Please carefully read these guidelines before submitting content to SBB. These standards help our site look more professional, and they’ll benefit the SEO of your post – which means more readers for your content.
Take a look at other posts on SBB. You can see these guidelines in action, If it worked for them, it will probably work for you. But keep in mind that we are going through a transition, so some of the older posts may be a little outdated in format or style. So, your best bet is to stick to the guidelines below.
Your Profile
First, ensure that your SBB profile is complete. Your profile is where our audience can see your credentials and experience. Think of your profile in the same way that you look at your LinkedIn – it’s a great tool for connecting with other professionals in the same industry, or growing your audience as a thought-leader in your market.
Sync up your avatar via Gravatar.com. Be sure to use the same email on SBB and Gravatar. Fill in all of your social media and website links. Create a short, compelling bio that gives viewers a sense of who you are. Feel free to include one link to your business. The anchor text should be your company name – not a spammy keyword.
Keeping The Editing Team Happy – Donuts Work Too!
The less work the editor has to do on your post, the quicker it is likely to be published. Currently, we are limited to 15 minutes per post, so any work needed over that time will mean the post is put back to draft. If you follow all the guidelines below, you’ll significantly improve your chances of a quick and painless publication process.
There is a readability flag on the right-hand side of the post editor. Please make sure that it shows a green check mark before submitting your post. If SEO Yoast thinks that your content is easy to read, chances are that the editorial team will agree and be able to process your content more quickly.
Please note, it can take more than three weeks to be published as we have a lot of contributors and limited hours in the day to approve content. If your content is urgent, or you don’t feel like waiting, you will have the option to pay a fee through our content submission form to move your content to the front of the line. Please note that paying an expedite or rush fee does not guarantee publication as-is. Your content still needs to meet our requirements, but it will be flagged for priority processing.
Style Requirements
- Each post must be 1,000+ words. We have found that longer posts get more views and shares.
- Use H2 and H3 sub-headings. Generally, a subheading should breakup every 300 words of text. This makes it easier for the reader to scan and focus on what’s relevant to them.
- If you’re using numbered sub-headings in your content, use #1. Also, double check the number in your heading and the points in your article match – you’d be surprised, especially with re-writes.
- Don’t use all capitals in headings or titles. This is SHOUTING! For example, Your Titles And Headings Should Be In Title Case.
- Just use 3 to 4 sentences per paragraph to make it easier to read.
- If adding a list then use bullet points.
- No affiliate or advertorial links. It is acceptable to link to a site providing further information, like to a blog post. However, please note (and I’m going to shout) LINKS MAY BE REMOVED. It is at the discretion of the editor – no arguments.
- If you do use acceptable links, make sure they open in another page.
- Avoid displaying exact pricing if possible. If you do need to reference exact cost, point out it’s the price at the time of writing.
- No pictures are needed unless you’re including screenshots or something specific – we’ll provide generic pics. If you do feel the need to provide a picture, then it needs to be 700 pixels wide and no more than 550 pixels in height. Make sure you give an attribute for where the picture came from. It isn’t guaranteed these pictures will remain survive publication.
- If you’re creating a list of recommendations, like apps or tools with links, don’t put the link in the sub-heading – put it in the body of the text.
- Use Word spell-check and Grammarly – especially if English isn’t your first language. Please run your article by someone who does have English as their first language if you aren’t sure. Don’t rely on translation tools either. We require a high level of writing on SBB. Online tools can only help you so far – the human eye is always the best, so read through and proofread your post a couple of times at least.
- If you copy and paste into Wordpress check the formatting has copied across properly too.
- Align your text left, not centred or justified.
Style Sheet Extras That Are Very Important Too
- Ensure you have a Call to Action at the end of the post to encourage comments and ensure you respond to comments on your post – this creates traction for your post.
- Never plagiarize anything. All SBB posts are checked via Copyscape Premium and anyone found copying words won’t be allowed to write for us.
- Use the Preview button before submitting your post – this is how your post will look if published as-is. There may be layout changes that are needed, which can be tough to see within the post editor.
- Fill in SEO Yoast with your focus keyword, title, meta keywords and a meta description. Take note of the comments that are highlighted in red below. By resolving these issues, you’ll improve the chances of a quick and speedy publication. These steps ensure your SEO is solid, helping your post reach a larger audience.
- Fill in the excerpt.
- Add tags – two or three long tail keywords that have preferably been used before. No more than that.
- Choose a suitable category for your post – more than one is acceptable but don’t go crazy– if one isn’t there then you might be on the wrong site within Small Business Bonfire and need to publish in another eg. Finance, Technology, Marketing.
By following the above guidelines, you’ll make our lives easier and improve the odds that your post will be approved for hassle-free publication on Small Business Bonfire.