Many international businesses hesitate to invest in professional English editing. "It's an extra expense," they think. "Our English is good enough." But is it? Let's examine the actual return on investment of professional editing.
The Hidden Costs of Poor English
Before we calculate ROI, let's understand what poor English is costing you:
Lost Sales
Studies show that 59% of consumers won't buy from websites with obvious grammar and spelling errors. Poor English signals low quality and damages trust.
Example: If you're getting 10,000 visitors per month with a 2% conversion rate (200 sales), improving your English could increase that to 3% (300 sales). That's 100 additional sales per month.
Lower Prices
Products with poor English descriptions sell for 10-20% less than identical products with professional descriptions. Customers assume lower quality and expect discounts.
Increased Returns
Confusing product descriptions lead to wrong purchases and returns. Each return costs you shipping, restocking, and customer service time.
Customer Service Burden
Poor English generates customer questions. "What does this mean?" "Is this compatible with...?" Each question costs staff time.
Damaged Reputation
Bad reviews mentioning "poor English" or "confusing instructions" hurt your long-term reputation and rankings.
The Investment
Professional English editing typically costs:
- Product descriptions: $15-25 per item (300-500 words)
- Technical manuals: $0.08-0.15 per word
- Marketing content: $0.10-0.20 per word
Let's use a realistic example: You're selling 50 products on Amazon. Professional editing for all 50 descriptions costs approximately $1,000.
Calculating ROI
Now let's calculate the return on that $1,000 investment:
Scenario: Small Amazon Seller
Before professional editing:
- 50 products listed
- Average price: $30
- Monthly visitors: 5,000
- Conversion rate: 1.5% (75 sales)
- Monthly revenue: $2,250
After professional editing:
- Same 50 products
- Average price: $33 (10% higher due to perceived quality)
- Monthly visitors: 5,000
- Conversion rate: 2.5% (125 sales, 67% increase)
- Monthly revenue: $4,125
Monthly improvement: $1,875
Investment: $1,000
Payback period: Less than 1 month
Annual additional revenue: $22,500
That's a 2,250% annual ROI on your editing investment.
Scenario: B2B Manufacturer
Before professional editing:
- Website with product catalog
- 20 inquiries per month
- 25% convert to sales (5 sales)
- Average order value: $5,000
- Monthly revenue: $25,000
After professional editing:
- Same website, better English
- 30 inquiries per month (50% increase due to improved credibility)
- 35% convert to sales (10.5 sales)
- Average order value: $5,500 (10% higher due to premium positioning)
- Monthly revenue: $57,750
Monthly improvement: $32,750
Investment: $3,000 (website editing)
Payback period: Less than 1 month
Annual additional revenue: $393,000
That's a 13,100% annual ROI.
Beyond Direct Sales
Professional English editing provides additional benefits that are harder to quantify but equally valuable:
Brand Reputation
Professional English positions you as a quality, trustworthy business. This has long-term value beyond immediate sales.
SEO Benefits
Well-written English content ranks better in search engines. Better grammar, natural phrasing, and proper keyword usage all improve your search visibility.
Reduced Support Costs
Clear, accurate English reduces customer questions and support tickets. This saves staff time and improves customer satisfaction.
Partnership Opportunities
Professional communication opens doors to partnerships, distributors, and larger clients who won't work with businesses that appear unprofessional.
Employee Morale
Your sales and support teams feel more confident representing a business with professional English content.
The Compound Effect
The ROI compounds over time:
- Year 1: Immediate sales increase from better descriptions
- Year 2: Improved search rankings drive more organic traffic
- Year 3: Strong reputation attracts larger clients and partnerships
- Year 4+: Established brand recognition and customer loyalty
When to Invest
Professional editing provides the highest ROI when:
- You're entering or expanding in English-speaking markets
- You're launching new products
- Your conversion rates are lower than industry averages
- You're receiving customer questions about unclear descriptions
- You're competing against native English-speaking businesses
Conclusion
Professional English editing isn't an expense—it's an investment with measurable, substantial returns. For most businesses, the investment pays for itself within weeks and continues generating returns for years.
The question isn't "Can we afford professional editing?" It's "Can we afford NOT to invest in professional editing?"
If you're serious about succeeding in English-speaking markets, professional editing is one of the highest-ROI investments you can make.