Actionable Blogging Guide

You may have an extraordinary piece of content, but it will only get the reader's attention if presented well. 

 

People will abandon your blog post and switch to other better alternatives if they find the information hard to digest and cluttered. 

 

When people leave your blog posts quickly, it will signal negatively to Google because it considers content with a high bounce rate low-quality.

 

In fact, according to Hubspot, 43% of people skim the content instead of reading the full text. And based on a Chartbeat study, 55% of readers spend less than 15 seconds on a website.  

 

And therefore, it is also imperative to make a blog post more scannable to keep people engaged and increase the dwell time. 

 

Here are the best practices for making a perfect blog post:-

 

#1. Irresistible headline

 

A perfect blog post should start with a captivating headline that entices people to click and visit the page.

 

Wherever people see your blog post be it search engine result pages, social media, and other online forums, the headline should be catchy to make them click. 

 

#2. Using header image

 

It's no secret that content with more images yields better results on search engines or social media. 

 

They are more likely to be shared and get more exposure because people like visuals much. 

 

Therefore header images or blog post cover photos before any text can immediately bring in readers and generate more interest for further reading.

 

Cover photos are the first thing visitors see in the blog post; thus, they should be captivating and describe the blog post.

 

#3. Strong introduction

 

The introduction hooks the readers and explains why they should continue reading the rest of the content.

 

Therefore, the opening paragraph or a few first lines should be compelling and creatively introduce what your blog post is all about. 

 

#4. Table of content

 

Generally, for small blog posts(1000 words) table of content may not be helpful, but in the case of long-form content, it allows readers to overview the content and jump directly to the sections in which they are most interested.

​

Having a table of content enhances navigation and increase user experience. Visitors looking only for specific information can quickly access it with just one click. 

​

Thus a list of quick links in the form of a table helps make blog posts more skimmable. 

​

#5.Headings and sub-headings

​

Before reading a long blog post word by word, readers scan the sub-headings to judge whether it is worth reading the entire blog post.

 

Therefore, you can't make long-form content skimmable without using subheadings. 

 

Break your long text into small topics and create appropriate sub-headings to present content in a hierarchical structure.

 

#6. Word formatting

​

The boldface texts, italics, capital letters, quotes, and different font colors help readers spot the most information they are looking for. 

 

So use formatting options to make the content better for skimming.

 

#7. Short paragraphs

​

The long sentences and lengthy paragraphs make reading difficult. So instead, break the content into short sentences and paragraphs so readers can stay interested.

 

People may feel overwhelmed by reading long paragraphs; therefore, break a long chunk of text into small sections of 4-5 sentences.

 

#8. Bullet points and lists

 

Arranging information into bullet points and lists helps in faster reading, and readers can easily digest the information.

 

So if you have step-by-step instructions or a list of actionable steps, it is better to use bullet points or lists instead of writing a long paragraph.

 

These make content easy to consume and, therefore, helpful in making content more skimmable.

 

#9. Use images and videos

 

Articles having only text create monotonicity. Using multimedia can enrich the content because images and videos generate visual interest among readers. 

​

Photos are processed faster by our brains than texts; therefore, they immediately get readers' attention and keep them interested. 

​

Use charts, infographics, and graphs to visualize complex data so visitors can easily understand.

​

Embedding YouTube videos can increase dwell time on the blog post, eventually benefiting search engine ranking. 

​

#10. Avoid jargon words

 

Use simple language and avoid words that are hard to understand. Readers will lose interest if they don't comprehend the words.

​

Know your audience and write in a language they can interpret and understand.

​

#11. Enough white space

 

Nobody wants to read cluttered content because it is difficult for them to skim and figure out if it is something they should read.

 

White space between lines and paragraphs improves the aesthetic of the content and gives rest to the eyes of a reader. The visitor's eyes can rest while moving from one block of content to the other.

 

The content will look boring and messy without enough whitespace(blank space) between paragraphs. Thus include enough whitespace in your writing to keep the reader's attention.

 

#12. Internal linking

 

Since it is impossible to write and cover everything about a topic in just one blog post, internal linking can provide additional useful information and enhance user experience.

 

#13. Conclusion

 

A strong blog post ending is essential and should be based on your goal of writing the content. The conclusion needs to guide readers to the next action that you want them to take.

 

There are many effective ways to end a blog post, including a strong call-to-action, asking a question, asking to share the post on social media, and including links to other blog posts.