Are your readers skimming your blog posts, abandoning them halfway through, or finding your dense text overwhelming? In today's fast-paced digital world, capturing and holding a reader's attention is tougher than ever. We used to echo that common adage that you have seven seconds to grab your reader’s attention, but these days, it’s likely even less.
Don’t be disheartened. The oversaturation of generic copy on social media and articles actually gives you an advantage. It gives you an opportunity to really stand out. No emojis, no excessive em-dashes. You don’t need them.
What you need is rules of thumb about readability and formatting that are timelessly useful. his guide will walk you through essential formatting elements: bolding, headings, pull quotes, tables, and related links, transforming your posts into engaging, easy-to-read content.
Structure is key
Pay attention to your content hierarchies, which are hugely important for both visual readability and SEO. H2s define the major sections of your blog post and introduce new topics. Make them descriptive and benefit-oriented, clearly indicating what the reader will gain from that section. For instance, this section itself uses an H2.
Elaborate with a further subsection
Using H3s helps you further to break your content into digestible chunks. Don’t neglect your H2s and H3s - increasingly, content writers are using a lot of bullet points. Now, don’t get us wrong - bullet points are good. They certainly have their merits in making an article more readable. However, too many of them can be visually overwhelming. Nothing beats a well-structured article with a hierarchy that makes sense.
Use bolding in pull quotes (in moderation)
“In moderation” being the operative phrase here. Too many of them makes your article look way too overwhelming, but using a tasteful amount makes it more engaging. Draw attention to your key takeaways and great ideas so they don’t get lost.
“Over-bolding diminishes the impact of your work.”
When bolding, don’t do it in complete sentences, just for a few key words. Over-bolding diminishes the impact of your work - and you don’t want to come across as one of those people who highlights a whole page in a book. Respect your reader’s time by only picking out what is most succinct and impactful.
Pull-quotes are something your reader is going to see before they read the full article, making them both enticing teasers and visual relief. Use them strategically, perhaps one or two per substantial section (every 300-500 words) to maximise their effect.
Using tables to organise information
Using tables not only adds further structure to your article, but it also adds content value. Content value refers to any formatting such as tables, pull quotes, images, and internal links. It’s anything that enriches the reading experience and boosts SEO in turn.
Tables offer unparalleled clarity and scannability, making complex information easy to digest. Here’s how to do them right:
- Clear column headers. Ensure each column is clearly labeled.
- Concise data. Keep the information within each cell brief and to the point.
- Responsive design. Don't make your tables too wide. Ensure they display well on all devices.
Ensure table borders are clear but not overly heavy, and consider shading alternating rows for longer tables to improve readability.
Adding related links
Want to keep readers on your site longer, provide more value, and build your internal linking structure? Related links are essential.
You can place links contextually within your body text, linking to relevant terms or articles. Additionally, include a dedicated "Related Posts" section at the end of your article.
Tips for effective linking:
- Use descriptive anchor text. This is done so that readers know what they're clicking.
- Don't overload a single paragraph. Don’t oversaturate your article with too many related links.
- Pay attention to hyperlink options. More often than not they will give you the option to set it to open in a new tab, which is usually preferable.
Make sure your content is easy to understand
Your content could have all the enriching bells and whistles and still be really difficult for your reader to get through. This results in a high bounce rate and lower rankings.
Take the time to consider your target audience. Enhancing the readability of your content is crucial for engaging your audience, and Readable offers powerful tools to achieve this. Many readers are short on time and can be quickly overwhelmed by complex sentences or jargon. Readable helps you transform dense text into clear, accessible prose.
By focusing on readability, you increase the likelihood that your target audience will not only read your content but also interact with it, making it an essential part of your content strategy. The platform helps you simplify your writing by identifying opportunities to use shorter, easier words and to break down convoluted sentences. For instance, it can suggest synonyms for multi-syllable words and highlight very long sentences, encouraging you to rephrase them into concise, single-idea statements.
The most powerful aspect of using Readable is the bespoke readability score. You won’t find this anywhere else. Readable provides scores based on various readability formulas (like Flesch-Kincaid and Gunning-Fog), allowing you to aim for an ideal 7th or 8th-grade reading level to ensure your writing is both informative and effortlessly consumable.
This is great for users familiar with Flesch-Kincaid, such as educators and marketers, but what if you’re not? Simply follow our grading system (A - E). This is a robust formula based on the strongest tested algorithms which will give you a score that is instantly understandable. An A or a B is easy to understand for the general public.
