There are no shortcuts to editing a blog post.
We know writing your blog post is only 50% of creating stella content.
The other 50%?
It’s in the editing.
And yes.,,
the right way.
–editing doesn’t mean skimming your post to find that tricky misspelled word or grammar error.
Rather, it means:
- Diving deep into your post to see if it’s the best it can be
- Optimizing your post for SEO (making sure you leave nothing out)
- Cutting down redundant words, sentences, and even paragraphs
- And much more….
Don’t worry, though.
In this blog, we’ll cover everything you need to know about how to edit a blog post.
Plus, we’ll give you;
- an editing checklist
- recommended reading materials,
- sample instructional video..
–that you can use each time you sit down to edit– your blog post.
So, are you ready to learn,,
–How To Edit A Blog Post?
Let’s dive in.
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How to Edit a Blog Post: (5 Simple Steps to a Perfectly Polished Post that’ll Wow Readers )
The truth is, there are no shortcuts to editing a blog post.
To get quality, polished content, you need to sit down and do the work.
But don’t worry.
There is a simple process you can follow step-by-step.
Once you’ve mastered it, editing your blog posts will become second nature to you.
Let’s look at each one of these steps.
Step#1 How to Edit a Blog Post (
Optimize Your Headings and Subheadings)
Your headings and subheadings are like signposts in the map of your blog.
They help people visualize where you’re going with your content.
Also, if they’re good enough, they compel readers to keep reading (even though they’re dying to check out cute Instagram stories or to update their status on Facebook).
But headings and subheadings aren’t only good for readers…but also for the robots.
Google loves well-optimized headers with the right keywords in the right place.
So…let’s get into optimizing those headers and subheaders.
First, give them a careful scan.
Ask yourself:
- Do they avoid giving too much away?
- Are they surprising or interesting?
- Are they clear (do they give readers a good idea of what I’ll cover in the next section)?
- Do they make people want to read what I’ve written under them (Evoke emotions)?
Step#2 How to Edit a Blog Post (Cut Down Cruelly on Your Body )
Well ouch!
As this sounds like it hurts.
And it does, especially if you fall in love with some fancy sentences you believe came from your favarite author
But here’s the thing.
Your readers are itching to stop reading your blog.
Which means, the first excuse you give them, they’ll bail.
Which also means, you need to be as brief, concise, and power-packed as possible.
Say good-bye to wordiness, excess adjectives and adverbs, and pretty, literary prose.
For example.
Don’t write this:
(“In order to succeed in the world of content marketing, it is important to ensure that you have the handy skills necessary to rise in this overly-saturated, cat-and-mouse environment.” )
Write this instead:
(“To succeed in content marketing, you need the right skills.” )
See what happened there?
32 words became 10.
Trust me, your audience will prefer 10 words to 32.
So, go ahead.
Cut your blog down ruthlessly.
Get rid of:
- Paragraphs that don’t need to be there (because your meaning is clear without them)
- Adjectives
- Adverbs
- Useless phrases like “in order to” or “it is important”
- Long-winded stories and anything that distracts your audience from what you’re saying (stories are fine, but keep them super brief)
- Anything you can eliminate without robbing your post of its meaning
Your post will get shorter by 200 words? 500 words even?
Great.
You’re ready for the next step.
Step#3 How to Edit a Blog Post (Prune Your Introduction and Conclusion )
Maybe you think your introduction and conclusion are (somewhat useless) add ons to your blog.
They’re not.
They’re the two most essential parts of any blog.
Which means, you need to spend time pruning and shaping them to perfection.
Remember, both of them should:
- Be around 100-200 words long
- Contain the primary keyword at least once in the first 150 words
- Be compelling, urging readers into action (the introduction compels people to read the blog, the conclusion compels them to take the next step).
Want to take a detail course on editing a blog post?
Check out our promotion offer
Step#4 How to Edit a Blog Post (Links, Links, Links)
As an affiliate marketer, your affiliate links are essential to, well, everything.
But the truth is, you need more than just your affiliate links.
You need:
- External links. External links are links to other high-quality sites. They help Google find you and better understand what your website is about.
- Internal links. Internal links are links to other pages in your site. They help Google understand the structure of your website.
Before publishing any post, make sure you have links in at least every 500 words (200 is better).
Also, make sure your affiliate marketing links are working.
You wouldn’t want to miss a sale just because of a clumsy little mistake.
Step#5 How to Edit a Blog Post (Proofread Till You Drop)
We said earlier that looking for grammar and spelling errors is the least of your worries when editing your post.
Or something like that.
But we didn’t mean you should skip this step altogether.
Nope!
Because the truth is, one grammar or spelling mistake will make a big difference in what your audience thinks of you.
Mistakes like these show you’re sloppy and don’t care.
So before hitting the “Publish” button, proofread your work at least two or three times.
Fyi, you can make things easier with a premium tool like Grammarly.
How to Edit a Blog Post – A Checklist Approach
How To Edit An Affiliated Blog Post – A Checklist
When editing your blog post, ask yourself these questions below. (And be brutally honest.)
- Are my headings and subheadings optimized for both readers and robots?
- Is my blog easy to read (no overly wordy paragraphs and tedious sentences)?
- Do I get the point clearly across?
- Is my url too long?
- Will readers flow through the whole blog easily and comfortably from start to finish?
- Are my introduction and conclusion powerful enough to stir readers to action?
- Do I have images and links in every 200-500 words?
- Are my affiliate links all working well?
- Are there zero spelling and grammar mistakes in my post?
If You Said yes to all of these questions?
Your blog post is ready to hit the limelight!
How to Edit a Blog Post – (The Easy Step-by-Step Method)
To be honest with you.
Editing a blog post can be an easy 123 step.
But a LOT hinges on whether or not you do it well.
let us face it,,
Do you really want readers to bail on you because your post is too long, dry, and boring?
Or ridicule you because you used “there” instead of “their”?
Or click the “back” button because your subheaders were too flat and revealing?
Certain NOT!
So, before your blog posts see the light of day–
–you need to attack and destroy them until nothing is left except power and goodness.
Again!
It’s not that hard.
All you need is time and the easy, step-by-step process we mentioned above.
So, go ahead and start editing your post.
Copy the checklist onto a Post-It and stick it to your computer.
Refer back to it every time you have a new post to publish.
In no time, you’ll notice an improvement in your content.
Let’s know if this article helped by leaving your comment below.
Go for it and good luck.