As a website owner, I know that creating amazing blog content is challenging. It takes research, planning, writing, editing, and optimization to craft truly great posts.
After 15 years of blogging, I‘ve learned that using a blog post checklist can seriously improve results. A checklist establishes a clear process for writing high-quality content quickly and consistently.
In this guide, I‘ll show you step-by-step how to add a custom blog post checklist directly in the WordPress editor. I‘ll also share expert tips to help you get the most out of using one.
Contents
Why You Should Use a Blog Post Checklist
First, let‘s look at some key benefits of using a blog post checklist:
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Improves quality control: A checklist reduces mistakes, oversights, and errors by up to 50%, studies show. It ensures nothing falls through the cracks.
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Increases consistency: With multiple writers, checklists standardize your workflow so posts have the same quality.
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Speeds up writing: A checklist eliminates wasted time trying to remember next steps. Writers work faster.
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Enhances training: A checklist makes it easy to train new writers on your blogging process.
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Boosts organization: A defined checklist provides order to what can be a chaotic writing and editing workflow.
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Optimizes posts: Checklists remind authors to implement SEO best practices for higher rankings.
| Without Checklist | With Checklist |
|---|---|
| Inconsistent post quality | Highly consistent post quality |
| Frequent mistakes | Dramatically fewer mistakes |
| Slower writing and editing | Faster writing and editing |
| Disorganized workflow | Structured workflow |
| Subpar SEO elements | Optimized SEO elements |
As you can see, the benefits of using a blog post checklist are substantial. Let‘s look at how you can add one.
Adding a Checklist with PublishPress
The easiest way to add a blog post checklist to WordPress is using the PublishPress plugin. Just install and activate the plugin.
Then go to Checklists > Settings and enable checklists for posts:
Next, visit Checklists > Checklists to build your task list:
Here you‘ll see default tasks that PublishPress can automatically check off for you when completed. Enable any of these by setting them to Required or Recommended.
You can also set minimum and maximum limits for certain tasks. For example, require each post to include at least 2 images.
Finally, add any custom tasks you want at the bottom, like "Proofread for typos". The author will need to check these off manually.
That‘s all it takes! Now when writers create a new post, they‘ll see your checklist panel in the WordPress editor.
They won‘t be able to publish until all Required tasks are completed. Recommended tasks will show a warning if skipped.
Optimizing Your Blog Post Checklist
Your checklist should be tailored to your specific blogging needs. Here are some great tasks to include:
Optimization
- Add SEO title and meta description
- Include target keyword in title, headers, content
- Insert alt text for all images
- Check readability scores using free tools like Hemingway
Multimedia
- Add at least two relevant images
- Include an embedded video
- Insert charts or infographics
Content Quality
- Proofread for spelling and grammar errors
- Check post word count and formatting
- Review for plagiarism risks using Copyscape
Promotion
- Add internal links to related content
- Include social sharing buttons
- Insert a strong call-to-action
Focus on the most vital steps needed to create awesome blog content tailored to your audience. Remove any unnecessary or redundant tasks.
Getting More from Your Blog Checklist
Keep these pro tips in mind:
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Make tasks clear and actionable: Break steps down so writers know exactly what to do.
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Train your team: Explain the reasoning behind each checklist item.
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Provide feedback: When reviewing posts, note where checklist usage could improve.
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Refine over time: Adjust your checklist as blogging needs change.
You may also want to try the Edit Flow plugin for collaborating with writers using statuses and comments.
Creating remarkable blog posts doesn‘t happen accidentally. Using a tailored checklist lays the foundation for more professional, optimized content.
Add a blog post checklist in WordPress today and see your blogging results improve! Let me know if you have any other questions.
