Editing Your Own Business Copy (Without Going Cross-eyed)
You’ve written your website copy, your About page, your service descriptions - and now, you’re staring at them, wondering: Is any of this working? Maybe something feels off. Maybe your tone shifts halfway through. Maybe you’re just plain bored of reading it again.
Editing your own words is hard, especially when you’ve been living inside them for weeks or months. But it’s also doable, even if you’re not a writer by trade. You just need the right tools and a bit of perspective. This post offers five practical tips to help you step back, sharpen up, and polish your copy until it shines.
1. Walk Away First
Before you edit, give your brain a break. Put the copy away for at least 24 hours (longer if you can). You’ll spot awkward phrasing, repetition, or vague language much faster with fresh eyes.
If you’ve read it so many times you’re immune to its flaws, step back. A pause is the most underrated editing tool there is.
2. Read It Aloud
Yes, out loud - even if you feel ridiculous. This is one of the fastest ways to hear where your tone jars or your sentences ramble. If you run out of breath or trip over a sentence, it likely needs trimming or breaking up.
Reading aloud transforms your ear from ‘writer’ to ‘reader.’ It’s where clunky rhythms and wordy tangents reveal themselves.
3. Get Ruthless About Clarity
Your business copy shouldn’t sound impressive; it should sound clear. Ask yourself: Would your ideal client understand this instantly? Would a teenager?
Cut jargon. Be specific. Replace “solutions” with what you actually do. Replace “committed to excellence” with something real.
Good business copy doesn’t puff up. It gets to the point - with warmth, personality, and purpose.
Sometimes the best edits happen away from the screen. Printing your copy can help you spot what your eyes missed the first time.
4. Check for Consistency
Look for tone, tense, and voice inconsistencies. If you’re using first-person (“I offer…”), don’t suddenly switch to third-person (“LFP Editorial Studio provides…”). If your tone is warm and relaxed in one section, don’t suddenly shift to corporate speak elsewhere.
Use a style guide if it helps - or even a short checklist of house rules: preferred punctuation, spellings, and formatting quirks.
Bonus Tip: Choose a Style Guide (and Stick to It)
If you want your writing to feel polished and consistent, a style guide is your friend. These are rulebooks used by writers, editors, and publishers to ensure consistency in spelling, punctuation, grammar, formatting, and tone.
You don’t need to memorise one - just pick one and refer to it when questions arise.
Here are a few trusted style guides to explore:
For UK English:
New Hart’s Rules (Oxford Style): Clear, authoritative, and widely used in UK publishing and academia.
The Guardian and Observer Style Guide: A great free guide with a friendly tone - useful for journalists, bloggers, and anyone writing web copy.
For US English:
The Chicago Manual of Style (CMOS): The gold standard for publishing and long-form writing - ideal if you’re writing across platforms or publishing books.
AP Stylebook: Used by journalists and media outlets - leaner and more focused on clarity and brevity.
Choose one that matches your brand tone and writing goals. Once you’ve got a guide in mind, you’ll find it much easier to answer niggling questions like “Is it email or e-mail?”, “Do I use an Oxford comma?”, or “Is it organisation or organization?”
5. Don’t Edit Everything at Once
Divide the task. One pass for spelling and grammar. Another for tone and flow. Another to check clarity. Trying to fix everything in one go will fry your brain.
And remember: perfection isn’t the goal. Connection is.
Still Stuck?
If you’ve read your copy a dozen times and still don’t know what’s wrong, it’s okay to ask for help. A second pair of eyes can spot what you can’t. That’s what editors do - we come in with care, clarity, and just enough distance to help your voice shine through.
Whether you need a final polish or a full copy overhaul, I’d love to help.
