3 Steps to Take Prior to Publishing Your Blog Posts

If you’ve been blogging for your local business for any period of time, you’ve likely gone live with a post containing errors. It’s a common occurrence because many bloggers are in a hurry to get their new content live. However, you want to ensure your blog is seen as professional and a must read; therefore, it is important not to get ahead of yourself with going live with content

  I Suggest Applying These Three Steps Prior To Publishing Your Content:

Proofread your post  

This suggestion may seem like a no-brainer, but when you’re rushed for time, it can be easy to just quickly skim, post and publish. It is a much better approach to write the post and set it aside for at least an hour. Come back to the post and critically read it for content and grammar. Double check any links you’ve put into the piece. It’s even better yet if you can have someone else read the post and be your proofreader. Although this step means it may take a bit longer for your local business blog post to go live, it can make a significant difference in how current and potential customers view your business.

Carefully craft a catchy title 
The title of a blog post can be a significant factor in determining the readership of a particular post. Therefore, ensure you spend adequate time thinking of one which will cause potential readers to take the time to stop and read it. If you’re not sure you believe me in how significant this item is, simply pay attention to which of your blog posts get the most views. Chances are you’ll find the ones with unique or catchy titles draw the most attention.

Find an image which represents your blog’s topic 
Much like your blog title, the image you associate with a post is often a determining factor in enticing viewers to begin reading your local business post. The world of blogging has evolved from just informative posts to ones which fully engage the reader on several fronts including a captivating visual to help tie together or shares part of your post’s message. Therefore, build a few minutes into your post creation routine to locate a great image to accompany it. Consider getting an account with a site such as iStockphoto. Additionally, you may be able to find images which only require following attribution criteria through Creative Commons. No matter what source you use for your images, make sure you’ve address any royalty and copyright issues.

Before you hit that publish button follow these three steps to avoid the headache of having to re-post or explain to your readers why the content reads the way it does.