If you were asked to make 5 easy changes that would make your blog posts easier to read, would you do it? What if the people who’d like you to make those changes instead became frustrated and stopped reading your blog instead?
I’ve felt that frustration and after considerable thought, I’ve come up with such a list. First off, I freely admit to not being any sort of expert in the craft of blogging. I do, however, believe myself to be qualified as a reader of others’ blogs, to share my list of 5 changes that I (and maybe a few others) wish you’d consider making.
Of course, you’ve read other helpful articles and tip-filled posts that advise you to make sure your content is useful, to spend more time crafting your titles, to research keywords to help you identify topics to blog about, and to optimize your posts for search engines. These are very useful steps to take to improve your blog; the time and energy spent on them are worthwhile. However, the 5 changes that I’m suggesting you make are far easier to implement and will take very little time to put into action.
No matter how on-trend your topics, or how smart and insightful your writing is, if the aesthetics of your posts are off, then your audience is less likely to read – and share – them. The changes I’m suggesting aren’t about your blog’s layout, or its color scheme, or your brand image; they’re about your readers’ experience while visiting your site. From my point of view, readability is a key factor in whether your blog can attract new followers and more importantly, whether it can sustain them.
The changes on my list have nothing to do with the topics you decide to write about. Nor I do mean to imply that you, the blogger, are under any obligation to tailor the content of your blog to anyone else’s preferences. I do think, however, that the points made in these suggestions may give you pause to reassess some aspects of your posts as they are seen through the eyes of another. Even if you’re not a blogger, I hope that you’ll read through to the end as I’d also appreciate your feedback regarding these recommendations.
Change #1 – One Size Does Not Fit All
Not all readers are the same so a style or format that appeals to one may not appeal to others. Similarly, readers come in all shapes, sizes, and devices. I’m not being literal when I say “shapes and sizes”; it’s just a way of saying that they likely come from a variety of backgrounds and lifestyles. As for the reference on devices, allow me to elaborate.
With more and more people using their mobile devices to access their daily reading material, the majority of your readers are likely viewing your posts that way at any given time. Others may go more old school, relying on their desktop and/or laptop for their blog-viewing pleasures. Check your analytics reports to get specifics on the traffic to your blog. As you may be aware, blogging platforms automatically optimize/adapt the layout and text of your post to the device the reader is using.
However, those adaptations change other aspects of the layout of a page as well. For instance, items located in a sidebar are moved to appear after the body of a post. Also, certain features like pop-up ads and subscription blocks may behave differently depending on the device type. While viewing from my mobile device, I’ve come across a few blogs where those pop-ups are so large that they block the text of the post, and the X to close the window is difficult to find. Do you ever look at your published posts on both a mobile device as well as your desktop/laptop?
Change #2 – Font Size Matters
Let’s face it, if someone finds it difficult to read what you’ve written, then that’s a follower that you may lose. Or a potential follower that passes on by without subscribing or leaving a comment. As a woman of a certain maturity, I need glasses to read a magazine, to view my smartphone, and to work at my computer … heck, I need a 10x mirror to groom my eyebrows and put on my mascara.
If your eyesight is still 20/20, hurray for you but for most of us, difficulty in focusing close-up will first become noticeable at around the age of 40. By the time we reach 50, most people will need some form of vision correction aid. Certainly, this issue is more related to viewing from a desktop/laptop rather than a mobile device due to optimization. However, I still want to advocate for the “old school” readers.
Remember More magazine, whose targeted audience was the over 40 set? I found it quite odd that the font used in its print version articles (back before digital was a thing) was relatively small and fine considering its target demographic. Size, thickness, and contrast against the background are all characteristics of the font that a writer/blogger should consider when preparing their posts for publication. The default settings in your blog’s “theme” can be and should be customized. I’m not saying that you need to use a 24 point font, but I can tell you that a 12 point font is easier to read (and easier on the eyes) than a 10 point one.
The size, thickness, and contrast of the font against the background can affect whether or not I will even read what you. Which I assume is what you want me or any other reader to do since you spent considerable time on that effort. If it’s physically uncomfortable for me to discern the written content of the post, at best I’m likely to just skim through the text and mostly just look at your photos.
And that brings me to the next recommendation.
Change #3 – When Less Can Be More
Oh, please don’t hate me for this one but concerning the photos you select to include in your posts, sometimes less is more. And this has two meanings and it has nothing to do with what you’re wearing. The first one is in relation to the number of photos included in your posts. The second meaning I’ll get to further on in the last tip. While this change is most applicable to fashion bloggers, it could certainly have application in other niches, as well.
