Blog Post Formatting: What Matters Most?

Scan-ability

As stated, people would rather scan than read. They are two different things. To make your blog post scan-able, make the takeaway information so prominent that it doesn’t get buried in anecdote after tedious anecdote. The title draws them in, then a scan-able format with lots of sub-headers or other breaking points keep them scanning all the way down. Do this correctly, and they just may slow down long enough to start reading (without even knowing it).

Genuine Images

What are those? They’re real photos, taken by you or someone affiliated with your business. Stock photos aren’t “fake” photos by definition; they definitely have their place in web design, but they’re best used on website home pages and service pages. When it comes to your blog, authenticity counts a whole lot more.

A small business that uses generic photos throughout blog posts is a business whose blog isn’t taken very seriously, so use as many “real” photos as possible. As for actual formatting, make sure the text is wrapped around the aligned photos, so you are presenting a polished, professional looking blog post.

If you don’t know how “real” photos can be used in your blog posts, here are a few ideas:

Bullet Points

Don’t be scared of bullet points; they’re your friend. In fact, bullet point lists are a blogger’s best friend. In fact, we’ll make one here just to drive the point home. Bullet points are great because they:

• Get the reader’s attention
• Make organizing lists a snap
• Fill up space on a page that may be short on word count
• Add visual interest to the page and improve scan-ability tenfold

These are three things that make a big impact on blog post formatting. Use them regularly to improve your formatting technique, and watch your blog writing improve along with it. If you prefer to outsource your blog posts, Crest Media can help with that, too. Contact us today for a friendly discussion on social media marketing, including blog writing.