Wen bad spelling iz a goood thing…

Posted by Laura Bergells

April 26, 2007

When I perform keyword research, I am often amazed at how often people search for misspelled words. Quite a few times, I have noted that more people search for a misspelled word than a properly spelled one!

This is particularly true for BRAND NAMES. check misspellings

I can think of two sites that I work with that get more traffic for the misspelled versions of their brand names than for correct spellings. Misspellings are way more common that you might think — after all, many of web visitors may not speak (or write) your native language. They are typing what your name sounds like to their ears.

(And sum peeple just dont spel gud!)

But what to do about the Brand Guide, aka, your company’s “Logo Nazi”? They will often insist that you NEVER misspell your company name on your website. The problem is, by not including common misspellings in your web copy, you risk not being found by misspelling people who are trying to find your site!

So how about using humor to defuse the tension in the brand deparment while engaging misspellers? Why not develop a page of content that addresses the “TOP TEN WAYS” web searchers mess up your name?

Or how about educating your visitor by describing the history and story of your company name, along with sidebar information on the most common misspellings?

By including the misspellings at your site, you can attract visitors from search engines. Instead of adopting the attitude of,

“We don’t want to attract people who don’t know how to spell our wonderful name”

….why not use the misspelling as an opportunity to attract and engage visitors who are actively seeking you out?

There are more bad spellers in the world than you might think! Don’t turn your backs on us!