We all want our content to be read. But it all comes down to how we as authors of content present our words to our audience. Editing is the biggest component here. Without editing, you could never improve your content delivery.
Here, I will discuss how to improve your content and allow your readers to read the article from top to bottom. All you need are these five easy steps to boost the quality output of your blog’s content.
1. Minimize Words; Maximize Readability
This step seems like common sense, but the amount of fluff scattered throughout blog content may surprise you. To tackle this first (and possibly most important) step, we need to step away from the fear of simple explanations. Simplicity is key here. When you write your content, do your best to shorten words and phrases. This may seem fairly simple, but even the slightest bit of excess content can drive your readers away. The main point here: be efficient with how you speak through your blog.
2. Link Content
Have you ever read an article that references a topic that you wish had more detail? There are two ways to be productive and providing your readers with more details about the topic you are addressing.
- Internal Linking: This is my preferred method of linking to previously covered content. To me, if you link to an article that is already accessible on your site, your traffic will be stronger. For example, let’s say I wrote an article about the anticipation behind Apple’s iPhone X. If I followed that article up with a review when the phone was released, I may want to link to my initial post, to add depth to the conversation.
- External Linking: While this would be my secondary route to linking content, there definitely is a purpose for external linking. If you were linking to someone’s portfolio, chances are that portfolio is not already part of your blog. Therefore, in this scenario, external linking is necessary.
3. Hook The Skim Reader
Many times, people will visit a blog for the sheer purpose of getting the gist of a specific topic. For this case, it would be a good idea to design your key points around capturing your reader immediately. Skimmers will understand the basics of your article and walk away knowing more. It may be cliche, but the saying “something’s better than nothing” works perfectly in this type of situation.
Graphics, bullet pointed lists, or various bolded headlines are three easy ways to instantly captivate your readers. Try this and you will most likely see a pickup in audience for your future posts.
4. Avoid Passive Voice
Passive voice is the act of making your main point the subject of your point instead of a supporting object. Here, we are working to engage your reader all the way through. If you use passive voice sparingly, you will successfully accomplish holding on to your visitor if they understand your delivery.
5. Uniform Imagery
One of the things that drives me away from a blog post is when images are not uniform from top to bottom. There are easy ways to avoid oversized images. This will certainly make your reader less likely to divert away from the content you have worked so hard to create. Below are a few ways you can maintain your images for smooth reading.
- Size: Before you publish your work or even decide on how many images to include in one post, chose a size that fits well across your blog. Once that size is selected, maintain that image size for each image you plan to use.
- High-Quality: Utilize high-quality image sources when available. A majority of readers will turn away if your imagery is pixelated or hard to view.
- Crop: This step to uniform imagery is just as important as those that are listed above. Cropping can be effective when you are including images that have one specific element you are trying to highlight. Crop your image so your reader gets your point immediately. Your reader already has to read your article, the images are supposed to be the swift portion of your post. A complicated image makes for a complicated read altogether.
Final Thoughts
With as much time as you spend developing your blog content, it would be a shame for your readers to simply click away from your posts because of excess or out of place words or images. Use the steps above to create a more user-friendly reading experience and drive more traffic to your blog.