Poor spelling cuts sales by 50%

He explains that this noticeable drop in sales suggests that misspellings put off consumers who may link the poor spelling to the company's credibility.

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Reading and writing skills

Not only has Duncombe noticed this nature of the consumer but also the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) has supported it. "Our recent research shows that 42% of employers are not satisfied with the basic reading and writing skills of school and college leavers and almost half have had to invest in remedial training to get their staff's skills up to scratch," says James Fothergill, the CBI's head of education.

Furthermore, William Dutton from the Oxford Internet Institute, says, "Where a consumer might be wary of spam or phishing efforts, a misspelt word could be a killer issue."

Proofreading is essential

The reason why writing correctly is so important is because 99% of all online efforts at selling is executed in the written word, says Duncombe. These statistics are backed by a series of tests he compiled, in which he measured the revenue per visitor to a specific website after an error was corrected- the result was that revenue doubled.

The solution is clear. A business needs to employ a proofreader or a copy editor to oversee all communication. "With today's means of communication, it is not necessary to hire someone permanently," says Claudio Milo, a copywriter and editor from Johannesburg, who explains that having a 'virtual' employee will ultimately increase sales, according to these statistics released by the BBC.

For more information, go to www.bbc.com/news/education.