Blog post pre-publish checklist
Guys, I came across this resource and thought its worth sharing with the fellow mates. Its all about that final touch that you need to apply to your content before unleashing it to the public domain. If you want to make sure that your next blog post is optimized fully before you publish, run it through this 27-point checklist...
Content
1.Content is helpful to the target audience. Helps them DO something.
2.Relevant and supports the overall brand.
3.Will people be able to walk away from the post with a “take away”?
4.Content is not repetitive of already-published content.
5.Content is unique and offers something not said a million times already.
Search Engine Optimization
1.[X][Keyword Phrase][Curiosity Phrase]
2.Does the headline stand out?
3.Does the headline contain a promise of payoff on the reader’s time?
4.Is the URL “slug” cleaned up? Contain keyword phrase?
5.Keyword phrase found within the content? Within sub-headlines?
6.Any images have keyword phrase in the filename. ALT and TITLE tags contain keyword phrase.
7.Meta description defined for proper display in Google SERPS.
Marketing
1.Post has a call to action (click for more, leave a comment, etc.)
2.Post headline designed to grab attention.
3.Opening paragraph designed to pull the reader into the rest of the post.
4.Sub-headers phrased to entice further reading.
Formatting
1.Post is free of grammar and spelling errors.
2.Post includes clear, professional imagery to back it up (if strategically relevant)
3.Paragraphs are short. No long paragraphs.
4.Internals links to relevant posts in the archives (2-3 links max)
5.External links to relevant sites/posts on authority sites in niche. Opens in new window.
6.Post is formatted for easy scanning (bullet points, sub-headers, etc.) and does not force the reader to read long passages to judge the usefulness of the post.
7.Post is properly categorized and tagged (if applicable).
8.If blog uses excerpt, the excerpt is manually defined for proper formatting. Excerpt phrased to spike curiosity and invite reader to read rest of the post.
9.Caps at beginning of words in post title and sub-headlines.
10.Sub-headers use the H1, H2, H3 tags rather than just bold.
Recent Comments
6
Josphat,
Thanks for sharing this preliminary publishing information.
Thankfully I do hit most, before publishing, but I did not when I 1st started out.
I can tell the difference in my Google SERP since adopting many of these steps.
Thanks again for sharing and I hope many may benefit from this!
Gary
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Hey Gary! That's is great information. I know I will, definitely benefit from the information.
Hey Bennie,
You need to be thanking Josphat, this was his information, but thanks anyhow.
My best,
Gary