After all the hard work you put in to coming up with creative content, would you hate us if we told you there was more to blogging than just great ideas, taking pics, and writing? (See our Blog Prep Kits for content ideas!)

We know that putting together a blog post is an epic accomplishment! So why not reap the rewards of your hard work by setting up a system that gets you a return on your effort, even after you hit “post”?

So, let’s talk about your blog posts. They are all your little children, unique in every way, and you care for all of them. The energy you put into each should be cherished, and people should be reading these masterpieces long after you have shared them!!! But, how do you do that? There are many simple ways to audit your blog posts to be sure you get views now, and in the future. (PS: Scroll down to the bottom to download our Blog Post Audit checklist!) 

After publishing…

1. PLANNING YOUR CONTENT

A. Pick a topic

As the editor of your blog, it’s important to develop a story you will tell through your post and photos. Feeling like you are in a topic rut? SC has you covered! Pick your favorite topic from our Blog Prep Kit and let the creative juices start flowing!

B. Choose a generator

You might be thinking: WTF is that? Not the thing you use when the power goes out, but a CATCHY and EMOTIONALLY CHARGED headline you can use for your blog post title! You want to think about how you are helping, educating, or providing inspiration for your readers. Pick your favorite generator from the content planner on the next page or develop your own based on what you are passionate about!

2. SEO & KEYWORD RESEARCH

A. Why you need to use SEO

1. Search engines help users find what they’re looking for and what they want/need.
2. Search engines are the doorway to the Internet, and the search industry is huge (obvious, but true).
3. Top of search = top of mind awareness.
4. People trust organic search (aka Google).
5. Search reaches people at every phase of the purchase loop.

B. Key phrases

Key phrases are the foundation of search, so we need to identify keywords your target audience will be using when searching Google. There are two main things to focus on when choosing a keyword: search volume and competition.

Search Volume: How many searchers are using that phrase to find something?

Competition: How many other websites are targeting that same phrase?

C. Keyword research

1. Brainstorm a few phrases that describe the topic of your post or questions/needs of your target audience.
2. Use Google Keyword Planner to start researching keywords/phrases that have a search volume of 1,000 – 8,000 searches per month.
3. Document the search volume for each set of keywords you research and test your search in Google. This will give you an idea of the competition you are trying to out rank. You don’t want to compete with retailers; you want to compete with other fashion publications so your content will rank in Google!