Blog Writing: How to Maximize User Experience

by Adam Oakley | Jul 4, 2013 | Website Content

There are many things to consider in blog writing before you even open your Word document to begin. You need to consider SEO, meta tags, and keywords. Yet, keeping all these things in mind still isn’t enough; there is one more task to consider before starting your post: you need to think about how viewers are going to read it. It is a well-documented fact that you need to create outstanding online content in order to hold the attention of the reader for the entire article.

While it is true that most readers skim online articles, they actually read more content than most blog writers would believe. It is just that readers scanned the article a certain way in order to determine if the post is worth their time.

So, how do you create a post that ensures that the most important information will be scanned? Then, how do you entice the reader to go back and digest the entire article?

Formatting Articles for Blog Writing

In order to make sure that readers notice the important facets of your article, you need to format the article in a way that attracts the reader’s eye. Next, you have to live up to the reader’s expectations by creating fantastic content.

Two-Thirds of a Post is Read

According to a study completed by Chartbeat, readers will actually look at 60% of an online article or blog post. This means that more of your blog writing is actually read then you may believe. In addition, 65% of engagement by readers occurs in what is considered below the fold. You have a good chance of having someone read your entire article if you can capture their attention during this initial scanning.

Eye Tracking Study

Chartbeat and other specialists like Crazy Egg have found that online articles are read in an F pattern. This means that a person’s eyes will travel horizontally first and then vertically as they continue down through the rest of the post. If you keep this in mind during blog writing, you can format your article to take advantage of this pattern.

Be Bold

You need to be able to attract a person’s attention when they are reading your blog post. One way to do this is by using bold in your post. If you place titles, subtitles, and important phrases in bold or italics then you will draw a person’s eye to that section of the article. This will call their attention to the key factors you are reviewing in your post and it will help them to decide whether they will find the rest of the post informative.

Another important aspect of formatting during blog writing is to create multiple subtitles in the post. This helps to break up the content and also call specific subtopics of the document to the reader’s attention.

Be Visual

Guidelines for efficient online articles include at least one image. Blog writing calls for creativity, and your imagination should not be limited when it comes to discovering images for your post. Don’t just scan through the free images that are available online. You can apply to subscription service such as iStockphoto, or you can create your own images. Pictures are not the only type of images you can use here. Studies have shown that info graphics help to enhance the share ability and views of online content. Learning how to create info graphics doesn’t have to be complicated. There are some basic templates that you can use to create effective photogenic images that described your text for you.

Video is another great way to explain the information in your blog post and to hold a reader’s interest. Videos can be as simple as an animated slideshow. Basic software to create videos is often found in laptops and can be downloaded for free on the Internet.

Be Unique

It is also important with blog writing to make sure that you are taking a unique point of view on your topic. Nobody wants to read a rehash of the same information over and over again. Put a unique spin on an article to keep readers informed and to show them that you are a thought leader in your field. After all, anyone can rewrite content. It takes someone that has a thorough understanding of the subject matter to be able to put their own perspective on the topic.

Tell Readers What to Do

Do not assume that readers will know what you want them to do next. You need to include a call to action in all of your online content. In terms of blog writing, this often means asking them to do something as simple as leave a comment, share your post, or subscribe to your RSS feed. Statistics show that when writers ask people to do things the readers are more inclined to follow the directive.

While blog posts should not be advertisements for your business offerings, this does not mean that you cannot create calls to action for downloadable content. In order to establish your online reputation and brand, it is important to create case studies, white papers, and e-books. After this content has been created, you can craft a blog post about the topic of this content and create a call to action that will encourage readers to download the information to learn more about the subject.

Live Up to Expectations

Once you have caught the reader’s attention by using visual aids, subtitles, and bolding key phrases you need to live up to the expectations you have created in the reader’s mind. Too often, blog writers will craft a terrific summary but then the content fails to deliver. In the initial phases of your blog writing, make sure that you have outlined the topic of your post and that you have at least three main ideas and three subtopics to support those ideas for 500 pages of content.

This way you make sure that you thoroughly explain the subject matter to your reader and you are creating a document that is valuable to them. Otherwise, whether they read 60% of your posts or 40%, they will never read another blog post of yours again.

There are many different elements of blog writing the need to occur before the actual creation of the post begins. Because 60% of your blog is scanned by readers, you need to make sure that you are formatting your post to take advantage of the F pattern readers follow when reviewing your document. Make sure that you have plenty of subtitles, images and substance to encourage the readers to read the other 40% of your post. Then make sure you include a call to action to let readers know what you want them to do next. Using these strategies will help increase the readership and sharing of your blog.

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How to Create a Personal Connection Through Blog Writing

by Adam Oakley | May 20, 2013 | Website Content

Bonding with your blog readers—is that really possible?  Blog writing and forming a personal connection at the same time might seem like a daunting task.  How do you connect to real people in the form of black-and-white text on a screen?

Creating a connection with your reader requires understanding their wants and needs. In order to truly bond with your blog readers, your content will need to answer questions, create inspiration, and build trust.

The following list will help you establish a personal connection with your readers, and keep them coming back to your blog time and time again.

1. Be Helpful With Your Blog Writing

 Grow your audience by being helpful and giving them something they can take away. You should advertise this in your header. For example: let’s say you have a foodie blog on how to eat gluten-free. One way to appeal to your readers and bond personally in a blog is to feature an original recipe inside, offer something new and useful about gluten-free eating in a picture or a tip, maybe feature on a morning breakfast with home-made gluten-free pancakes.  It doesn’t have to be 10,000 words: 100 words of something “new” that your specific blog readers find useful can endear you to them.

2. Inspire Your Readers

Don’t just give them a useful tip: turn it into inspiration to go do something. OK, now that you’ve read my blog, you can go do THIS! They’ll be grateful and feel you changed their life in some way. Even if it’s inspiration to go make those gluten-free pancakes you talked about. If your blog is selling something, this can even be a call to action.

3. Bond Over a Common Nuisance

Here’s an interesting way you can bond through blog writing: share a common nuisance or enemy. What irks you as a cuisine expert? Is it those people who toot their own horn but really know nothing about their choice of ingredients when it comes down to it? Share some frustration of yours and appeal to your readers by asking them directly if they feel the same. This is a common direction that viral blogs take. Everyone can relate; everyone feels sympathetic; they share it, their friends share it.

Note: The three tips above are the meat of the matter. Other directions for bonding personally with your reader can include making use of metaphors, personal experiences, inside advice and tips, writing well, keeping it informative, and all those other tidbits that make a blog good.

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