This is a checklist of everything that you should have in a blog post to give it the highest chance of visibility on search engines and retain your readers. It’s one that I use when I write my posts, including this one.
1) An SEO-friendly title. I recommend installing the Yoast plugin if you’re on WordPress to make this simpler. But, really just think about what people would Google.
2) Alt text on your images. This makes your pictures pop up on Google images. Add tags separated by commas that are relevant to the picture and again, that you can imagine someone typing into Google. i.e. Alt Text: suede bag, fringe bag, Rebecca Minkoff
3) Is this a post you would want to read?
I think this is the easiest check to make sure that your post is adding value for your readers.
4) Hyperlinks to other posts or pages within your blog. The name of the game is keeping people on your blog, so you want to link back to other content that relates. See how I used hyperlinks in this post.
5) Images. This one seems obvious, but your posts should always have images of some kind. This makes them far more shareable on social media.
6) Spacing, headings, bolded text. No one wants to read a blog post that looks like a giant essay. Use spacing, numbered lists, bullets, and bolded key words to keep your reader interested.
7) An excerpt or post snippet/preview that isn’t just the first few lines of your post. When you share your post on social media, there should be just a sentence or two that grabs your reader’s attention and makes them want to read more. Yoast allows you to do this very easily.
8) Disclose any sponsored products. Did a brand pay you to write the post or was anything you’re wearing gifted? By law, you’re required to disclose this to your readers. At the end of my posts, I usually add Thanks to (company) for sponsoring this post or earrings courtesy of (company).
9) Preview the post before publishing. Give your post one last review before you hit publish. Spell check, make sure all the links work, and that everything is formatted correctly.
10) A call to action at the end of your post. This can be anything from. Like this post? Give it a share. or What do you think? Comment below. or If you liked this post, check out how I styled this same YSL bag here (hyperlink). Check out my call to action below.
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