So you should always expect a turnaround between a day and a few days. Let the service assess the work, edit it, and deliver it without compromising quality.
Proofreading and editing aren’t done in an hour, and a professional in the industry knows this. While everyone prides on fast turnarounds, it is up to the editor or proofreader to determine when you can expect the work to be done.
Conclusion
The writing industry is massive as everyone needs professional writing. When that’s the case, companies often turn their attention towards proofreading and editing services for all of their writing needs. But to find out the most reliable ones, well you will have to do your research. We hope that the 7 tips we mentioned are enough to find the most reliable ones.