Here's a blast from the past from Lesley, who is offering up this older blog post about writing better blogs from her previous life. If you want to know how to get more readers than just your mom, these are some great tips!
I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again – if you’re a blogger, you need to make sure it’s pretty or else no one will read it (except maybe your mom).
This includes the text.
It’s gotta look good!
Templates are important, header images grab attention and, of course, you’ve got to have valuable content. Readers will really notice how easy your blog posts are to digest, though. So, if you’d like to improve your blog and take the next step, let’s talk about formatting.
Here are my top tips for making your audience stick around and read what you’ve got to say:
Make it snappy
Short sentences and phrases make a difference. And when it comes to effective copywriting, you want to keep things easily digestible. Long paragraphs, sentences that go on and on… well, they’re just going to turn readers off.
Chunk it up
Keep paragraphs short. Break up the text. It helps readers stay interested, and gives it more of a “skimmable” feel which is less daunting and overwhelming than a huge block of text.
Highlight important statements by letting them stand on their own line.
And use formatting to make them pop! (More on that below.)
Size matters
No one likes big blocks of monotonous text. Using different heading settings breaks up the text so it’s easier on the eyes, making readers hang out longer.
Lists work
If you can make something into a list, do it! Your readers will thank you for the quick, skimmable content.
Make it pretty
Photos and graphics make a huge difference. You don’t have to plaster them everywhere, but you always want to have graphic elements in the mix.
And please don’t forget to make your images large! I hate coming across blog posts with teeny little pictures. They add so much, so let us see them!
Oh, and did you know that formatting can help your blog get found in search engines? Yup. By using bolds and underlines, search engines think that text is more important so make sure you do this with important keyword-rich phrases.
Happy bloggingI can’t wait to read your super easy-on-the-eyes posts. Show me your latest awesomely-formatted blog post on our Facebook Page and if you're looking for a little help with your blog, get in touch and we'd be happy to help!