As you read more and more blogs, you’ll probably start to notice patterns in formatting. Not only have certain formatting practices become the standard because it’s easier for anyone to read, but blog formatting actually plays a very important role in your SEO ranking. Here are four best practices for blog formatting and how they can benefit your business.
1. Headings are more than just titles, and headlines can make or break you.
Headings are probably the most essential blog formatting tool you have. Yeah, buddy – let that sink in!
With that being said, don’t be shy when it comes to headings and subheadings. Of course, that doesn’t mean that the majority of your blog post should be headings. However, you do want to use enough of them to break up long chunks of text. We’d recommend at least three headings per post.
2. Integrate your focus keywords/keyphrases into every step of your blog formatting.
Keywords don’t solely belong in the body of your text! Incorporate your keywords or keyphrases into your title and headings. This will improve your SEO ranking and tell Google what your blog is about to increase organic traffic to your site. It’s an easy way to get more eyes on your blog!
Try not to make it super overly obvious that you’re shoving your keywords in front of your readers’ faces. Some topics allow for more subtlety than others; try to naturally incorporate your keywords or phrases into your writing as much as possible. A huge focus of blog formatting is readability, and you don’t want to jumble up your text with awkward keyword placement.
3. Don’t overcrowd the page with text.
Space is not the enemy – embrace the white space! Break up your long paragraphs; your readers’ eyes can only take so much text at one time, so be sure to give them time to recover in between large amounts of information.
Images and lines are also great ways to break up space in your blog posts. Consider adding a relevant image (and make sure you edit your alt text!) to make your blog a bit easier on the eyes.
4. Maintain consistency in your blog formatting.
We’re a broken record, but at least we’re consistent (😉) – consistency is key in all aspects of your marketing. Blog formatting is no exception! It’s great to vary the styles of your blog posts, but consider only having a few to rotate between. You’ll be better off doing a few styles really well rather than a bunch of styles that don’t match!
If you’re not already blogging for your business, what are you waiting for? Reach out to our team of experts here at Blackwood Creative. We’d love to work with you to either start or continue writing blogs for your business, or help you with any other part of your marketing strategy. We’re in the business of building remarkable brands – and yours could be next. Contact us today!
