Blogger webmaster takes a look: Improving interaction with readers starts with improving "readability"
As the saying goes, “New Year, New Hopes”, I am very happy to see that at the beginning of the new year, many friends around me have started writing blogs, planning to use the power of content (opens in a new tab) to achieve the purpose of communication and persuasion.
I saw someone asking on the page of the online course “Content Power: The Super Power of Building Brands (opens in a new tab)”: “How to organize content so that it is easy to read but not boring, and at the same time meets people with different reading habits?”
Well, “legibility” is indeed a very important issue! Today, let me try to answer this question!
What is legibility?
In the field of typography or typography, the issue of “readability” does need to be considered. “Legibility (opens in a new tab)” refers to whether the reading is comfortable for the eyes, and its basis lies in good reading “rhythm”.
Lao Mao (opens in a new tab), a senior figure in the publishing industry, also mentioned in the article “Traditional editors’ writing advice for novice bloggers: an appeal (opens in a new tab)”:
Legibility talks about the form of expression and has nothing to do with the quality of the content. Improving legibility only makes it easier for readers to read, but it does not make your article become a classic.
Therefore, if you want to make it easier for everyone to read your articles on your blog, Facebook or any self-media, you may wish to follow the advice of Lao Mao and pay more attention to paragraphs, blank lines, selection of templates, different background colors or background images in the inner text area, and the use of simple hyperlink formats.
Experience in revamping content hacker websites
Speaking of this matter, I recently ran the website “Content Hacker” and I happened to have a practical experience that I can share with you.
When I first opened the website, I chose a rather gorgeous template for the “Content Hacker” website, which I found pleasing to the eye. But a while ago, some readers and friends reported to me that the website speed was too slow, which troubled me a little. In order to improve the user experience, last weekend I decided to remove those flashy templates and switch to Google’s native templates.
Sure enough, once I changed to the default template, not only was the website opening speed faster, but the overall browsing experience was also more comfortable, helping everyone focus on the “content”. I then adjusted the CSS of the Content Hacker website based on my own preferences and overall considerations. I not only enlarged the font size, but also adjusted the color of the links. As you can imagine, all of this is an effort to improve “readability”!
Legibility (opens in a new tab) is the result of the interaction between text and readers.
The “Content Hacker” website that you see now - whether you browse it on a smartphone or watch it on a desktop computer, the website opening speed has made great progress. What’s more, you can find that there are not too many unnecessary decorations, and the overall layout design focuses on the presentation of content and opinions, which naturally helps to enhance the user experience of readers.
Key factors in running a blog
When it comes to blog management and writing, whether you want to pursue traffic growth, advertising revenue, or longer-term reputation and influence, there are some key factors that you must pay attention to. In addition to the content marketing strategies we have repeatedly advocated in the “Content Hacker” Lecture, legibility (Legibility (opens in a new tab)) and reading experience (Readability (opens in a new tab)) are also indicators that everyone must pay attention to.
Due to different carriers, the layout logic of social media such as Facebook, Instagram, and blogs is somewhat different. Even everyone’s ability to interpret the content and the time they are willing to spend on it are naturally different. Therefore, we must plan and arrange according to the time and local conditions, and according to the needs of readers and content attributes.
As a blogger who has been writing for more than ten years, I am really happy to see many friends starting to blog. If you have any questions, you are welcome to ask at any time through the “Content Hacker” website or the “Content Research Institute (opens in a new tab)” fan page!
In the new year, let’s exercise “content power (opens in a new tab)” together!
★ Photo Credit: Trent Erwin (opens in a new tab)
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Vista Cheng speaks and runs workshops on AI workflows, writing and content systems for companies, schools and public agencies.
