Under the bonnet of a blog : your MOT checklist

It struck me recently that sending out a sub-standard blog and being disappointed with the click-rate, is rather like trying to sell a 2nd-hand car.

Some cars look great on the outside but have a poor engine, whilst others work fine under the bonnet, but just aren’t very attractive from the outside.

Either way, you are not going to have a good driving/reading experience.

So, given that both blogs and cars are essentially a series of components, here’s a checklist to cover all the basics.

1. Blog Keywords & SEOs

First of all, determine your keyword – this is what your blog is about, and ensures that it is relevant for search engines (I always write mine down to remind me).

• Put your keyword in your blog title 
• Repeat the keyword in one of your blog headings  – these are numbered from H2 down to H6.
• Repeat your keyword in the the body of your blog and embolden it.

Images are great, but remember copywriting laws especially if you are using copied images to promote a product for commercial gain.

• Alt-tag – google can read text but not images….also many web browsers automatically restrict images, so otherwise you are left with a ‘black hole’ when your blog is initially viewed on screen
• Featured image – click this button on WordPress and upload here if you want your image to feature on your blog web page (when only the first few lines of your blog are displayed)

Your normal keyboard shortcuts (Cmd + C = copy) will work in WordPress, but I find these others particularly useful:

• Cmd + K: highlight the word, click Cmd + K and your can insert a hyperlink
• <br> : if I preview a blog and the spaces between lines have mysteriously disappeared, <br> works far better for me than <div></div>

Think of a blog like a book:

• Categories represent the chapters:
  • Categories are broad in nature; e.g. Top Tips
  • You don’t want too many different categories – I’d say around 10 should cover all your blog topics
  • Try to limit each blog to one category – that way, readers will know what your topic is about
• Tags represent the index:
  • Tags are specific in nature: e.g. sub-standard blog
  • You can have as many tags as you like per blog – I tend to use up to 5
  • Don’t duplicate your categories – it’s a waste of time
  • Be creative with tags – you can use quotes, hashtags, phrases….anything you like which is relevant to the blog