The Basic Contrast between Copy Editing and Content Editing

Posted by Acadecraft Inc on April 27th, 2021

Often people assume that copy editing and content editing are the same things. However, the experts of content editing services say that there is a very fine line of difference between them. While copy editing is a superficial task of checking the superficial aspects of the content such as spellings, formatting, proofreading, etc. Whereas content editing is in-depth auditing of content that checks the facts, sentence structure, tone of the content, etc.

In this article, we will have a brief discussion about the basic contrast between copy editing and content editing. Let us read the entire article to find out more insights on this topic. 

Copy editing

Copy editing is considered to be the first layer of editing. It includes activities such as spelling check, grammar check, regional language difference check, etc. Being that said, copy editing is also an important part of editing. A piece of content can never be presented if it contains spelling errors and grammatical errors. Therefore, it might be the first layer but also the first important step towards editing. The following are the tasks that a copy editor performs:

● Proofreading

● Spelling check

● Regional language difference (American English or British English) 

● Formatting (APA or MLA)

Content editing

We have already covered the initial grammar checks and spell checks through the copy-editing process. Now it is time for checking the legitimacy of the data, sentence structure, SEO elements, and tone of the content which are covered by the content editing process. Hence, it can be rightly said that content editing is the in-depth process of content evolution which is why it is also known as developmental editing. The following are tasks that are performed by a great content editor: 

 Fact-checking- It is the process of verifying the legitimacy of the data (names and numeric data) used in the content.

 Sentence structure and flow- This refers to if the content is presented in logical progression or not. It also checks if the structure of the content is engaging for the readers or not.

 SEO auditing- Your great quality insightful content won’t reach readers without the implementation of SEO and other digital marketing strategies. Therefore, copy editing also checks if the SEO strategies are properly utilized in the content.

 The tone of the content- The message that your brand is trying to convey depends on the tone of your content. The content editor needs to check what originally the voice of your brand is and decide what the voice will be in the content depending on the circumstance.

 At this point, we have reached the end of this article. By now you must have understood that both copy editing and content editing might seem similar yet they are different. Needless to say that both are important steps for content production. Mastering these skills enables you to consistently produce great quality content that gives your website a higher rank on Google and drives organic traffic to your site.