The Last Minute Editing Check I Make To Avoid Blogging Disasters
The TOC tactic
Over the last year, I’ve discovered a last-minute editing check that I make to avoid blogging nightmares.
Unfortunately, I learned this lesson the hard way.
In this article, I’m going to show you exactly what I do during this last-second check, so you don’t have to make the same mistakes I did.
Challenge: Somewhere in the article, I reveal the #1 error I catch with this editing tactic. Can you find it?
The Last Minute Check
The last-minute check I make is opening and scanning my Table of Contents (TOC) plugin in WordPress.
It’s such a small little habit but it has an outsized effect on my blog.
For the record, I use the Easy Table of Contents Plugin. It’s super-intuitive, free, and very customizable.
This TOC check helps with:
- Article structure
- SEO (Search Engine Optimization)
- Google Indexing
- Google ranking
- Readability
The TOC tactic also helps me avoid poor user experience on the page and embarrassing formatting mistakes.
How the TOC Tactic Can Help With Article Structure
The first way a table of contents plugin can help is by ensuring that your articles are well-structured.
A table of contents helps break up your content into smaller, more manageable chunks. This not only makes it easier for your readers to digest but also helps search engines index your content more effectively.
Those are big results for a few seconds of scanning.
How a Table of Contents Plugin Can Help With SEO
In addition to helping with article structure, a table of contents plugin can also help with on-page SEO.
This is because most TOC plugins allow you to specify the hierarchy of your headers.
For example, you can specify that certain headers are H2 tags while others are H3 tags. This helps search engines understand the structure of your content and index it accordingly.
And I probably don’t need to tell you that indexing impacts ranking.
If you don’t get your articles indexed, they can’t rank. If they can’t rank, you don’t get traffic or revenue from the article.
How the TOC Tactic Helps Me Spot & Prevent Blogging Disasters
In addition, a table of contents can help you spot embarrassing editing mistakes.
When you’re proofreading an article, it’s easy to miss things if you’re just skimming through the text.
However, if you have a table of contents, you can quickly see if there are any sections that are missing or if there are any headers that need to be changed.
There has been more than one time that I’ve checked my TOC and seen something like this:
These kinds of structural problems jump out at your when looking at the Table of Contents.
But I wouldn’t have caught this rouge header in any other way.
By simply checking the TOC, I spot the mistake and can correct it before I hit the Publish button.
How I Perform the TOC Tactic
The process is so simple that I almost didn’t explain it here.
However, I like to err on the side of caution (and information), so this is how I actually do it in WordPress.
- I write my blog post
- I edit my blog post
- I preview my blog post
- In the preview mode, I scroll down to my TOC plugin
- I click on my TOC plugin to open it (and see all my H1, H2, and H3 headers)
- I quickly scan the headings to see if anything looks out of place
- If I spot a mistake, I immediately fix it before I publish
After I fix a mistake, I updated the preview screen and double check that the TOC now looks correct.
Final Thoughts
The most common error I see is an H2 that should be an H3 or an H3 that should be an H2.
Thanks for reading!
Related posts:
- If I Only Had 15 Minutes to Edit an Article, This Is What I Would Do
- 5 Terrible Ways to Edit Your Content
- 5 Editing Tips That Made Me $10,000
- HARO Backlink Blueprint: My 7 Best Tips for Pitching HARO
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