-- Am I using character formatting (bold, italic, underline, etc.) appropriately, or did I leave in * * and _ _ where I don't need to?
-- Did I replace all my "todo: go look this up" notes in the body of the text?
-- Do all my paragraphs start with a topic sentence?
-- Is everything I say in line with the main idea of the post, or is there any "clutter"?
-- What am I doing to get and keep the reader interested in what I have to say?
-- Am I using headings, question and answer format, and lists (bulleted or numbered) effectively?
-- Does the content call for any breakout quotes or calls to action?
-- Should I add images to my post? Where shall I place them?
-- Do all my images have alternate text set?
-- In the body of the post, did I add a link wherever it would be appropriate? (Check my notes that go with the first draft.)
-- Do these links open in a new window so that they don't break the reader's focus on this page?
-- Is the anchor text for all my links descriptive of where the link goes?
-- If desired, do I end with a teaser ("Stay tuned," "More to come," "We will keep you updated," etc.)?
-- Is there a byline?
-- How does the blog post look? (Check gut reaction & revisit above questions as needed.)
-- Have I set the right categories and tags?
-- (This item is outdated: it may make one feel better.) Have I put good keywords in the keywords meta tag?
-- Does the title
- have as many keywords as appropriate?
- not match one I've already used on this website?
- have no stop words? (or as few as good grammar permits)
- have no more than 60-65 characters?
-- Are the first three lines / excerpt / description meta tag what I want them to be:
- Do they have as many keywords as appropriate?
- Does the description meta tag have no more than 155 characters?
- Will it get the reader's attention?
-- Did I proofread it one more time?
(One good tip: read it backwards, as suggested by the "SEO Guide to Creating Viral Linkbait and Infographics.")
And, finally, for more great ideas on writing blog posts, I've found my new favorite website is CopyBlogger:
