Tim's wee part of the world

New Post Creation Checklist

Posted on by Tim Brownlaw

As with anything, I am a firm believer in having some kind of checklist when performing a task, like writing a post. I hope I follow it as I am writing this 🙂

Title

  • Create a catchy and relevant title that includes your primary keyword.
  • Ensure the title accurately reflects the content of the post.

Content

  • Write engaging and informative content that provides value to your readers.
  • Use headings and subheadings to break up the text and improve readability.
  • Include a clear introduction and conclusion to frame your post.
  • Use bullet points or numbered lists where appropriate for easy scanning.

Images

  • Include relevant images to enhance the content and engage readers.
    Images can help add to your content, but don’t go stressing if you can’t find anything.
    Remember it’s the words that matter, and the images are just nice eye candy but they can increase the readability and hence the Search Engines like them but don’t go crazy.
  • Optimise images by compressing them for faster loading times.
    Smaller is better. Consider using webp as you do not loose too much in quality and it greatly reduces the image size, which reduces the site load time and makes everyone happy.
    This is something I had drilled into me very very early on.
  • Use descriptive file names and alt text for SEO purposes.

    The alt=”” tag should always be filled in as it’s used by screen readers and because of that it makes it more SEO friendly. I mean, I should say more “compliant” but that’s just too techy of a word.

Categories

  • Select appropriate categories that reflect the main topics of your post.
  • Ensure categories are organized logically and not too numerous (aim for 5-10 main categories).

Tags

  • Add relevant tags that highlight specific topics within your post.
  • Limit tags to 3-5 per post to avoid clutter and maintain focus.

SEO

Now with WordPress, there are many SEO Plugins to choose from. I am old school and just use WP Simple SEO, but I will mention some others on the way…

  • Write a compelling meta description that includes your primary keyword and summarises the post.
  • Use your primary keyword naturally throughout the content, including in headings and subheadings.
  • Ensure internal links to related posts and external links to authoritative sources are included.
  • Check for proper URL structure (short and keyword-rich).
  • Use an SEO plugin (like Yoast or Rank Math) to analyze and optimize your post for search engines.

Final Review

  • Proofread for spelling and grammar errors.
    I have usually published it by this stage then I find all the “issues”.

    It’s fascinates me that sometimes when you are re-reading your post/page and you find missing words and you are sure they came up in your head at the time, but the ole fingers couldn’t keep up. It’s ok, small things like that amuse me 🙂
  • Ensure all links are working and direct to the correct pages.
    This is very important that you perform this check. (Well each and every other point on this checklist is important too…)
    At the expense of repeating myself, you need to decide if a link is going to open in the same TAB or to open in a New TAB. Meaning, will it open overwriting the current Page OR open in a new Page.
    • Internal Links
      Typically, internal links should open in the current page. This keeps your visitor engaged with your content and encourages them to explore more of your site.
    • External Links
      With other links that reference other websites, you’d want to open them in a New Page. That way when the viewer closes that TAB or Page, they are back on your website. We don’t always want them to leave and this just makes it simpler for everyone.
  • Preview the post to check formatting and layout before publishing.

Publish

  • Schedule or publish the post when ready.
    Now this is interesting as you can “Delay” your posts after you create them. In my case with this series I have gotten a bit “Writey” and have published a few in one day. Now it may be deemed by our friends, the ole Search Engines, that we are being naughty by generating too much content at the same time. So you can have your burst of writeyness and just let them get published one at a time, say daily or every X hours, on autopilot.

    NOTE: “Writey” isn’t a real word ( writeyness, by association, is more “not a real word” than Writey) and it’s one I have made up. But hopefully you get the idea!
  • Share the post on social media and with your email list to drive traffic.