## Why you need a style guide

Give your writers a clear, shared way to write – and save hours of avoidable edits – with a style guide your whole team will actually use.

## Clarity beats endless rewrites

If every draft triggers debates about hyphens, capitalisation or tone, you don’t have a writing problem – you have a standards problem. An editorial style guide fixes that by setting out simple, agreed rules your authors can follow first time.

## What an editorial style guide covers

A good guide explains how to write about your organisation and audience, and spells out the nuts and bolts: spelling and -ise/-ize choices, grammar, punctuation, capitalisation, numbers, sector terms, plain-English preferences, voice and tone, links and citations, metadata and accessibility notes. The result: faster drafts, fewer edits, consistent, trustworthy content.

## Why it matters

Consistent, correct writing builds trust. Inconsistent writing – or avoidable mistakes – does the opposite. A style guide makes “right first time” the default, reducing cost and friction across content design, marketing and comms.

## What the research says

Various studies and surveys report that correctness and consistency influence perceived credibility and purchase intent. The exact percentages vary, but the direction is clear: mistakes put people off; getting it right never does. [See a selection of sources](https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=spelling+and+grammar+mistakes+in+websites+facts+and+figures).

## How I create yours

1. **We scope the essentials.** Who’s writing, for whom, and where the pain points are now.
2. **I audit your content.** I review representative pages and current guidelines to spot patterns and conflicts.
3. **I draft the guide.** Clear, example-led rules your team can apply immediately.
4. **We refine.** You give feedback on the draft, and I adjust within the agreed round(s) of amends.

## Style guide packages

### Open-access style guide

£0

**Use my free generic editorial style guide** to get started today. It’s an online resource you can copy and adapt – no sign-up required.
- **Best for:** teams that need a baseline quickly.
[VIEW FREE GUIDE](https://cliffordandco.uk/generic-style-guide/)

### Custom style guide

£900 + VAT

**A house style that fits your brand and sector**

I compile a concise, practical guide tailored to your content and channels, with decisions on common dilemmas agreed up front.
- Initial Q&A call to understand your needs.
- Audit of main website pages plus one or two collateral pieces, and recent social posts (if any) – to gauge writing style, set consistent spelling/grammar/punctuation, and identify organisation-specific terminology.
- Documentation of findings and any queries.
- Draft editorial style guide for review and feedback.
- One round of amends.
- Finished guide you can treat as a living document.
- **Output:** a customised editorial style guide presented as a clean, ready-to-use Word document that you can adapt for your intranet, design template or PDF distribution.
- **Typical turnaround:** about 2–3 weeks.

### Premium style guide

£1,600 + VAT

**For larger teams or higher-visibility content**

Everything in Custom, plus extended coverage where consistency matters most – including optional notes on voice, tone and terminology, with worked examples for common problem areas.
- Initial Q&A call to understand your needs.
- Comprehensive audit of your website(s) and other relevant collateral, plus social channels.
- Extended coverage: e.g. optional notes on voice and tone (where useful), sector terminology lists, illustrative examples for common problem areas, and practical tips for putting the guide into everyday use.
- Documentation of findings and queries.
- Follow-up call for early feedback.
- Draft editorial style guide for review and feedback.
- Up to two rounds of amends.
- Finished guide designed to be updated by your team as needed.
- **Output:** a premium customised guide presented as a clean, ready-to-use Word document that you can adapt for your intranet, design template or PDF distribution.
- **Typical turnaround:** 3–4 weeks.

## Scope

These packages focus on clarity, consistency and speed to publish. All work is best-endeavours: results will vary depending on team size, channels and governance.

## Why do this now?

- It removes bottlenecks and opinion wars – drafts move faster.
- It raises perceived quality and trust across all channels.
- It pays back quickly in fewer edits and less rework.

## Let’s get your team writing with one voice

[Contact me](https://cliffordandco.uk/contact) to discuss any of these services or your own special requirement.