How to Edit your Blog Posts Like a Pro

I’m sure that anyone who has followed my blog long enough knows that I absolutely do not encourage authors to edit their own book. However, when it comes to blogging, my opinion actually changes. I encourage bloggers to edit their own posts. Sure, we still run into the same issues but blogging is a much smaller, more manageable scale. Plus blogging is more personal and casual than writing a book. The fact is that no one can put your thoughts into words better than you. Here are some tips that will ensure that you edit your blog posts like a professional.

Always Plan Before you Write

Blog posts require more planning than an outline. You need to do your homework to find the right topics and use the right keywords. Spending just a few minutes every week doing this research will save you hours of revisions in the future.

• Determine popular topics in your niche.
• Find the most popular keywords using Google Keyword Planner.
• Outline your blog post. Write each subheading ahead of time so that they include important keywords.

Don’t Edit your Blog Posts as your Write

When writing your blog post, it’s important that you develop the mindset that you’re only writing the draft. Drafts are full of errors. The fact is that trying to edit as you write pulls you out of the creative mindset that you need to put your thoughts into words. Editing should be done after the entire draft has been written.

Planning helps a lot here but developing a writer’s mindset is a habit that you must develop. Some experts encourage writers to never hit the backspace key. That’s good advice but you don’t necessarily have to go that far. It’s okay to restart a sentence but if you find yourself rewording entire paragraphs, then you have a problem.

Wait at Least 24 Hours to Edit your Blog Posts

It’s important that you wait at least 24 hours before you edit your blog post so that you’re editing from a fresh perspective. Most people are in such a hurry to get their posts out that they will edit and post immediately after writing the draft. However, it’s better to allow a day between writing and editing because it allows you to distance yourself from the material and you will approach it feeling refreshed.

Editing is More than Just Proofreading

Most people hear the word “editing” and they think about fixing spelling and grammar. While proofreading is a big part of the editing phase, that’s not all there is to it. You need to pay attention to the content of the blog post to make sure that it comes across as intended. Be sure that you are not simply proofreading your post and calling that an edit.

Final Thoughts

Get into the habit of learning to properly edit your blog posts and you will end up with a noticeable improvement in quality. Just be sure to schedule accordingly. Blogging is one of the only areas where I actively encourage writers to edit their own work.