| By :
Steve Shaw
When you are thinking about how to create articles that blow your readers away and inspire them to share and remember your articles, you might be surprised to discover that the way your articles are formatted plays a HUGE role in their success. I recently surveyed a community of folks interested in article marketing about the elements of outstanding content, and I was astonished at how big a role the formatting of an article played in attracting readers. Why is formatting so important? The main issue is readability. Internet readers have unique challenges. *They are reading your article from a computer screen, which can be hard on the eyes. *They are also skimming content to see if your article has information that would be valuable for them. Remember, online readers have a sea of content in front of them, so they need to quickly scan the article before determining that it is something they want to really read. *Online readers are easily distracted--they may have several web pages open at one time and a list of content before them that could possibly address their question. It’s very easy to skip around when you are reading on the internet. *Online readers are also looking for the easiest method of attaining the information that they need. They are not necessarily interested in reading a lengthly treatise on their subject of interest. They would prefer to quickly glance at an article and glean the information they need in a flash. How can you make your articles easy for online readers to read? Keep These Formatting Elements In Mind: *Use bullet points. *Include sub-headings. *Incorporate numbered list items. *Keep your paragraphs short. Adopt An “Easy To Read” Writing Style: *Get straight to the point in your introductory paragraph. Readers will be skimming your article before deciding to read in depth, and they will start with your introductory paragraph. Your first paragraph should clearly explain what your article is about. *Edit ruthlessly. Your goal is to say what you want to say using as few words as possible. *Explain things in a simple manner and avoid niche jargon. Your language should be such that a beginner in your field can understand what you are saying. *Proofread your article for grammar and spelling. Correct grammar not only makes your article look more professional, but it also makes your article easier to read. *Avoid long and involved sentences. Shorter sentences help the reader to follow your argument more easily. We would all like to think that readers are hanging on every word of our article and devoting ample time to digesting the content and ideas, but for most online readers that is simply not the case. Readers love articles that are easy to understand and easy to glean information from. Numbered lists and bullet points are elements that readers look for in an outstanding article. Of course the quality of content has to be there too, but the information you provide needs to be presented in such a way that it appeals to online readers.
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