I know that you spent a lot of time coming up with the outfit (or content), taking the photos, and then selecting and editing them. But we’re in the digital age now so some thoughtful consideration may be in order when deciding on which and how many images to include in your post. There is no rule or magic number unless you’re fulfilling a sponsor’s requirement. However, you should consider that after the first few images, I’m likely skipping past many of those that follow and move on to see what you wrote.
Also, consider that what the reader sees on their screen at any one time translates psychologically into a page. Each time they hit the ‘page down’ button to read or scroll through the post, it adds to their mental tally of the length of your post. For me, if I’ve begun to expect that your posts will typically be many pages long, I’m inclined to put off viewing/reading it if I’m short on time when a notice of a new post on your blog catches my attention. Because I do want to read what you’ve written and I usually will leave a comment. That doesn’t happen if I’ve reflexively flagged your email notification for a future read and then never get back to doing so.
As I have already said, there is no “right” number of photos to include, and of course, the topic or content of the post may influence your selection decisions. An instructional post should rightly include photos that illustrate each step but repetitive images would be, dare I say, unnecessary. Also, consider that breaking up the flow of your text with lots of photos will likely break a reader’s concentration and some of the important details may get lost in the soup.
One approach you could use in deciding on the photos to include would be to think of them telling their own story that occurs within the overall story being told in your post. Even if the point of your post is the outfit, which photos best illustrate the key points of that story? Does each of the photos highlight a different aspect of that story? Which of your photos might be viewed as repetitive? Has the story been told to its fullest potential?
Moving on now to the next change for more on that thought.
Change #4 – Variety Is The Spice Of Life
Variety in your photos will add interest and, dare I say, a bit of spice to your post. By variety, I’m referring to the direction, angles, and expressions of your poses. Nothing too fancy is required, just have a little fun while taking your photos. I have a few suggestions that might help you whether you’re taking the photos solo or someone else is tripping the shutter for you.
As for location, I like to find places where I can sit on and/or lean against a stationary item. Or you can add a bit of charm and interest by twirling, kicking a leg out to the side, or standing like a superhero (legs astride, hands on both hips). Advertisement booklets from retailers are great sources for ideas on poses. You might seek inspiration from other bloggers or IG accounts. This gal, Kalianna, demonstrates a lot of suggestions in her feed. Admittedly, not all are realistic for a woman of my maturity, LOL. The idea is to have fun and show some of your personality in the photos.
Speaking of personality, I’ve noticed that some bloggers are hesitant to include photos of their backside in their posts. I say this because the only photos in their posts are ones where they’re facing straight on at the camera. We are multi-dimensional beings after all, and are seen from the front, side, and back in real life. It seems to be doing a disservice to your outfit to only show it head-on since not all of the interesting details might be visible from that perspective. Turning to the side to show a semi and/or full-profile view can also add dimension to your storytelling.
Change #5 – Strive For Containment
Back to “less is more”, have you considered the physical size of the images in your posts? IMHO, the reader should be able to see the full image (or at least 95% of it) on their laptop screen all at once. Without scrolling up/down. I’ve come across this problem with some retailer sites as well which is particularly puzzling. How is the viewer to decide if they want to buy an item if they cannot see it in its entirety?
Connecting back to Change #1, it seems that this is more a device-related issue as I don’t run across the same problem on my smartphone. Optimizing seems to adjust an image’s size so that it fits on the screen of a mobile device but this is not the case when posts are viewed from a desktop/laptop. Also, a smartphone is typically held vertically and the screen of a laptop is generally more horizontal.
It may be that your blog’s platform default settings are such that photos fill the page from left to right. Or you’re following a blogging guideline advising you that your images should be the same width as the text of the post. And if so, then images with a portrait orientation will be too tall to be fully viewed on a typical desktop/laptop screen. Personally, I don’t mind the blank spaces that would flank a portrait-oriented image if it’s sized to fit the screen. Are you aware that you can control the size of the images in your posts?
Sizing can be done either with your image editing tool or there are likely some image settings that you can adjust on your blogging platform. I know that you can easily resize images within WordPress. By trial and error, I’ve found that an image height of 640 just fills my screen from top to bottom. If my image is in portrait format, then it will not fill the screen from side to side and as I said previously, I don’t find that to be off-putting.
You may have noticed in many of my posts that I often show side-by-side portrait format photos which then does create full-width coverage. These side-by-side photos are referred to as a “gallery” and with WordPress, it’s an available option when you’re adding images to a post. Another way to fill more of the screen side-to-side would be to use a landscape format for your images.
Wrapping Up
As I wrote this post, I worried that a blogger or two might feel that I’ve just called them out publically and declared all that’s wrong with their respective blogs. I assure you that this isn’t the case and I offer my profound apologies to any who may have been left with hard feelings after reading this post. Your blogs are extensions of you which I adore and admire immensely. But we can all benefit from a refresh now and again, right?
