3 Ways to Make Your Blog Posts Readable

We live in a world of constant updates. To survive, we have to filter to what is most useful or entertaining to us.

People don’t read long blog posts. Instead they skim. If someone can’t read a long blog post, they give up and move on to the next thing.

I do it all the time. I bet you do too.

Don’t try and sound smart with long paragraphs and sentences. It’s better to be understood then to seem like a smarty pants. Here’s a quick guide to boost readability on your blog posts:

Use Subheadings

Subheadings grab attention like a strangler grabs necks. They allow the reader to skim through material quickly. They draw the reader’s eyes quickly to the information they’re looking for.

Organize your main points around subheads. You’ll write faster, and it will be easier for your readers.

Use Bullets

I love bullets. Bullets help break down your points quickly without the awkwardness of a paragraph.

  • Bullets are quick
  • Bullets are easy
  • Eyeballs are drawn to bullets

Use bullets when making a list or supporting a main point. You’ll be amazed how much more understood you are with bullets compared to a paragraph with the same information.

Use Bolds

There are times you just can’t escape paragraphs, just like you can’t escape Aunt Florence at the family reunion. When that happens, use bolds to draw eyes to the most important part of the paragraph.

Bolds make it easy for readers to find the main point. Like subheadings, bolds draw eyeballs to them. They make the important text that much more important.

How are you blogging to make reading easier?

One Response to 3 Ways to Make Your Blog Posts Readable

  1. Karl Sakas January 20, 2013 at 4:51 pm #

    I try to do all three of these, using Preview to tweak how things look. I usually do a couple passes on the bolding, since I tend to over-bold my first draft.

    “It’s better to be understood then to seem like a smarty pants.”

    Yup! I tend to be wordy, so editing can take a while — but better in the end.

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