Quick editorial calendar checklist for freelancers

Clients want predictability; you want momentum. This quick editorial calendar checklist helps you set topics, briefs, and deadlines—then ship fast with built-in SEO checks using SEO Horizan.

Calendar setup (5–10 minutes)

• Cadence: Commit to 1–2 posts/week or 6–8/month. Block recurring slots on Mon/Wed (or client’s preferred days).
• Statuses: Idea → Brief → Draft → Edit → Review → Publish.
• Columns: Title, Target Keyword, Intent, Owner, Due, Publish, URL, Brief Link, Assets, Status, Notes.
• Folders: /blog, /guides, /templates. Ensure coverage in Sitemap post-publish.

Topic & intent (fast research)

1. Write 3–5 themes (pillars) your client must own.
2. Draft 3–6 supporting posts per pillar: how-tos, comparisons, templates, FAQs.
3. Preview snippet and SERP fit with Google Search Preview.

Mini SEO checklist per post

• Title & description: Validate with Meta Tags Checker.
• OpenGraph: Check social preview via OpenGraph Checker.
• Copy scan: Paste the URL into Website Text Extractor to confirm headlines and snippet paragraph appear on-page.
• Links: Verify no redirect hops with URL Redirect Checker and confirm headers using HTTP Headers Lookup.
• Images: Check alt text via Image Alt Tags Checker and sanity-check page weight with Website Page Size Checker.

Calendar columns (copy this CSV header)

Title, Target Keyword, Intent (Info/Commercial/Transactional), Pillar, Brief Link, Owner, Due, Publish, URL, Status, Assets (images/figures), Internal Links From, Internal Links To, Notes

Brief template (drop in your doc)

H1: [Working title with outcome]
Primary keyword: [term]
Intent: [info/commercial]
Audience: [role & stage]
Angle: [unique POV/experience]
Outline (H2/H3): [bullets]
Snippet paragraph (40–55 words): [copy verbatim on page]
Internal links (from): [/blog hub, related pillar]
Internal links (to): [siblings, product/plan, CTA]
Schema: BlogPosting + FAQPage (if FAQs present)
Assets: [hero, charts, screenshots]
CTA: [next step]

Weekly routine (repeatable)

1. Monday: Finalize briefs; confirm assets and SMEs.
2. Mid-week: Draft → Edit; run meta/OG checks and page size sanity.
3. Friday: Publish → Interlink; add to Sitemap; queue social.

Internal linking rules

• Hub → spokes: Each pillar hub links to its new posts with descriptive anchors.
• Spoke ↔ spoke: Cross-link adjacent topics; avoid duplicates competing for the same intent.
• Blog hub updates every week with new posts.

Publishing QA (don’t skip)

• ✅ Meta titles/descriptions clean (Meta Tags), social card correct (OpenGraph).
• ✅ Snippet paragraph appears verbatim (confirm with Website Text Extractor).
• ✅ All links go to final 200s (URL Redirect Checker); headers sane (HTTP Headers Lookup).
• ✅ Page size & TTFB within budget (Page Size, TTFB).
• ✅ Images have meaningful alt (Image Alt Tags).

Prioritization matrix (plan your week)

Item, Impact, Effort, Priority
Brief top 2 posts, High, Low, Do Now
Fix meta/OG on underperformers, High, Low, Do Now
Interlink new posts to hubs, Medium, Low, Do Now
Refresh one evergreen (snippet + links), Medium, Medium, Next
Compress heavy images on top posts, Medium, Low, Next

Lightweight JSON-LD (add if FAQs exist)

{
  "@context":"https://schema.org",
  "@type":"FAQPage",
  "@id":"https://example.org/blog/[slug]#faq",
  "mainEntity":[
    {"@type":"Question","name":"Do freelancers need a weekly cadence?","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"Yes—predictable slots reduce context switching and improve output quality."}},
    {"@type":"Question","name":"How long should a brief be?","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"One page. Capture keyword, angle, outline, links, schema, assets, and CTA."}}
  ]
}

SEO Horizan Toolbox (bookmark these)

• Google Search Preview • Meta Tags Checker • OpenGraph Checker
• Website Text Extractor • URL Redirect Checker • HTTP Headers Lookup
• Website Page Size Checker • TTFB Checker

FAQs

Wrap-up

Calendars create calm—and calm ships work. Use this checklist to lock cadence, write tight briefs, and publish with built-in QA. When you’re ready to scale across clients, create an account or compare Plans to streamline checks and links.