Are you new to blogging or a pro blogging looking for some tips on blogging? In this post we aim to share with you what you should be doing before you publish your content. Blogging is not just about writing your content and sharing it without forethought. It is about making sure your content is digestible, without grammatical errors (see any, let me know) and well thought out.
Back in 2013 when I started blogging, I did not really do much planning I just wrote my thoughts. Whilst that was all well and good, it is different now that I wish to share more informative posts. I want to share some of the knowledge I have gathered whilst blogging. Please note I am not an expert, just sharing what I have learnt.
Before you Publish, Do this!
For most of us though we are not experts, writing comes very easy especially on topics we are passionate about. There are days when I can write 4 posts in an hour but is it good information to share? That’s a question for another day, today we are going to focus on what you should do before you click publish.
Decide on TITLE
It might seem like something completely simple but sometimes it’s not that easy. A few days ago I started writing a post {Lessons learnt whilst traveling} and wanted to share the update on #take12trips. By the time I was half way through, I realised the post was no longer about the travel challenge. Rather it was about lessons I have learnt whilst traveling.
There are times when just having a title helps me share the post in a way that I want. It is so easy to get side tracked but having a title can help you stay focused. It is always nice to plan ahead and also share posts that are relevant. Everyone talks about writing a catchy title but if it’s not engage or relevant people leave.
Research
I cannot enough stress how important a bit of research is for every topic you wish to share. Sometimes we just want to share our personal experience as is the case with this article but research is required.
You don’t have to write a dissertation on your chosen topic but it is important to know more than the base line. As a new blogger all I knew was how to write the post and not even in a structured way, I just wrote. Over time I realised I needed to research topics I wanted to write about but then write them in my own voice.
Check for grammatical errors
Whenever I write a post on my phone, I found later when I am re-reading autocorrect jumped me. I prefer to write articles on my laptop as its easier to review and spot my mistakes. Don’t get me wrong, there are still some grammatical errors but none that are pretty obvious.
One thing that I know happens to a lot of people is, after spending time writing something every becomes blurred. I can write an article, re-read it several times and I still miss some errors. It’s nice to have someone else have a look-see through the article.
Plan social media
Back when I started I didn’t share my posts anywhere nor did I plan any social media. After collaborating with other bloggers and reading up I started sharing my posts on my social media. But here is the bit that I missed, I also needed to plan my content on my social media channels. I am not perfect at it but I have been working on it big time especially my Facebook page.
Most weekends I sit at home and schedule content for my social media channels. It is good to recycle old content and mix it with new content as you learn. If you check out my Facebook content, you will notice I am sharing a lot of articles of around summer.
Add internal links and Add external links
This is not something I was familiar with until a couple of years ago. I remember a fellow blogger explaining the importance of linking to your own content. Most of us just write and forget about the posts, but that’s a bad move, always link to your own content.
External links are just as important, I try to ensure I have ignore amount of do-follow and nofollow links. Some people you tell you its bad to have do-follow links on your website, but that’s not the case. In fact its more damaging just to have the nofollow links, it is all about the balance. Link up to resourceful articles that will support your own article.
Add ALT text to images
Another thing you should always do is add text to your images, google likes that. If someone is searching for topics and only choose to view the images, those with the right alt text display first. You do not wan to miss out on traffic from such sources because you didn’t label your images correctly.
The same thing goes for images you upload to Pinterest, use the right key words. I like searching for ideas on Pinterest and the ones that come up first are those that are correctly labelled.
Create pinnable image
Speaking of Pinterest, always include pinnable images in your posts. Most readers are visual people and like colourful eye-catching images. I most read posts that I know will be useful in the future and pin them to my boards.
Make sure your images can be pinned, most themes allow you to activate the pin option on images. If not, have social links around your website to allow people to share and pin your images.
Publish!!
Once you’ve written a knock-out post, done your SEO tidbits and done the above, you can publish. And don’t end it there, if you have Missingltr, schedule social shares for an entire year. I know I don’t have time to share content everyday, scheduling it in an advance definitely helps.
I have other apps that I use to share content to all my social media networks including Buffer. It is a great tool to have as you can schedule all your content for your social channels well in advance.
And there you have it, tips on what you should do with your content before you publish.
brianne says
I’d love to publish a book one day, and these are great tips! Now I just need to get started!
