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The SITS Girls

The Secret to Success is Support

Blog Format Counts! Learn How To Get It Right

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Annabel Candy is back again today to highlight her book, Successful Blogging in 12 Simple Steps, and help us to focus on how format your blog. Formatting your blog properly is critical to ensuring that your readers want to return again and again. Read on for a great exercise that will ensure your blog format is in tip-top shape!

It’s harder to read on a computer screen than on paper. If your blog readers struggle to read your posts, then they won’t spend long on your blog. Make it easy for your readers to get the information they want from your posts by designing your blog for easy reading.

Blog Format Check List:

Here is a quick list of items you’ll want to make sure you have covered when it comes to your blog format:

  1. Column Width: Is the column width too wide? If your columns are so wide that your text stretches halfway across the screen, people can easily lose their place when reading.
  2. Font: Is the font easy to read? Sans serif fonts (without any squiggly bits) are generally easier to read on screen, in particular Verdana. My travel blog, Get In the Hot Spot, uses the serif font Georgia (with squiggly bits), which is also designed for easy reading on screen. Play it safe and use a sans serif font most people have on their computers, such as Verdana, Geneva or Arial.
  3. Background Color: Is the background color right? Make sure there’s good contrast between the text and the background. Most blogs have dark text on a light background. Be wary of using a solid white background: they can create a harsh glare. Pale grey or pastels offer a more restful read.

how to format a blog

Activity

Let’s put this advice into action! Choose an old blog post that deserves more attention than it originally got and rework it.

Follow these steps:

  1. Come up with a compelling new post title.
  2. Edit the post title to make it more concise, removing all unnecessary words.
  3. Add sub-headings to break up the text and make it easier for people to scan before reading.
  4. Check the language – does it sound natural or too formal? Rewrite it as if you were talking to a friend.
  5. Add numbered or bullet-pointed lists where you can to make the post easier to scan, read and understand.
  6. Shorten the paragraphs to add more white space and make the post easier to scan.
  7. Take time to find a really compelling image which adds to your message and will make readers want to read on.

If you’d like, you can change the date of publication so that the updated blog post displays first on your blog and looks like a new post.

Share your feedback in the comments below or write a blog post and share the link to it in the comments. We’d love to follow your progress and get inspired by what you’re doing.

More From the Successful Blogging Series

Get 35% Off the Successful Blogging Ebook Now!

successful blogging in 12 simple stepsIf you’re a blogger, then you know how much information there is about blogging out there and how hard it is to get started. The whole process is overwhelming and confusing, which is why Annabel wanted to make it easier. To help people set up or relaunch a blog that will help them reach their goals and get the results they want, Annabel wrote Successful Blogging in 12 Simple Steps. It’s main goal is to help other small business owners and writers tap into the power of blogging. If you’d like to check out the book and receive 35% off the cover price, then simply use the code, 35off, here.

About Annabel Candy

successful blogging in 12 simple stepsAnnabel Candy is a copywriter, web designer and teacher with an MA in Design for Interactive Media and 16 years experience in online marketing. She set up her first blog Get In the Hot Spot in 2009 and has written for Zen Habits, Copyblogger and Problogger. Annabel shares her blogging tips at Successful Blogging and writes travel stories and personal writing at Get In the Hot Spot.

About Francesca

Francesca has an extensive background in content marketing, public relations, and social outreach. She oversees all Operations at Sway Group, including our robust metrics capabilities. Prior to joining the online world, Francesca oversaw viticulture and oenology at various wineries in both California and Italy, and managed regulatory affairs and facility approvals at the biotech company, Genentech. Francesca has been featured on CBS Sacramento and Food Blogger Pro’s podcast. She has also hosted an AMA webinar and spoken at Social Media World.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Sarah says

    Hey – excellent post and I felt a little pleased and smug that my blog seems to follow those rules already. I am definitely going to try the re-vamping an older post option – I’ll do it today and see if I can’t submit it for a guest post somewhere.

    Thanks for the tips!!

