By skyforbes 
Making Your Blog Posts Look More Interesting
High bounce rate got you down?
Meaning, are you having trouble keeping visitors on your blog? There’s a good chance the problem is the way your post LOOKS. When you view your own blog posts, do you like what you see? Or is there room for improvement?
In this digital age, the human attention span is minuscule. We need to grab our reader’s attention or they’ll lose interest and BOUNCE off our site.
Would you stick around to read a post that is just one big block of text? Sounds pretty boring. Even if your information is good.
Let’s go over how to make your blog posts more visually appealing. Because when your posts look good your page views will go up and your bounce rate will go down!
This post may contain affiliate links. This means if you make a purchase through one of these links, I may receive a small commission, at no extra cost to you. All opinions are my own. Read my full disclosure here.
First up…
Add Visual Interest to Blog Posts With Images
Images are by far the best way to keep your readers engaged.
First and foremost, pleeease make sure you have a vertical, Pinterest friendly image (like the one above).
Pinterest is a HUGE source of blog traffic. You want to make it easy for others to share your post to Pinterest.
Any other images will really depend on your niche. If you are a food or craft blogger, I’d hope your post would be filled with step by step images of your recipe or tutorial.
Or if giving instructions on how to do something online, screenshots are always helpful.
Infographics are another great image to include in your posts. Remember that most people are visual learners as the human brain processes images faster than text.
You can create your own infographics using Canva and Piktochart.
Blog Image Tip: The only problem with images is they can slow down your site. So be mindful of your image sizes and don’t go bigger than necessary.
It’s best to create images the actual size you’ll be uploading them.
I also use and highly recommend The ShortPixel plugin. It optimizes any image on your site by compressing them. They do this without compromising the quality and appearance of your image.
Once installed, it automatically resizes any image you add. They also offer to optimize 100 images for free so you can give it a try at no cost.
Break Up Text With Banner Ads
Adding horizontal banner ads is another great way to break up your content. AND a chance to earn affiliate income.
If you don’t have any affiliate banners or programs, check out ShareASale. It’s free to sign up and they offer many affiliate programs in various niches you can promote.
See below for an example of a horizontal banner ad and click on it to get started with ShareASale.
Be Sure to Use Headings
You can also break up your text by using bold headings. Don’t just ramble on and get the information out there.
Break that info into paragraphs and use headings to let your readers know what the next paragraph is about.
Headings keep your thoughts organized and easy to read. AND more importantly, search engines use headings to identify what your content is about.
We really want Google to see those headings! Make sure your headings include keywords.
Make the headings larger / bolder than the rest of your text. Again, for SEO purposes and visual purposes. H2 for main headings and H3 for subheadings.
You might want to try making these headings a bright colour that matches your branding or theme.
Not only does this add visual interest, but it also makes it easier for your reader to scan the post for the specific advice they’re looking for.
Add an Opt-In or Subscriber Box
This one kills two birds with one stone. I’m sure you’ve heard it said before “The money is in your email list!”
So we need to constantly be securing more subscribers and loyal readers by offering readers something in return for their email address.
Why not use your Opt-In, Lead Magnet or a Subscriber box to make your post more visually stimulating AND possibly gain you some new subscribers?
Here’s an example of one of my own Opt-Ins. It adds another colourful image to my post and is a great separator between paragraphs.
Related: How to Get Started Making Money With Email Marketing
Add a Video
Videos are a great way to visually improve your blog post. Even if you don’t have a video you’ve created yourself.
They also keep visitors on your site longer if they take the time to watch them. Score another point for reducing your bounce rate!
I personally do not have a YouTube channel (yet). But occasionally I will embed a YouTube video into a blog post if I think it’s a valuable addition to my content.
Make sure you don’t claim the video is yours. Give credit to the owner of the video by mentioning them and linking to their website or channel.
This way they’ll get credit and views on their videos which they’ll likely appreciate.
*TIP* Once your post is published, contact the YouTuber to let them know you featured their helpful video.
They may even share your post with their followers, resulting in more page views for you both. Everyone wins!
The Power of White Space
One of the easiest ways to avoid those big chunks of boring text is to simply add more white space. Meaning, make your paragraphs shorter, with more white space in between them.
This is especially important for the mobile view of your blog. When someone views your site from their phones your text gets condensed vertically.
So what seems like a reasonable length paragraph on desktop, may seem long, boring, and too wordy on mobile view.
Since we write and format blog posts on desktop view, it can be easy to forget this.
Be sure to view the mobile version of your post and make adjustments as needed to make it as user-friendly as possible.
Use a Simple, Horizontal Line
Just adding a simple line can add some needed organization to your post. You can use a horizontal line to separate your post into different sections.
Doing this can help your reader find what they’re looking for while adding more visual interest.
To add a line in WordPress, select the small horizontal line on your formatting menu:
Clicking this little icon will add a long, horizontal line, like so:
Create Bulleted Lists for Visual Interest
People love a good list! They are easy to read/understand and get your point across in a simple but visually satisfying way.
See the list below for example:
Ways to break up blog content:
- Images
- Videos
- Headings
- Banner Ads
- White Space
- Opt-Ins
- Horizontal Lines
- Bulleted Lists
- Related Posts
A bulleted list like the one above is far easier to absorb than if the same examples were written out as a sentence with commas in between.
Include a Related Post
Finally, improve the visual appearance of your blog posts by including a post that is related to the post your viewer is already reading.
Sometimes I do this by using horizontal lines AND a bold, colourful heading. For example:
Related Reading: 5 Reasons I Didn’t Share Your Blog Post
Not only can this reduce your bounce rate by making your post more visually interesting, but you are also directing readers to another of your posts. Thus, keeping them on your site longer!
This is especially good practice to do so at the end of your posts. Keep your audience wanting more!
Making Your Blog LOOK Better: In Conclusion
There you go! 9 different ways to make your blog posts more visually appealing! The next time you write a post, remember that people are visual creatures.
Simply add a few of these methods into your posts and I’m confident you’ll see an improvement in your bounce rate. You’ll likely find your posts get shared more on social media as well. Bonus!
Related Reading:
13 Blogging Mistakes to Avoid at all Costs
Easy On Page SEO Review
10 Ways to Update Old Blog Posts
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