Things to remember before you hit “Publish”

21-Step Blog Writing Checklist

@LesleyVos for @coschedule

http://coschedule.com/blog/blog-writing-checklist

Before you click the “Publish” button, your content has to fight through all circles of hell. This blog writing checklist will help you make sure your posts are ready when you want to

hit publish.

Do you consider ALL the details?

@LesleyVos for @coshedule

Things to check for:

Is it relevant?Are tags present?

Step 1. Check A Category

@LesleyVos for @coshedule

Things to check for:

Does it lead to your next post?Is it timeless?

Does it meet your objectives?

Step 2. Check Lifetime

@LesleyVos for @coshedule

Things to check for:

Are your keywords relevant?Do you have a high volume of

keywords?How about long-tail keywords?

Step 3. Check Keywords

@LesleyVos for @coshedule

Things to check for:

Do your headlines match the style?Is it short and meaningful?Does it reveal the topic?

Will it attract and interest readers?Does it have keywords?

Are emotional words present?

Step 4. Check The Headline

@LesleyVos for @coshedule

Things to check for:

Is the APP method present?Is a hook present?

Does it have keywords?

Step 5. Check The Intro

@LesleyVos for @coshedule

Things to check for:

Is the length appropriate for this type of content?

Are keywords in the subheadings and in bullet lists?

Are there synonyms of your main keyword?Is it compelling for both readers and search

engines?Did you add a call to action in the conclusion?

Step 6. Check The Text

@LesleyVos for @coshedule

Things to check for:

Does it have a strong CTA?Will it answer the question “So

what?”Does it synthesize the points?

Step 7. Check The Conclusion

@LesleyVos for @coshedule

Things to check for:

Is it written as if you wrote it for one specific person?

Does it teach how to solve the problem?

Will it provide your insight?Are comments enabled?

Step 8. Check Engagement

@LesleyVos for @coshedule

Things to check for:

Does the language sound natural? Are the paragraphs short?

Do you have bucket brigades in it? Did you check for grammar mistakes, typos, and

logical contradictions in arguments? Have you read the post out loud to catch weird

wording? Does your voice fit the tone of the blog?

Did you check for plagiarism?

Step 9. Check The Language

@LesleyVos for @coshedule

Things to check for:

Are the images high quality?Are they eye-catching?How about relevant?

Are they properly credited?

Step 10. Choose A Featured Image

@LesleyVos for @coshedule

Things to check for:

Does it have visual media where appropriate?

How about quotes and tweetable content?

Step 11. Increase The Text’s Value

@LesleyVos for @coshedule

Things to check for:

Are the visual media high quality?Are they relevant to the content?Do they violate copyright? (If so,

change it.)Do they fit the design of your blog?

Are they optimized?

Step 12. Check Visual Media

@LesleyVos for @coshedule

Things to check for:

Are there internal links?How about external links? (Are they relevant and

reputable?) Do they all work?

Does it contain TOO many links? (If so take out some.)

Do the links open in a new tab? (If so, good.) Are all required attributes added? (dofollow,

nofollow, etc.)

Step 13. Add Links

@LesleyVos for @coshedule

Things to check for:

Is it appealing?Will it help your audience become

better at what they do?Does the content upgrade link work?

Step 14: Add Content Upgrades

@LesleyVos for @coshedule

Things to check for:

Are the URLs short with your slug containing the keyword?

Are meta tags present? (Check title, description, alt-tag for images, and

keywords.)How about sharing buttons that work

and display content correctly?

Step 15. Check SEO

@LesleyVos for @coshedule

Things to check for:

Is the author named?Does the author have a bio?

Is the author’s image in Gravatar  or do you have a way to manage their

profile picture?

Step 16. Set Authorship

@LesleyVos for @coshedule

Things to check for:

Does the content look good in all browsers and mobile devices? BrowserStack can help

you out with testing.Does it have oversized files? (If so, fix.)

Is it easy to open and/or download?Are metrics for further analysis set?

Are the semantic core and key phrases present?

Step 17. Check Technical Aspects

@LesleyVos for @coshedule

Things to check for:

Don’t publish and promote during holidays.

Are you publishing posts during your users’ highest activity?

Are you setting a schedule of publishing to maximize the reach?

Step 18. Synchronize It

@LesleyVos for @coshedule

Things to check for:

Compare your content with competitors’ to make sure it’s more interesting and

informative.Show it to several colleagues who didn’t

work on it.Share it with users inside your target

audience to get feedback.

Step 19. Test It

@LesleyVos for @coshedule

Things to check for:

Share teasers and previews to resources on platforms where your

target audience meets.Organize a “premiere” for bloggers

and thought leaders to get reviews.Make a promotion plan after

publishing.

Step 20. Promote It

@LesleyVos for @coshedule

Step 21. Publish it

@LesleyVos for @coshedule