Successful Blog Checklist
Use the following checklist as a guide for developing content for your blog.
| Keywords – What is your keyword strategy? Is the keyword in the title tag? Subheads? Opening paragraph? Permalink? Images names and/or alt text? |
| Grammar and Spelling – I recommend Grammarly for when you are writing. And someone else with strong grammar and spelling skills once you have finished. |
| Headline – Short? Sweet? To the point? Include the keyword(s)? |
| Opening – Do you use storytelling that is relevant to your audience to draw them into the body of your post? Do you use the Inverted Pyramid (Who, What, When, Where, Why, and How) to lead with the important details? |
| Subheads – Are you using subheads to break the content into digestible pieces? Help SEO and organic search? Accessibility? |
| Chunking - Are you using short sentences? Short paragraphs? Are you chunking information? |
| Permalink – Does your permalink have your keyword? |
| Links – Are you using internal and external links to add value for the reader and help SEO and organic search? |
| Category – Have you use the appropriate category so that readers can easily find the post again? |
| Tags – Have you used tags to help the reader understand what the specifics of the post are, so they can determine if the post is focused on their area of interest? |
| Featured Image – Have you selected an image that is appropriate for the topic of your post and established it as the feature image? |
| Image alt attribute – Have you written an alt attribute to describe your image in terms of your keywords? |
| Meta Description – Does your description include the keyword(s), and will it entice others to click on the link to the post when it appears in search? |
| Author – If your blog has multiple authors, did you assign this post to the appropriate author based on subject matter, expertise? |
| Preview – Did you remember to preview the post to ensure that everything is as it should be? |
| CTA – Do you have a strong call-to-action at the end of your post? |
| Question – Do you end with a question that motivates readers to comment? |
| Proofread & Edit – Often overlooked but critically important! |
| Distribution – How will you make this post available to your readers – and non-readers – beyond the blog? Social media? Email? Other? And this means immediately, near-term and long-term. (Yes, redistribute older content!) |
| Measure & Analyze – What data will you need to gather so you can determine if this post was successful? What can you do better? |
| Respond – If comments are posted on your blog – respond in a timely manner. If comments are posted elsewhere online – respond in a timely manner. |
| Publish – Have you hit the publish button? |