Kita Bryant says
These tips are very well thought out. Hopefully the right people read this post soon!
Roch says
Great tips! Question though: What’s the importance of having pinnable images? I don’t use Pinterest so I’m a noob at this. 🙂
Miranda says
Pinnable images make it easier for your readers to pin your post more easily and from any device.
Catherine Shane Cabuhat says
It is really helpful tips to know. We should need to do this to maintain the quality of blog.
Candy says
Wonder explanation of what to do before hitting the publish button. Each step is very helpful and well planned
Danielle says
These are such great tips!!! Love this girl!
Ashley says
Grammatical errors!! Preach! lol That is my biggest peeve reading my own stuff or someone else lol
Tammy says
I love using Grammarly to check for my grammar. It has been a lifesaver on so many posts.
Danielle says
These are such great tips!!! Love this girl!
brianne says
I’d love to publish a book one day, and these are great tips! Now I just need to get started!
Roch says
Great tips! Question though: What’s the importance of having pinnable images? I don’t use Pinterest so I’m a noob at this. 🙂
Miranda says
Pinnable images make it easier for your readers to pin your post more easily and from any device.
Kita Bryant says
These tips are very well thought out. Hopefully the right people read this post soon!
Sara Welch says
I hope people take this advice. One of the biggest mistakes I see is right in the title!
Sara Welch says
I hope people take this advice. One of the biggest mistakes I see is right in the title!
Catalina says
These are only seven tips but everyone is very important. I need to follow them, too!
Dhemz says
These are awesome tips especially for the newbies. Great read and very helpful! Thanks for sharing!
Catalina says
These are only seven tips but everyone is very important. I need to follow them, too!
Heather says
I’m so happy I’m doing all of these things already! I also re-read it like 3094034 times before I publish. lol
Dhemz says
These are awesome tips especially for the newbies. Great read and very helpful! Thanks for sharing!
Heather says
I’m so happy I’m doing all of these things already! I also re-read it like 3094034 times before I publish. lol
Sarah Bailey says
These are some great tips – making sure you proof read is a must! So many bloggers obviously don’t do it and it is so off-putting.
Joanna @ Everyday Made Fresh says
I will have to look into grammarly. I do most all of the other things before every post, but the grammar one, gotta work on that! I do read and reread, and if it’s sponsored, I have a few others read it before I publish it.
Catherine Shane Cabuhat says
It is really helpful tips to know. We should need to do this to maintain the quality of blog.
Sarah Bailey says
These are some great tips – making sure you proof read is a must! So many bloggers obviously don’t do it and it is so off-putting.
Joanna @ Everyday Made Fresh says
I will have to look into grammarly. I do most all of the other things before every post, but the grammar one, gotta work on that! I do read and reread, and if it’s sponsored, I have a few others read it before I publish it.
Glenda Cates says
Thank you for the tips I printed them out to remind me what to do each time before I publish a post on my Blog.
Alli Smith says
I tend to be a bit of a perfectionist so I have Grammarly installed and I have someone who proofs all of my posts before I hit publish. Sometimes I don’t see my own typos, so it’s good to have a backup.
Kim says
I do not add text to my blog images, which I really need to do. It is a big job that I’ll have to tackle on a rainy day.
Ashley says
Grammatical errors!! Preach! lol That is my biggest peeve reading my own stuff or someone else lol
Glenda Cates says
Thank you for the tips I printed them out to remind me what to do each time before I publish a post on my Blog.
Tammy says
I love using Grammarly to check for my grammar. It has been a lifesaver on so many posts.
Jeanette says
This is extremely helpful! Sometimes we all just need a Focus in this post definitely helps step-by-step. You obviously aren’t very well planned person when it comes to your blog. Thank you for sharing.
Candy says
Wonder explanation of what to do before hitting the publish button. Each step is very helpful and well planned
Alli Smith says
I tend to be a bit of a perfectionist so I have Grammarly installed and I have someone who proofs all of my posts before I hit publish. Sometimes I don’t see my own typos, so it’s good to have a backup.
Kim says
I do not add text to my blog images, which I really need to do. It is a big job that I’ll have to tackle on a rainy day.
Jeanette says
This is extremely helpful! Sometimes we all just need a Focus in this post definitely helps step-by-step. You obviously aren’t very well planned person when it comes to your blog. Thank you for sharing.