There is no lack of articles telling you how to write blog posts, how to write headlines, and how to make posts go viral. Then there are those articles telling you how to design your blog.
Sometimes, however, you get conflicting ideas. That, or you get the same ideas over and over again.
My point is that you ought to take advice with a grain of salt. And that applies to this post as well.
Writing blog posts and formatting them is not a one-size-fits-all deal. There are many factors that come into play, and some tips and “rules” may not apply to you.
There are some general practices, however, that will improve your content quality and readability. You may already know some of these, but it doesn’t hurt to be reminded now and then.
Here is an infographic distilling some of these best practices. The list is still rather long, but there are two important elements to consider:
- Online readers tend to skim and have shorter attention spans.
- It’s more difficult – physically – to read online content, especially depending on the device.
That being said, when writing blog posts and formatting them, remember these things.
- Make your content scannable by using headings and subheadings. Using lists or bullet points also helps.
- Break up text into more digestible amounts. Be more succinct. Write shorter paragraphs.
- Choose fonts for readability not for “cuteness” or some other similar metric. The general consensus is that you’re safest with sans-serif fonts. Here is a useful read on fonts for online reading.
- Don’t be afraid of using bigger fonts. Again, you want to make it easier for your readers.
- Use whitespace to give readers’ eyes a break.
- Use images – but selectively. Don’t use images for the sake of having images. Choose relevant ones, and place them appropriately.
Blog Writing and Formatting Tips
Now that I’ve shared points from the infographic that I believe to be good practices, I’ll let the graphic speak for itself. As I mentioned earlier, blogging is not a one-size-fits-all endeavor.
Consider this as a guide but by no means consider it written in stone.
What do you think about the “rules” presented in the infographic? Do you think they are solid? Which ones do you agree with (and follow), and which ones do you disagree with?
