Presentation Matters
Photo by Mikayla Mallek on Unsplash
Blogging is one of the best tools you can use to share ideas and connect with customers. Whether writing a blog for your small business or sharing professional ideas, content is ultimately King. However, the formatting and presentation of your blog is incredibly important to the success of your endeavors.
When developing a website, functionality, content and esthetics are all top on the priority list. When writing a blog, the same applies. Not all of us are blessed with artistic eyes, however here are a few formatting hacks that can ensure your blog looks as sharp and keeps readers coming back for more:
1. Don’t write a novel
A safe range for blog posts is 500-700 words. Any longer than 700 words, and readers start to lose interest. Keeping the content short also improves the visual appeal to potential readers. With people leading busier and busier lives, reading a short article is usually more intriguing than a long wordy one.
2. Use Subheadings
When reading through any text, it’s easier to grasp key ideas when large chunks of information are broken down. A great tool to avoid overly dense content is using subheadings. For example, if you are writing about the best-roasted chicken recipe, break down the article into separate parts. The first section could cover Prep Work followed by a section on Seasoning and then Cooking. You don’t have to use subheadings for every article, but they are extremely useful.
3. Be Bold
Formatting something bold automatically increases its importance within any text. Bolded content helps draw the eye and nicely emphasize a key section of the article. Add bolded subheadings and key words to your articles so it’s easy for readers to find information.
4. Order and Unordered Lists
Instead of simply writing each one of these tips out, we numbered them so you can easily see each one. Using lists is a way to compile information into manageable sections so readers can easily see key ideas, facts or data. Utilize bulleted and numbered lists whenever possible, especially when quoting data or important facts.
5. Point out key Info
Adding bolded or italicized text to key sentences and phrases also helps the reader’s eye be automatically drawn to that information. Formatting your text like this can ensure that readers get the key idea of your article.
6. Add Links
When referencing specific sites or articles, always include a hyperlink or link to the site or where the content was originally published. This allows your readers to gain more information about a topic or your source. Linking can also help you avoid plagiarism and copyright infringement issues by properly citing sources. Additionally, if you are discussing a topic that may be industry specific or not common knowledge, linking the text to a definition is a nice touch.
7. Be short and Spacious
Big blocks of texts are not visually appealing. An easy way to improve the esthetics of your blog is to use spaces when appropriate. Always add spacing between paragraphs and also keep them small, 3-6 sentences long.
8. Add (High Quality) Pictures
Adding an appropriate, relevant, and interesting image or graphic to a blog article can really help your point pack a punch. High quality and resolution pictures are always the best way to go. Most phones come with cameras that will take more than adequate blog-quality photos. Whenever possible use photos you have taken yourself or subscribe to a stock photo service to avoid copyright infringement.
9. Be consistent: Repeat, Repeat, Repeat
Staying consistent with your blogs brand voice is incredibly important. It ensures that your readership stays engaged and your content properly represents your company. Keeping the content formatting consistent is just as important because it reinforces your brand identity. When you find a blogging style and formatting that you enjoy, stick to it as much as possible.
Good formatting takes time, along with some trial and error. If you follow these tips, it’s sure to improve your blog’s visual appeal and help keep your branding consistent. We hope that you found these ideas useful and for more information, feel free to contact us or check out these links:
http://bloggingtips101.com/blog-post-format-formatting-effectively/
-Jamie
