"Is Grammar is Killing Content?"

[martinibuster]

The article states: [performinsider.com]

Duane Forrester from Bing even said, “If you struggle to get past typos, why would an engine show a page of content with errors higher in the rankings when other pages of content exist to serve the searcher?”

When was the last time you saw poorly written content ranking in the SERPs? What's your opinion?

[tangor]

I think it depends on the niche more then anything.I see all to many pages which mistakes even spell chekers cant fix.

(In the above are examples of the more common errors I encounter)

Unlike print, or how print usually works, a web article does not have a host of editors and readers refining the document before publication. It is a well-known fact that the writer of a piece is the worst editor because they KNOW what it is supposed to say, and unconsciously overlook any typos and grammatical errors.

Bing's comment, however, is valid. If two or more pages on the same subject exist, the one more grammatically correct would (and should) be served FIRST.

[toidi]

Content started it's slow painful death when the goog declared content is king and everyone should concentrate on creating content. It has been downhill ever since.

[Samizdata]

Unlike print, or how print usually works, a web article does not have a host of editors and readers refining the document before publication. It is a well-known fact that the writer of a piece is the worst editor because they KNOW what it is supposed to say, and unconsciously overlook any typos and grammatical errors.

All very true, but unlike print, a webpage can be corrected afterwards.

What's your opinion?

People who are not at least mildly obsessive about grammar and spelling should not write for publication at all.

Search engines are right to consider such matters.

Nobody rates a musician who plays bum notes.

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[Samizdata]

Content started it's slow painful death when the goog declared content is king

There is no problem in the world today - war, famine, pestilence, death, global warming, earthquakes, tsunamis, pollution, plane crashes, plagues of frogs etc - that cannot be blamed on Google if you are determined enough.

The only exception is the content of my websites, for which I happily take sole responsibility.

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[Marshall]

On the flip side, have you heard the way kids talk or seen how they write? It is a language all its own without regard to proper grammar or tense. Maybe they are not typos but people who do not no better. (Yes, the 'no' was intentional)

Marshall

[tangor]

Following up on Marshall's comment: we can also look to text messaging and twitter for destroying ordinary grammar!

[Samizdata]

have you heard the way kids talk

Speech is a different medium, even adults rarely talk grammatically.

text messaging and twitter

Also different, abbreviation is almost compulsory in those formats.

User generated content (such as this forum) also generally gets a free pass - people recognise that comments are made at speed, often with little opportunity for correction, and mostly by folks who would not claim to be "writers". Only the most pedantic will flag up their errors.

Formal articles, reports, journalism, fiction, commercial copy and the like are held to a higher standard of grammar and spelling - and rightly so, in my opinion - than the semi-literate cesspit of YouTube comments.

But we all make misteaks.

LOL

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