Post Details

Irrespective of applicability in the Checklist Column, the description needs to be read

thoroughly by the writer as well as the editor.

1000-words post
Guideline Description Writer Checklist Editor Checklist

(Writers can leave (Editor can leave their

their comments if comments if needed)
needed)

Post Type Guest Post ● NA ●

Task ● Full Post ● NA ●

Post Title X Common Problems ● ●

with Virtual Desktop
Infrastructure and How to
Fix Them

Main Keyword (Density Common Problems with ● Density Met ●

upto 1.5%) Virtual Desktop
Infrastructure

Post description suggested NA ● ●

to the client/publisher
(Need to make sure the
post is written on the same
lines)

If it is not provided, the

writer needs to do a brief
Google search of the topic
and see what points are
usually covered in the top-
ranking posts.

3 alternate titles (50-60 Required? ● Done ●

characters max. each and
add exact keyword in ● No
each title)
(To be written by writer)

Word count (Do not 950-1000 ● Met ●

increase the word count by
more than 50 words)

Author Name Gaurav Sharma ● NA ●

Use first-person singular ● Yes ● Done ●

voice when referring to the
author and 2nd person
voice throughout the post to
talk directly to the readers
Note - This wouldn't be the
case if the target site
guidelines state otherwise.

Brand Name - Pay attention ● NA ● Check brand ●

to spelling, spacing, name from their
capitalization. title tag on the
official website
Generally, you should find or SERP listing
the right spelling from the
title tag of the homepage. If
not, check for a brand on
Google and see their
official listing for the exact
spelling.

Target site Internal Links: https://vmblog.com/ ● Add 3-5 internal ●

links

● Use
exact/partial
match anchor
text

Target site guidelines ● Met ●

Attrock guest post ● Met ●

guidelines

Content Audience Marketing, professionals ● ●

Guidelines for adding NA ● Make sure the ●

statistics and report links stats are not
older than 2
years.

● Always link to
the original
sources only for
stats.

● In case multiple
stats are taken
from a single
source, link
only once, in
the first
instance

● Stats to be
linked on
numbers or
words like
“study” or
“report”. Not on
brand names
and random
anchor texts
Link Requirement 1 https://attrock.com/blog/ ● Added ●
(Required) seo-reporting-tools-for-
agencies/
Note: Please add
topically relevant links Anchor Text: Attrock
from Attrock blog.
Writers can choose any https://attrock.com/blog/s
ONE post (listicle→ aas-billing-software/
alternative→ review →
Informational posts) in Anchor Text: Attrock
this priority.
https://attrock.com/blog/b
First priority will be the est-recurring-billing-
high-priority links software/
mentioned in the next
column, but add them Anchor Text: Attrock
ONLY if they’re relevant,
for the post. There is NO
NEED to add the link
forcefully.

Please use branded

Anchors only, such as
Attrock or Attrock.com or
(avoid branded anchors
only if the task assigner
mentions anchor “any
relevant”)

You can find topically

relevant resources on
Attrock.com using this
operator:

Keyword site:Attrock.com

Link Requirement 2 https://www.wishup.co/ ● Added ●

(Required) blog/best-virtual-
bookkeeping-assistant-
services/

Anchor Text: virtual

bookkeeping services

Link Requirement 3 https://paperbell.com/ ● Added ●

(Required) blog/what-is-a-life-coach/

Anchor Text: what does

a life coach do, what is
certified life coach, what
is the purpose of a life
coach, how become life
coach

Link Requirement 4 https:// ● Added ●

(Required) breadnbeyond.com/
articles/text-animation-
apps/
 Anchor Text: text
animation apps,
animated text, text
animation

Link Requirement 5 https:// ● Added ●

(Required) www.robinwaite.com/
services/business-
coaching

Anchor Text: business

coach

Meta Description Required? ● Done ●

● Add the main ● Yes

keyword in the
beginning

● Character length -
155-160 max

Social Media Captions Required? ● Added ●

[add specific guidelines for ● No

social media content, if
needed]

Copyscape passed (need to be checked by ● Use a free ●

internal editor or task plagiarism tool
assignor ONLY) before
submission

Please upload images here only add images in the format of JPG/JPEG

Content Writing Guidelines | Guest Posts | Attrock

Content Quality Guidelines
Content must:
● Have a strong logical flow
● Be well-researched and have an expert tone
● Have a clear and consistent writing tone and style
● Should be written for the intended audience
● Be proofread before submission, no silly spelling or grammatical errors; use
Grammarly and Google Docs spell check to avoid such mistakes
 ● Be plagiarism-free and unique
● Be conversational (talk directly to the reader)

