This is an excerpt from the mini-ebook "Ten Easy Ways to Attract Readers to Your Blog ... And Keep Them There",
which you can download for free from aliventures.com/newsletter-secret (use the
password alinewsletter).
In Ten Powerful Ways to Make Your Blog Posts Stronger, we looked at using formatting (subheadings, bold text, lists, etc) and conversational language (particularly using “you”) to make your blog posts easy to engage with.
Here, I want you to think about how easy your blog is to physically read. When someone looks at the screen, what do they see?
The Text Itself
Some common problems which I’ve seen crop up again and again are:
Problem: The Font Size is Too Small
Problem: The Font Itself is Difficult to Read
Fix: Use a sans-serif
font such as Arial or Geneva. Avoid any fancy, handwriting style fonts except for very limited use (e.g. in your logo is OK, if the font fits your brand).
Problem: The Background Colour Makes it Hard to Read the Text
Fix: Avoid white text on a black background
(however cool it looks) – it’s tough to read. Avoid white text on a pale background, or black text on a bright background. Ideally, stick with black text on white, or something close (e.g. very dark grey on white, black on cream).
Too Much Clutter
Blogs can also become difficult to read if they
get cluttered. Perhaps you’ve got every widget known to mankind in your sidebar, making it hard for readers to spot the relevant information (like your list of popular posts).
Be especially careful with adverts. Yes, your Google AdWords box might be converting well because you’ve jammed it in the middle of every post – but it could be annoying readers and driving them away from your blog. Instead
of making pennies on AdWords, think long-term: loyal readers will often become loyal customers.
Is Your Blog Attractive to First-Time Readers?
If you really want to improve your blog, find someone who’s never seen it before and ask them to take a look. (You’re welcome to ask me – ali@aliventures.com.)
Get them to tell you whether there’s anything which makes it hard for them to read your posts – and be prepared to make some changes based on their feedback.
Exercise
Increase your font size slightly. You might decide to change to a different theme, or edit the font size in your style.css file. (Note that changes may be lost if you update the theme in future.) If your background makes the text hard to read, change that too
Further Reading
Practical tips on making your blog easier to read, with handy “how to” information on the technicalities of actually getting it done.
