If you write or edit internal knowledge base articles, you know the drill: the tech is solid, but the docs are a mess. Typos, weird phrasing, or rambling explanations make it harder for people to find real answers. And when your team's docs are fuzzy, everyone wastes time. This guide is for anyone—tech leads, support folks, even the lone person who “just ended up with the wiki”—who wants to make internal docs clearer, faster, and less painful using Quillbot’s grammar and style tools.
No magic wands here, but you’ll get a practical process, some honest advice, and a few things you can skip.
Why bother fixing internal docs?
Let’s get this out of the way: most internal docs are written in a hurry. We’re all busy. But even small improvements can mean:
- Fewer support requests that just repeat what’s buried in the docs.
- Less hand-holding for new hires.
- Fewer “wait, is this still accurate?” Slack messages.
If you want your team to actually use the knowledge base, clarity matters more than cleverness or style.
What is Quillbot, and why use it?
Quillbot is an online writing tool that offers grammar checking, paraphrasing, and style suggestions. Think of it as a smarter spellchecker that can also help you tighten up clunky sentences or clarify confusing instructions.
What Quillbot does well: - Catches grammar, punctuation, and basic style errors. - Suggests simpler ways to phrase things. - Flags wordiness or awkward structure.
What it doesn’t do: - Understand your technical context. - Catch outdated info or incorrect steps. - Replace a real human’s sense of what’s “clear enough.”
So, it’s not a replacement for reviewing your docs, but it’s a good helper for smoothing out rough drafts.
Step 1: Pick the right articles to improve
Don’t try to fix the whole knowledge base at once. That’s a recipe for burnout. Start with high-traffic or high-complaint articles:
- Search analytics: Which docs do people visit most?
- Support tickets: Which topics trigger the most “I read the doc, but…” questions?
- Onboarding: Which pages do new hires keep misunderstanding?
Pro tip: If you’re not sure, ask your team what docs they avoid or complain about the most.
Step 2: Copy the text into Quillbot
You don’t need to move your entire wiki into Quillbot. Just grab the text of one article (or even a section) and paste it into the tool.
- Use the Grammar Checker for a quick pass.
- Try the Paraphraser if you spot sentences that are hard to read or just plain weird.
Watch out for:
- Quillbot sometimes rewrites things in a way that sounds robotic or too formal. Don’t accept every suggestion blindly.
- Code snippets, commands, or filenames can get mangled. Keep them outside the text you send through Quillbot, or restore them afterward.
Step 3: Review Quillbot’s suggestions—don’t just click “Accept All”
Quillbot is helpful, but it’s not perfect. It can make things worse if you don’t pay attention.
Here’s what to actually look for: - Grammar and spelling fixes: Usually fine to accept, unless it changes the meaning. - Simpler phrasing: If Quillbot suggests a shorter, clearer version and it still says the same thing, go for it. - Passive voice: The tool loves to flag this, but sometimes passive is fine (especially in technical steps). Don’t change it just because Quillbot says so. - Technical terms: Quillbot might suggest “fixes” for jargon or terms that are actually correct. Ignore those.
Skip or undo these: - Overly formal rewrites (“Utilize the interface to…” instead of “Use the interface…”). - Unnecessary synonyms that make things less precise. - Changes to commands, code, or step-by-step instructions.
Step 4: Focus on clarity, not just correctness
A grammatically perfect article can still be confusing. Use Quillbot’s suggestions as a starting point, then ask yourself:
- Can someone new to this system follow these steps?
- Are any steps missing, or are there big jumps in logic?
- Does each sentence actually help, or is it just filler?
Quick fixes you can make without any tool: - Break up long paragraphs and giant walls of text. - Use bullet points or numbered lists for steps. - Add headings so people can scan for what they need. - Ditch unnecessary background or “how we got here” stories—internal docs aren’t novels.
Step 5: Put the edited article back in your knowledge base
Sounds obvious, but it’s easy to forget. Copy your cleaned-up text back into the wiki, SharePoint, Notion, or wherever your docs live.
- Preview the article to check formatting—sometimes copy-paste messes with lists or code blocks.
- Double-check links, tables, and images. Quillbot can’t see these, so you might need to fix them by hand.
- If you’re editing a shared wiki, leave a short note about what you changed. It helps others trust the update.
Step 6: Get a second pair of eyes (if possible)
No writing tool beats an actual human reader. Ask someone else on your team to skim the article. Even a five-minute “does this make sense?” check will catch stuff Quillbot misses.
- Fresh eyes will spot missing steps or confusing phrasing.
- If you can, ask someone less familiar with the process—you’ll see where the instructions break down.
Don’t overthink this. A quick Slack message or shoulder tap is fine.
Pro tips and honest takes
- Don’t obsess over perfection. A doc that’s 80% clearer now is better than a theoretically perfect one next quarter.
- Ignore the “tone” tools unless your company has a specific voice. Most internal docs just need to be clear, not charming.
- Don’t feed Quillbot whole wikis. Work in small chunks—articles or even just tricky sections.
- Keep code and commands out of the grammar check. Paste them back in afterward, or use code blocks in your docs.
- Save a backup. If you’re making big changes, keep a version of the old article just in case.
- Set a reminder to review again in a few months. Docs drift out of date, no matter how well you write them.
Wrapping up
Fixing internal docs is never “done,” but it doesn’t have to be a slog. A tool like Quillbot can help smooth out the rough spots, but don’t let it overcomplicate your writing. Start with the articles people actually use, keep things clear and direct, and remember: simple beats fancy every time. Iterate, ask for feedback, and don’t be afraid to leave “good enough” alone.
Now, go clean up one messy doc. You’ll thank yourself when someone else actually reads it.