    Sarah

    http://happygoluckygohappy.blogspot.com/

  2. peach says

    So helpful! Thank you so much. I sort of stumbled into the world of blogging and am now realizing what I should have been doing all along. Will need lots of tweaking but there’s lots of fun in the learning process. That’s what it’s all about.

  4. Jamie says

    I just changed the background color on my blog and I absolutely LOVE it! Thanks for the tip!

  5. Liz {at} Sunny Bug says

    Thanks for the great post…I went over to your site and it was like a gold mine of great resources. I can’t wait to look around more and apply some of your suggestions. I’ve found that there is a unique balance of writing good posts AND maintaining the overall “look” of my site. I’m trying to do both BUT when find a great resource, its reassuring that both can be achieved.

  8. se7en says

    Oh I just hate going back and looking at my blog from the good old days… some of my most classic posts that get traffic every single day and bring new readers in. I really can’t face going back – but I should, those posts are in a terrible condition!!! How do you find the time to post consistently and fix past posts at the same time… I hardly have time to post daily but I know my readers want a daily post. I am kind of stuck… to go back or press on… wish I knew where to focus: drawing new readers in or keeping loyal readers happy.

    • Annabel Candy, Get In the Hot Spot says

      Hi Se7en, if those old posts are still getting traffic and bringing in new readers that’s great. But are the readers staying? If not a few minor tweaks like just adding a reminder to subscribe to your blog at the top and bottom of those posts could be enough. It shouldn’t take long!

      I don’t post daily so very impressed by you.

      I’m sure you could cut down a day here or there if you wanted to work on on-going stuff. Or even just split up one post and carry it over two days to keep people interested and give daily content with the same amount of writing:)

      You’re doing a great job already.

  12. Babes about Town says

    Another really useful post. I’m loving the advice as i’m in the midst of tweaking my blog to make it (hopefully) more user-friendly. Would like to take part in this exercise too – if I can find the time!

  13. Traci Lehman says

    I love the idea of revisiting an old blog post and updating it to make it better. This is something I really need to spend some time doing. Thanks.

  14. Patricia says

    Love reading more tips as my blog is getting a professional polish. The designer and I are working on the logo/brand right now and then heading into the formatting, so all the information I can gather on making my blog better is much appreciated. I’m also not as tech savvy as y’all and don’t know how to add the “recently posted …” line. I did recently post a new blog and you can find it at http://www.thedollsarealright.net/. Thank you!

  15. Glenda Childers says

    These seven steps are great. I am making a copy for the front of my blogging notebook . . . a nice plumb line for each future post. Thanks.

    Fondly,
    Glenda

  17. Jessica says

    Thank you for the great advice… I will love some feedback on my blog. I am new to blogging and still in the process of learning!! Thanks!!

    Girl In Shoes

  18. Mimi says

    Great tips! I did this awhile back because the design of my blog changed so dramtically from when I started. I know I have a few more posts to edit.

  19. barb g says

    I disagree with one thing you said. I have low vision and a white background with
    black text is always the best for me to be able to read. The other background
    colors might look prettier but it will make it much harder for me to read what
    you are writing.

    • Annabel Candy, Get In the Hot Spot says

      Hi Barb,

      Love the feedback. Good legibility is key. When I was studying I learned yellow text on a black background is actually the easiest to read! It’s looks vile though:)

      I have one reader who is blind and says he loves my site because many he can’t “read”. I think the computer reads things aloud to him. Accessibility is important and something we’ll be hearing more of down the line.

  20. YUMMommy says

    Great advice. Blog formatting is really important. Readers tend to shy away from blogs that too overwhelming or busy looking.

  22. Optimistic Mom says

    This helps motivate me to go back and correct several posts that didn’t transfer well from blogger to wordpress. Thanks for the tips and the motivation. 😉

  25. When Pigs Fly says

    Great post! I’ve been making subtle changes to my blog based on your recommendations from the “Blog Critique.” I still need to decide on my focus but I’m making some small changes to start. Every little bit helps.