Writing a compelling blog post takes a bit more than just putting some words down and hitting publish. In fact, for a blog post to work to convert your target audience into active customers or clients, you must include key elements in your content. Use this ultimate blog post checklist to ensure you fully optimize your blogs for the best results.
16-Point Blogging Checklist to Use for Every Post
Here is everything you need to ensure your blog is ready to be published, written with detailed explanations, so you have all of the information you need. Once you understand why each step is important, download the FREE Ultimate Blog Post Checklist so you can actively and easily check each of your blogs before you publish them.
1. Is Your Topic Relevant to Your Target Audience?
If your topic isn’t relevant to your audience, they won’t be interested in reading it. So, even if you do everything right, it won’t produce your desired results. Before you even start writing, make sure you choose a topic you know your audience wants to read. You can be sure it is by researching trending topics related to your small business to see what your audience is searching for online. A great free tool for this step is Google Trends.
2. Do You Have an SEO Keyword Phrase?
Your SEO keyword phrase is what helps your blog post rank in Google search results. The most effective keywords are the ones that your audience uses when searching for specific topics online. Google Keyword Planner is a great tool to use when looking for new SEO keywords for your blog post.
Don’t use an SEO keyword phrase in more than one blog post for the best blogging results. You don’t want your content competing with itself in Google search. Even if you change it slightly or add a word to the phrase to make it more specific, each blog post should have its own unique keyword.
3. Does Your Blog Post Title Include Your SEO Keyword Phrase?
Your blog post title should be engaging, specific, and searchable. For it to be searchable, it needs to include your SEO keyword phrase.
4. Does Your Introduction Paragraph Include Your SEO Keyword Phrase?
Another critical place for your SEO keyword is your introduction paragraph. Make sure you mentioned it at least once before diving into the main content. If your introduction is long and you need to break it into two paragraphs, try to use the keyword in the first paragraph, if not both.
5. Is Your Content Broken Into Sections by Headers, so It’s Easy to Scan?
While some people may read your blog post word-for-word, most will scan the content to find the specific information they’re looking for. An easy way to help them do this is to break your post into sections. Be sure to include headers, so it’s clear where the sections start and end.
6. Do Some of Your Headers Include Your SEO Keyword Phrase?
Not all of your headers need to include your keyword, but some of them should. Incorporate it where it feels natural.
7. Do You Include Internal Links Within Your Content?
Internal links help with SEO, and they also give your readers more valuable content to read related to the topic they’re currently reading. When applicable, be sure to link to other blog posts within your content, as well as a relevant landing page in your conclusion (more on that at the end of the blog post checklist).
8. Do You Include External Links Within Your Content?
External links are just as important as internal links for SEO. Include at least one external link in each blog post. Make sure you link to credible sources with authority or popularity in the field you’re talking about.
9. Do You Include Your SEO Keyword Phrase in Your Body Content?
You should also pepper your SEO keyword throughout your content. A general rule is to include them once every one hundred words. But it’s also important for them to fit naturally into the content.
10. Do You Include Images Relevant to Your Content Throughout the Blog Post?
Your blog post should definitely have a main featured image, but it’s also a good idea to include a few photos throughout your content too. Images are not just nice to look at, but you can also optimize them for SEO by including your keyword in the alt-text or image description.
11. Does Your Conclusion Paragraph Include Your SEO Keyword Phrase?
Put your SEO keyword in your conclusion paragraph (and header if it works).
12. Does Your Conclusion Paragraph Have a Strong Call to Action?
More important than your SEO keyword phrase in your conclusion paragraph is to include a strong call to action. Once your reader makes it to the end of your blog post, you must tell them what action to take next. Here are some suggestions you can tailor to your topic and content:
- “Contact us today to learn more!”
- “Learn more about our services here!”
- “Shop our selection of products today!”
- “Join our newsletter for more free resources!”
- “For more information, check out this blog post!”
- “Sign up for our email newsletter for more valuable content!”
13. Have You Edited Your Blog Post for Clarity, Readability, and Grammar?
Before you hit publish on your blog post, don’t skip over this step on the blog post checklist. Make sure to edit your content thoroughly for clarity, readability, and grammar. Use these blog editing tips to make sure you don’t miss anything.
14. Is Your Content Properly Formatted on Your Website?
Once you place your content into a draft on your website, you’ll have the opportunity to format it with proper headers, spacing, etc. This is important for readability. Make sure all your blog posts follow the same format so readers have a seamless experience moving from one post to the next.
15. Have You Optimized All the Key Places?
Before you publish your blog post, make sure it is fully optimized by including your SEO keyword phrase into all of these key places: meta description, URL slug, tags, and images.
16. Do You Have a Cross-Promotion Strategy in Place?
Okay, now that you’ve made it through the blog post checklist, you can finally hit publish on your post. Congratulations! But the work isn’t over yet. Make the most of all your hard work by implementing a cross-promotion to get your blog post in front of more people. This can include sharing it on social media, in an email newsletter, and with colleagues, friends, and family.
Easy to Use Blog Post Checklist for Every Post
Now you know the 16 things to check for before publishing your blog to ensure your content works to convert for your small business. Use this blogging checklist for all of your blog posts to confidently reach and engage your target audience. Rather than pulling up this blog checklist every time you want to check a post, get your hands on our FREE blog post checklist to easily check off each item as you review your blogs. Simply enter your email address below, and we’ll send the blogging checklist straight to your inbox, so you can get started reviewing your posts today!
