Public domain image: Pixabay

When writing a public blog there is an expectation that someone will read it, however this is not always the case. To increase the chances of your blog being read, there are some useful points to be considered. Whoever you are writing a blog post for, it is important to present what you want to say in a reader friendly and attractive way.  Consideration should be given to how people will find your blog post. Sharing a link to the post through social media channels can help to further its reach. Including keywords in the title and headings can also help bring it up in searches.

Salesforce have put together the useful infographic below to highlight the areas bloggers need to focus on when planning a blog. The tips begin with the actual layout and say that the anatomy of a perfect blog post should include the following:

Headline
Introduction
Sub header
Visual Asset
Main Copy
Sub header
Visual Asset
Main Copy
Call to Action (CTA)

Headline

According to Salesforce, traffic (that is viewings of the blog post) can vary as much as 500% based on the headline. Readers tend to absorb the first 3 words of a headline and the last three words, so it is important to include keywords that will grab a reader’s attention. The recommended length of a headline is around 55 characters or less as this will allow the entire title to fit on a search page. Any longer and a portion may be cut off.

Intro

Let readers know what the post is about, why they should read it and what they will get from it. Use storytelling to start the article.

Sub headings

Using sub headings helps to break up the text and makes it easier on the eye to read. It also helps readers to scan what the key points the post will deliver, and will then help to draw them in to read further. Use different size fonts for sub headings. H1 should only be used once and as the main heading, whereas H2 is recommended for subheadings. Consider using bold text, different colours and fonts to make the subheadings stand out.

Main copy

The ideal length of a blog post is 1600 words. In other words, it should take a reader no more than 7 minutes to read the post. To break the text up further within a blog post include bullet points, lists, add charts and visuals (images or embedded video) or include bolded sections or pull quotes.

Visual Assets

Include one visual for every 350 words. Any photo, video or illustration should always be relevant and of good quality. If is important to check that any images used that are created by other people are either in the public domain, have a Creative Commons licence or the permission of the owner to use them. You should always include a link to where the visual came from and acknowledge the creator.

Call to Action

This is where you can end your post with a question to encourage readers to leave comments and interact with the blog post.

Sharing Elements

Make it easy for readers to share your post by enabling share buttons to Twitter, LinkedIn, Google+ and Facebook.

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Via Salesforce (with permission)