Blog Checklist - 13 Things to Review Before You Hit Publish

Do you ever hit the "publish" button for your new post then cringe because you see a mistake or missing word, or realize your forgot to add an image?

During recent consults with clients who are launching new blogs, the question popped up about how to make sure their blog posts were "correct" before they went live. While I don't think there are hard and fast rules, there are a few things you can review to make sure your best work is going out to the world. Following are 13 things I look for before hitting the "publish" button...

Use this checklist to ask yourself a few questions as you are reading through your blog post for typos and grammar:

__ Is the topic clear to someone who only reads the headline?

__ Does the lead paragraph tell who and what the story is about and why the reader should care about it?

__ Is the angle you've used likely to seem newsworthy?

__ Would someone who knows absolutely nothing about this topic understand this post?

__ Is the post free of jargon?

__ Have you peppered the headline and the post with keywords and phrases that will be attractive to search engines? 

__ Did you ask your readers a question at the end, or something to stimulate readers to comment? 

__ Did you write with the reader in mind, always keeping in mind WIIFT? (What’s In It For Them?)

__ Did you add an image or video that helps tell the story?

__ Did you add a Call to Action at the end of the post? What do you want your reader to do next?

__ Have you included links to related posts (internal) and related sources (external)?

__ Did you assign the post to the right category and add 3-5 tags?

__ Is the post easy to read – is it scanable (short sentences, short paragraphs, plenty of white space)?

What's on your blog checklist? What would you add to this list to ensure you publish a great post?

Related Posts:

7 Tips for Better Blog Posts

6 Ways to Produce Quality Blog Content

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Comments

[David Moore]

Great tips! Not using jargon is crucial to attracting readers who are interested in a topic, but may not be familiar with the language.

[MaryJo Wagner]

Always check that your links work.

[Cynthia Medina]

Great checklist and it comes just in time as I was asked to write one for our bloggers.

[Jean Marc Pellerin]

Good Job. These are definitly the right strps to follow to publish successful business blog posts. Jargon is for specific jobs and should be left out, or fully explained within the article.

[Malcom]

Great post! I love that you really emphasize being unique when you write your blog posts. It is so important to stand out in this day and age. Like, for instance, I know my audience is people who are looking for social media ADVICE, not social media news. So I don’t talk about the latest trends, platforms and changes on FB; I talk about how to improve your social media standing or little quirks within social media.

[Bob Redington]

Yes, it is very important to step back and look at your blog as if you were the reader. If you just came to that blog page, would YOU be interested? Wouldn't it be nice to work in your Pjs?

[Suzanne Muusers]

I am embarrassed to say that I have found spelling or grammar errors weeks or months later. How to avoid this? I think to read your post very slowly before publishing.

[Melanie Kissell]

Excellent checklist and a great reminder to not be overly anxious to hit the big "publish" button until you've checked and double-checked (and maybe even triple-checked!) your posts.

Also, it helps to keep in mind you're not in 7th grade grammar class anymore or 11th grade literature class, either. Blog posts are not essay assignments and people generally don't enjoy reading lengthy dissertations.

I've read mixed reviews about including images with your posts and I've visited lots of posts that are image-less. Personally, I favor using images and I think they add some interest, some color, and an extra layer to a post. It's a good idea to make sure you leave a little margin or white space around your image so it's not crammed right up against your text.

[Mshoults.wordpress.com]

My favorite proofreading tip is one I got from my business communication professor: read everything out loud before you submit it.
This helps you check the flow and helps you to double check your work because your eyes can trick you into thinking there’s a word there, when it actually isn’t. When you read it out loud, you’re forcing your voice to read only what is on the page.

Great article! I’m printing this checklist and keeping it at my desk from now on.

[Web design sydney]

I think they add some interest, some color, and an extra layer to a post. It's a good idea to make sure you leave a little margin or white space around your image so it's not crammed right up against your text...