Not mentioned yet in this post is the outfit that I’m wearing. Repeating with the dress shown last month in Fresh Focus: Tie-Dye, which seems to be my new go-to for Spring. This time I paired it with another of my floral print cardigans that I’ve had for a few years, a cascade of necklaces, and comfy white faux-leather slip-ons. It was such a lovely day that I set up a temporary office on the terrace adjacent to our kitchen.
Consider making at least one of the 5 easy changes explained above as you’re working on your next blog post and then another in the post after that and so on. While the changes may be subtle, you might be surprised by the feedback you’ll receive. Ultimately, a happier reader is one who will continue to follow and read YOUR blog.
Let me know if you’ve also felt the same frustrations and what changes you wish that bloggers would make. And please do share this post.
Stay well and let’s keep in touch! Subscribe, tweet, follow, friend, pin … all options are available. I look forward to hearing from you soon.
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Note: This is an unsponsored post; however, some or all of the links to clothing items are associated with an affiliate program where I earned a few cents for each click.
Photos: MMPerez
This post was featured on Links à la Mode fashion roundup by Independent Fashion Bloggers.
More fashion articles:
- Why Fashion Can Help With Your Mental Health by Online Personal Stylist
- 7 Essential Tips For Narrowing Down Your Options When Shopping for Clothes by Inside Out Style
- 5 Easy Changes Your Blog Readers Want You To Make (But Are Afraid To Ask) by It’s All Fine. Whatever Tickles The Fancy.
- Stop Editing Older Women by Is This Mutton
- What Is The Vloggin Equipment for Beginners by IFB
- Four Ways to Wear a Kimono by The Grey Brunette
33 Comments
Good points. Excellent post. Writing concise takes time.
It does indeed, Nicole. I’m glad you liked the post.
I certainly need to look at different poses. I tend not to include too many photos that are the same. I think!!
Hi Rena!
I enjoyed reading this! I do need to try different poses, I think I have 4-5 in my aresenal! I just recently changed the font size of my blog too as I have crappy eyesight and thought I needed to make it larger for my readers as well. These are great tips, especially regarding mobile devices, it is important to check how one’s blog looks that way too!
I love this outfit on you, great dress!
jess xx
http://www.elegantlydressedandstylish.com
Jess, I did notice the larger font in your posts and thank you for making that change. As for different poses, just a bit of a turn to the left and/or right is easy to do.
Thank you for sharing these tips. Food for thought! P.S. Your dress is fabulous!!!
Thank you, Barbie. I’m glad that you found the tips interesting.
I always try to stick to 6 photos or less for outfits. I pick the best shots and edit them. I don’t have time to edit 10-15 photos! Lol!! Nor do I ever get that many good shots! Your tie dye dress is so darling with the floral print cardi over it!! It is so fun to mix patterns!
Carrie
curlycraftymom.com
Very helpful tips thank you fir sharing. Readability is a key factor too, and one I try to focus on. That being said, baby steps in making changes but in time it will be worth it.
My Best,
Nancy
You are so right, Nancy. Baby steps. I’m glad that you liked the post and thank you for commenting.
Carrie, I’m glad you like this latest look for my dress. And you’re so right about the time it takes to edit photos. That alone helps to keep my count low.
If I had a mobile device, I would check and see what my blog looked like on it! I have found that some bloggers use really hard-to-read font size/colour – I often have to highlight it to read it. I know my poses are boring and repetitive, but I like that people can ignore me and focus on the clothes that way! Most of the time, I feel that I put so much time and effort into writing the danged posts, that I have no energy left for a refresh. I am definitely guilty of too many pictures, ha ha! If you think there’s something I could benefit from format-wise, Rena, please let me know. 🙂
Love your dress and cardi here – the necklaces are awesome. Have a great weekend!
Sheila, I like the style and format of your blog posts. Not boring at all. IMHO, you don’t need to change a thing.
These are great tips, Rena, and I appreciate you putting them out there. I find small font size and too many repetitive images off-putting as a reader, and I know as a blogger that I am guilty of too little photo variety and have to be vigilant (which I sometimes fail to do) about having the images default to a very large size.
Sally, I glad to know that these issues resonate with you. As a blogger, you do need to be mindful of ways that you can improve on the quality of your posts.
Very interesting blog post Rena. I do agree with the points you make and it comes down to personal taste, I suppose. I am a very practical person so I tend to get distracted by too much of everything. I have decided to keep my posts around 500 words within my niche, 1 picture to metaphorically support the topic and I have a picture signature.
