When you’re writing, there are some tried and tested methods on how to format your blog posts. These methods will help your readers to understand them better and will also improve your search engine optimization (SEO). Don’t worry, it’s not too hard to do and it’ll soon become a habit for you. The right formatting can make all the difference so it’s a good use of your time.
Don’t forget the white space
Your English teacher may disapprove but when you write for online viewing it’s important that you break up paragraphs for easier viewing. You don’t want each paragraph to be more than five lines long. If they are, go ahead and break them up in a good spot so that it’ll be easier for your audience to read.
Use plenty of subheadings
Using subheadings breaks up the text to make it more enjoyable to read. When using subheadings, remember to use the ‘h1 to h6’ headings. In WordPress, you can find these to the left in your editor under ‘paragraph’. Instead of just using ‘bold’, you want to use these designations. This is because search engines put more emphasis on these subheadings than they do if you just use bold.
Use dark text on a light background
Avoid using white text on a black background or anything close to it. It is awful on the eyes and people simply won’t want to keep reading. The best way to format your blog posts is to use a white background with black text. You can use some coloured text for the ‘h1-6’ tags if you want to bring attention to them. Different themes sometimes have heading tags associated with different colours aside from bold text. Just try not to overwhelm people with your use of colour.
Don’t use small fonts or script
Today, with predictive settings, most people who view your site will have their browser set to make the font the size they want. However, it’s important that you don’t purposely choose small fonts. Anything smaller than a 12-point font is going to be too hard to read. Furthermore, please do not use a script font as this is incredibly hard to read. Use fonts that are easy to read online. The best fonts for this are Arial, Courier and Verdana at 12 points or larger.
Use bullet points but don’t get carried away
When you are breaking up items, a good way to do so is with bullet points. Bullet points help to break up the text and give your readers some idea of what you plan to write about in an easy-to-read format. Don’t go overboard with bullet points but if you have a short list of items, bullet points make them stand out nicely. If you have longer lists that need further explanation, it’s better to do as in this article and use subheadings instead.
Include images in your content
Finally, always use images in your blog posts with the ‘alt tag’ filled in. You want images that match the content you’re writing about and give the readers something to view that keeps their attention on your topic. Images draw your readers in and even help to encourage more social media sharing.
In the next post, I’ll explain why SEO is important when it comes to building a successful blog. Don’t worry, it’s easy to do and you’ll be amazed at the results that using SEO has on your blog!
Image credits
Main image: Dai KE on Unsplash Second image: Kenny Eliason on Unsplash Third image: Plann on Pexels
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