This post is all about how to format a blog post. This post may contain affiliate links at no extra cost to you.
Writing a blog post may sound like an easy thing to do. Just write, right? Sure if you’re just trying to get your thoughts published.
But did you know there is an art to building the perfect blog post? One that will get your content in front of thousands, even millions of potential readers?
ALSO READ: Free Blogging Tools for Beginners to Grow (2023)
If you’d like to learn how to write a blog post that will actually be seen by people, then keep on reading.
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HOW TO FORMAT A BLOG POST
When you’re creating a blog post, you want to think about your target audience. Think about what they are looking to find, learn, or buy and how can you provide them value.
When someone is searching the internet for answers, they’re looking for resources that are going to make it easiest for them to find that answer.
That’s where a blog post format comes in handy. If you are just putting words on the screen, your reader will likely become overwhelmed with the amount of reading they are going to have to do.
Inserting larger subheadings and attention-grabbing visuals will help retain your reader longer.
ATTENTION-GRABBING BLOG TITLE
The title is the first thing a reader stumbles upon in search results. This can make the difference between them clicking your link or the one below you.
The blog post title should highlight the problem or solution, you are addressing in your blog post.
The title is your one and only H1 heading. You will want to include your target keyword but keep it interesting to entice the reader to click your post.
Remember your target audience. If your blog’s tone is a little more relaxed and playful, incorporate that in the title.
LANDSCAPE PICTURE WITH RELEVANT IMAGERY
I like to start my blog posts with landscape images to help break up my title from my introductory paragraph.
This can be an image with a relevant picture about your post. Keep it enticing and vibrant. People are naturally drawn to images, but be sure it correlates with what you are covering in your blog post.
I create my landscape images on Canva with the dimensions 900 x 600 px.
INTRODUCTION PARAGRAPH
The introductory paragraph should highlight what you are covering in your post. I like to keep this personal. If I’m addressing a specific problem, I write a brief story or experience that led me to write the blog post.
This helps create some relatability and now my audience understands that I too have encountered the problem and will now share my solution for said problem.
You can also include a table of contents here for easier blog navigation.
SUBHEADING WITH TARGET KEYWORD
The first subheading in your blog post should be structured with an H2 heading. Incorporate your target keyword into your first H2 subheading.
According to HubSpot, 73% of people admit to skimming blog posts. Chances are the subheadings will determine if they continue reading or go on to the next blog resource.
Also, do not start your first subheading with anything other than an H2. It should go H2, H3, H4, and so on.
You want to go in order. I almost never use H4, H5, or H6. If I need to break down an H3 heading, I prefer to use bullet points or numbered lists.
To break down an H2 heading, you could use H3 heading to further dive into the topic.
MAIN CONTENT
The content directly below your first H2 heading should address what the heading is suggesting. This should be the meatiest part of your post.
They may grow weary and bounce out of your page if they’re having to scroll to the bottom to search for the answer.
If you have a lot to write, be sure to break up long paragraphs into short paragraphs.
I prefer to only have 1 to 2 sentences in each paragraph. Readers can become overwhelmed with large blocks of text and bounce from your site almost immediately. Create that white space.
SUGGESTED READ: 12 Ways to Keep You From Looking Like a Newbie Blogger
BLOG POST IMAGES
Even with short paragraphs, text-heavy posts can still be overwhelming. Break up your content with images.
I prefer to use the Gallery block on WordPress to create a block with two images side by side.
I believe it looks better on the screen instead of having a large picture that readers will have to scroll and scroll to get to the next paragraph. For example:
This post is all about how to format a blog post.
SUBHEADING WITH RELATED KEYWORD
Your next subheading should include a related keyword. You could structure it as a variation of the question your reader is looking to get answered.
I like to use the Keywords Everywhere extension to see which variations of my main keyword people are searching for.
Google is also a great resource when determining what other keywords people are searching for in relation to your main keyword.
CONTENT
Remember, people like to digest bite-size amounts of information. The more concise the blog content, the better.
Try different blog posts formats like list posts and graphics to illustrate your point.
5 Reasons to Use Lists in Your Blog Posts:
- They’re simple to write
- Create white space and break up long blog posts
- Draw attention to the reader so they stop to read the bullet points
- Easier to scan the post
- It gives the impression to the reader that this is the most important information to note
If you start to notice a certain talking point is getting lengthy, consider writing a completely different blog post on that topic alone.
That way, you can summarize your talking point and internally link out to a separate blog post for a deeper dive into that topic.
CONCLUSION/ CTA (CALL TO ACTION)
You never want to just end your blog post without including a call to action (CTA).
Whether you want your reader to sign up for your newsletter, purchase a course, or follow you on a social channel, be sure to highlight this point.
Try to keep the ask to 1 request per blog post. Asking your audience to sign up for your newsletter, follow you on IG and purchase a product or service is TOO MUCH!
Keep it simple. You should also include any social media links at the bottom of your blog posts. These can be integrated through your theme so it’s set for every post.
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This post was all about how to format a blog post.