Marijke, I also tend to lose interest in posts that are overly wordy. Being concise has its merits. It seems that some bloggers are following a formula for “increasing blog traffic” without really assessing whether the suggestions make sense for the type of posts they write.
These are great tips and really apply to those who are blogging for a living or a person like me who just does it for a hobby. I know for me, as a reader of other bloggers, the thing that drives me craziest is advertisements that pop up in the middle of the feed. I think it is much better for the reader if the adds are off to the side or to the bottom, if possible. Thanks for sharing your advice. – Amy
https://stylingrannymama.com/
I’ve been playing around with picture sizes: started the blog with tiny ones then when full size and now am down to large which fits better as I usually have only 4 or 5 pictures. Tweaking little by little as I am learning and I have been really working on poses and different locations lately. I usually read blogs on the computer because I cannot stand pop ups and trying to find that x.
http://www.chezmireillefashiontravelmom.com
I agree with all these points! Sometimes, writing less and styling your text so it’s easy to read could be all you need to do to attract and hold attention. Love the tie-dye dress and floral cardi combo!
xoxo
Lovely
http://www.mynameislovely.com
Exactly, Every once in a while, it is helpful to step back from the content of your posts and just consider the aesthetics.
These are great points! I’ve changed my blog theme a few times over the years and there are some things about my current one that I’m not entirely happy with – the font size and colour being one of them. With my previous theme I could make the hyperlinks a different colour but I haven’t found a way to do that with this one yet. Pop ups and massive adverts are my biggest annoyance so I try to keep my layout quite clean. Unfortunately those pesky cookie pop ups seem to be mandatory.
Emma xxx
http://www.style-splash.com
Emma, themes can be tricky to work with. One of my considerations in choosing a theme is how much customizing I can do because I’m a bit particular about how I want my blog to look. And don’t even get me started on pop-ups.
Love this post! I think it’s making me realize a lot about my photos…I seem to post most of mine looking straight ahead…I do have some sideways..but in fact I’m always concerned about location of where to take my pics. And due to our long winters I’m so limited to stay inside. Love all or tips! And I personally hate the pop ups and would never add this to mine!!
Lucy, your joy and enthusiasm for style clearly come through in your photos. Some of the most interesting feeds I see have consistent backgrounds; it’s all in how you present your topic/outfit that makes the difference.
Thanks for your tips Rena, so very true and I agree with too many photos and needing different poses and angles. Thanks for sharing today – hope to see you on #Chicandstylish tomorrow. Jacqui x
Jacqui, I’m glad that you agree with my points. You do a great job with the photos in your posts.
This is a good read! I’m always conscious of not putting too many photos on my posts, I feel that some posts can be really photo heavy – like my 30 ways to wear posts – so I try to break them up a bit with formatting so it’s not just too many images. I prefer simple blog post formats so that’s what I try stick to – if you make the kind of blog you like to read you’ll find the readers who like the same things you do I think! 🙂
Hope you are having a nice weekend 🙂 Thanks so much for joining the #WeekdayWearLinkup!
Away From Blue
Mica, formatting photos into galleries is a great way to make a lot of photos not so overwhelming for the reader. The format you follow for your blog posts is a good one.
Rena, I really enjoy your posts like this because we don’t often get specific personalized feedback from readers about these things. Honestly, the first post you had written on this topic was instrumental in getting me to make some necessary changes on my blog that I had been putting off forever. I had initially changed the format to have a black background with white font and then our dear friend Anne very quickly emailed me and said it was awful to read for old eyes! While I liked the black background and had no problem reading it, I would have never known that it was difficult for others had Anne not been so kind as to take the time to let me know. I really do value this type of feedback! And your post definitely does not make one feel “called out”! It has much more of that “let’s help each other out when we can” vibe! Thanks for writing this post!
Shelbee
http://www.shelbeeontheedge.com
Shelbee, the changes you’ve made with your blog are so on point and you’ve really upped your game. I’m glad that my suggestions have helped you. And your right, this post is an updated version of one I wrote a few months ago but it needed some tweaks.
Rena, this is a great post! And I would love it you would hop over to my blog and let me know if my font is large enough. I can’t specify 12 point, just small, medium, normal, large, so I have no idea. I was just thinking the other day about another point or two you’ve covered here. About not having too many photos and changing them up a bit. In my genre, food, I see blogs who have dozens of photos; and it just boggles my brain. My eye wants simplicity. And when I see 30 photos of a dish at various stages or from various angles OR 30 photos of an outfit, it’s not enjoyable for me. What you did today with your outfit is a perfect example of what I like to see. You showed it from the front, from the back, and while seated. Perfect!
Jean, I’m glad that you liked the post and agree with the suggestions. The font you use in your posts is very readable and your posts are easy to follow. You’ve got a new subscriber.