Blogging comes with an array of benefits for most websites. Its popularity should speak for itself – almost one-third of all websites have one, as there are over 600 million blogs across 1.9 billion websites. Indeed, blogging can improve Search Engine Optimization (SEO), enhance user experience, attract and convert customers, and even foster brand trust. However, all that is easier said than done, as blogging can be quite complex. Competition aside, even getting started with the fundamentals can present challenges. If that’s the case for you, fear not; our blog formatting tips are here to help.
Blog Formatting Tips to Attract and Engage Customers
While we can’t dive deep into SEO and conversions, as that would make this article gargantuan, here we can start with the basics. That is, your blog and blog posts and how they attract and retain your audiences’ attention.
#1 Use blog categories and tags appropriately
First and foremost, before you even start writing, it’s vital to know just how to use blog categories and tags. If you don’t structure the blog properly, you’ll be pleasing neither search engines nor audiences, undermining your efforts.
In brief, a blog category is, just as the name implies, a category of blogs covering a specific topic. A blog tag, on the other hand, is a tag that describes an individual element within a blog post.
Needless to say, both are invaluable. Blog posts properly grouped make user navigation easier and create content clusters for SEO, while blog tags make individual subtopics easier to find. Consider manual navigation versus website search for a prominent example of each.
How many of each you should have will vary, but you may want to remain modest with them. MoversDev suggests having 4-10 categories and no more than 30 different tags.
#2 Pick a strong, clear title
With your blog itself in order, you may now delve into blog formatting tips; how your content should look. The title is the first thing your users see, both on search engines and on the page, so it’s a great place to start.
In brief, your title should come with a set of specific qualities:
- Specific as can be; users should know exactly what they’re going to read
- Brief and concise; titles should remain fully visible in search results
- Focused on the subject; titles should organically include your keyword
Specificity and brevity are simple enough, but the ideal length may puzzle you. If so, OptinMonster suggests sticking to 6-13 words. For a different metric, you may opt for 50-70 characters for better visibility in Google results.
#3 Keep your content scannable and readable
Having touched on search engines manifold, here we may explain just why your blog format relates to them. Poorly formatted blogs rarely rank in search results, and the reason is simple; they don’t offer a great user experience.
The best way to address this is to make your content scannable, letting users find relevant information quickly and readable, making for a pleasant reading experience. Our main blog formatting tips for doing so are to:
- Use headings and subheadings Each blog should have one H1, followed by H2s for main topics, H3s underneath for subtopics, and so on.
- Include a table of contents. If your content is very long, a table of contents can make it much more scannable for specific information.
- Use bullet lists and numbered lists. These both consolidate information and increase your blog’s white space for readability.
- Stick to short paragraphs. Maintaining brevity best engages your audiences – a maximum of 300 words per paragraph should do
With the exception of a table of contents, since this article’s not quite huge, we’ve been applying these same tips. If this made your experience better, then you’ve already seen their benefits in action.
#4 Leverage white space
The sheer power of white space cannot be underestimated. It’s a fundamental web design principle. As such, here we’d like to dedicate a paragraph to it and leverage it effectively.
White space, just as the name implies, is the white space on a given page. It lets the eye rest, the other content breathe, and valuable buttons pop out. It comes in two distinct variants:
- Macro white space; the white space between major layout elements, like content blocks, and to the sides of pages
- Micro white space; the white space between lines and paragraphs
Now, blog formatting tips can’t dictate just how you use these two variants. Exact approaches will depend on your style, audience, and other factors. What they can do is nudge you toward leveraging it:
- Keep your line spacing in mind, ensuring the eye isn’t strained while reading
- Space out your main elements, like images and calls-to-action (CTAs), to let them breathe
- Use readability and scannability tools, as highlighted above, to create white space
If you’re keenly interested in this subject, IxDF offers a very informative article on white space to look into.
#5 Use visuals where appropriate
Finally, as we passingly mentioned above, you may, by all means, use visuals. They can also enrich the user experience and break up big chunks of text for readability. However, this article doesn’t – which should suggest there are times to use visuals and times to avoid them.
In brief, when considering using visuals, you can ask yourself:
- Do they actually add value? Infographics and examples can add value, while stock images might have adverse effects.
- Is the added readability through white space needed? Your formatting may suffice if this is your only reason.
- Do they appear clickable and/or distract from other elements? If so, using visuals can do more harm than good.
This final point is crucial if you plan to use your blogs as landing pages for conversions. Review your articles, consider their purpose, and conduct A/B tests to determine if visuals are necessary.
These blog formatting tips don’t intend to discourage you from using visuals at all, of course. If you do find visuals necessary, remember to:
- Use them sparingly; one every 250-300 words should suffice for most purposes.
- Use them purposefully; use visuals that directly add value to their context.
- Mind neighboring elements; don’t let any visuals distract your users from your CTAs or your blogs’ main purpose, no matter how valuable.
Again, if you’re unsure of placement or effect on the page, A/B testing can help inform your course of action.
Conclusion
In closing, how you format your blog and posts is undeniably vital for improving their performance. From a potent title to scannable content and relevant visuals, proper structure and layout can significantly enhance your users’ experience. In turn, this produces better metrics like time on page and bounce rates, which directly improve your SEO. In combination, the two will help your blog attract and engage customers – by pleasing both search engines and the audiences you do attract.
We hope you found these blog formatting tips helpful. For more information on blogs, SEO, and web design, you’re more than welcome to explore our other content.