Blogging Basics – Short Paragraphs and White Space

So you think you know how to blog? Let’s refine your skills a bit, yes? We review blogging basics with this new series. The next topic we need to cover is short paragraphs. Short paragraphs are the key to obtaining and keeping your readers. Or should we say scanners?

If you missed the last post it’s all about meta descriptions and how to use them effectively.

What Is White Space in Blogging?

White space is the unused space around text. To comfortably read text on a page, it’s a best practice to make the text box 700 pixels. Ensure that the font size is large enough for mobile readers, too. When it comes to how a user experiences your site, don’t presume. Test.

“700 pixels wide is a good benchmark for text boxes with substantive text.“

Freshconsulting.com

Digital Versus Print

It feels like your 7th grade teacher is going to red-line your blog post. Don’t worry, it’s not an essay or a term paper. It’s for the Internet. It’s for consumers and clients and, with PeepSo, to attract community members.

Paper books and reports and magazines are a completely different and tactile experience. The lighting can change, the fonts are larger, and generally they are easier on our eyes.

“The key to getting your visitors’ undivided attention is simplicity — and that starts with an effective use of whitespace.”

Karla Cook

Digital is consumed on a 35” monitor, a 15” laptop, or a 3” mobile screen. Increasingly, we consume content on mobile. Writing for digital is completely different from this standpoint.

More importantly, people are passively scrolling or actively searching. They scan; they don’t read.

Short Paragraphs and White Space

If you’re writing a novel, one sentence paragraphs are frowned upon. The same goes for essays, term papers, nonfiction. It’s not frowned upon in poetry or content marketing.

Each paragraph should have one to three sentences. Aim for a fifth-grade reading level (this post is sixth). This is the reading level newspapers use. Tools like hemingwayapp.com or the Yoast SEO plugin for WordPress help.

Remember, people either happened upon your blog post or they are scanning to find answers.

“Try reading a blog post on a phone. It’s eye opening. Or maybe you’re already reading this from your phone. Mind. Blown.”

Amanda Shofner

Make those paragraphs short and sweet.

Engage Your Community

Blogging brings people to your site — which helps build your community. With PeepSo, you can build a growing and thriving community. How will you engage your community?

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Brought to you by Bridget Willard

Marketing Consultant & Strategic Partner. Keynote Speaker. Author. CEO. I’d love to train your team how to effectively use social media.