Formatting Guidelines
● Give priority to target site guidelines, if available. Otherwise, follow Attrock’s
guidelines as mentioned below.
● Divide the post into H1 (title), H2s (main headings), and H3s (sub-headings).
Instead of H4s, use normal text with bold font.
● Here are the formatting guidelines for each:
○ H1 should be Arial 20 (non-bold)
○ H2s should be Arial 16 (non-bold)
○ H3s should be Arial 14 (non-bold)
○ Normal text should be Arial 12
● All titles and headings should be in the title case unless otherwise specified.
● Keep paragraphs short, 1-3 lines. Break down large paragraphs to improve
readability and scannability.
● Keep sentences short (not more than 20 words). 15 words or less is ideal.
● Instead of adding line breaks, please select all content and use the "add
space after paragraph" option. (Here’s a video on how to do it)
● Always check the post outline on the left to see if the headings and
subheadings are making a logical flow.
● When the heading is something like "X strategies or Tips" it's better to use
numbered lists for sub-headings.
● Also, cross-check the number of points listed and the ones mentioned in the
title or heading.
● Numbered lists should not have any indent. Only bulleted lists are indented.
● Don’t use colons, full stops, or any other punctuation at the end of a heading
or subheading.
● For brand names, use the exact spelling a brand uses in its title tag.

Image Guidelines
● Follow target site guidelines, if available. Otherwise, follow the Attrock
guidelines as mentioned below.
● Images should be center-aligned and have reduced width so that there's white
space on either side.
 ● All images need to be saved and then added to a Google Drive folder. Please
ask for the link from Shagufa in case the drive link is not already added in the
doc.
● Always save images with relevant file names.
● Image sources will also be center-aligned and in italics.
● Follow the image source format of the target site (check their blog).
● Always provide the original source link for images and stats.
● Please provide some context about the images you add, even if it is as simple
as "here's an example of...".

Linking Guidelines
● Don’t add stats older than 2 years. Link to the original source on the number
or words like “report” or “study”, not a random anchor text.
● Anchor texts for adding links should be relevant to the topic being linked.
● Internal links (links to the website on which the post will be published) should
be placed on an exact match or partial match anchor texts.
● Add 3-5 internal links to the target site. These links can be placed in the intro
and conclusion sections as well.
● External links (mentioned in the guidelines/requirements) should be placed on
no-match anchor texts and can’t be added in the intro/conclusion sections.
● Avoid adding external links in the starting 2 paragraphs (add after 100+ words)
and also add minimum 1 internal links before adding any external links.
● Avoid adding external links in a promotional way (just write a single sentence and
add link, you need to keep content flow in natural content flow.

Language Guidelines
● Follow the target site guidelines, tone, and writing style.
● Provide useful tips, and don’t write vague or generic statements that add no
value to the content.
○ Add stats/facts, give examples, give data-driven tactics/tips, explain the
how-to process, in detail, with screenshots
● Use active voice, not passive, to the extent possible.
● Use American English, unless otherwise specified.
● Use bucket brigades.
● Write a short and crisp intro and conclusion. End the post with a call to action.
Annexure - Process for Adding Images to the Doc
● Here's the process you should follow for taking screenshots and adding them
to the doc:
○ Download the "Lightshot" tool and use that to take screenshots.
○ Once you take the screenshot, you can either copy it or save it.
Choose the save option (create a separate folder for each post).
○ Go to the doc and select the insert image option and choose "upload
from computer".
○ Find the image on your computer and add it to the relevant place in the
doc.
○ Make it center-aligned. Then, resize the image by dragging it from the
bottom-right corner. Don't resize from the sides as it distorts the image.

Some Reference Guest Posts

● https://docs.google.com/document/d/
1pqZDbNnabn5_89y7I1O5Iiaoa4TTNUg1jHttye0lSPU/edit?usp=sharing

● https://docs.google.com/document/d/
1Oxu5gyJ2Yoq998ebp9Q30AopiK0T0Nso6q9LHtsNajQ/edit?usp=sharing

● https://docs.google.com/document/d/1NN09R6LfVvPZlkwXFjeG-
QrnDnpKOGXgmi3kzF3-_dI/edit?usp=sharing

ARTICLE SUBMISSION GUIDELINES

❑ Submissions must be in English and delivered in Word format.

❑ The content topic must fall within VMblog’s wheelhouse (i.e. but not limited to
virtualization,
cloud computing, containers, hyperconvergence, software-defined X, AI and machine
learning,
security, IoT, Edge, etc.)
❑ For best results, the article should be company and product agnostic. This
does not mean that the
company name and product cannot exist within the article, it just cannot be a marketing or
sales
pitch.
❑ VMblog editors will do a basic spell check of this submission prior to
publication; but if more
extensive editing is required, VMblog will return the submission and ask that the writer
update the
article and make corrections before further review.
❑ The article may have supporting graphics, but each must be sent over as
separate image files
(accepted formats include .png, .gif, and .jpg). Include within the Word document as well for
placement. May be resized to fit.
❑ The article must have an acceptable title.
❑ Do not include more than two keyword links to the company Website within
the body of the
article. External source links are accepted.
❑ The article cannot be submitted to any other Websites or any other
publications. It must be
unique.