Ever wondered why some articles grab your attention immediately while others feel like assigned textbook reading? It’s not magic—it’s the right headings and proper formatting! Dive into our guide on leveraging these tools to captivate readers and boost your SEO like a pro.
Your Headers Tell Your Readers What to Expect
Headers are like movie trailers: you communicate to the reader that you have exactly what they’re looking for. Action movie trailers show cool guys walking away from explosions; thrillers reel you in with suspenseful music and those artsy black-and-white shots. In that same way, headings give the reader a glimpse of what’s to come.
With society’s current attention span mirroring that of a goldfish (I’m sure there’s real-life science to back me up there), we need headers that immediately grab our reader’s attention and add much–needed clarity. Mix that with SEO best practices and we get this quick guide for writing A+ headers:
- Between 40 and 70 characters
- Numbers that help your reader digest the content and stand out visually
- Questions to tell a reader you know what they’re thinking before they know what they’re thinking
Here are a few examples:
What Was That We Mentioned About Unbeatable Employees, More Sales, and a Happier Life?
A little long but tells the reader we’re going to give them the key to desirable outcomes
What Factors Attract Scorpions to Homes?
Very vital information for the well-being of literally everyone on earth
5 Benefits of Adult Laser Tag For An Office Party
I mean, who doesn’t want to know about the benefits of adult laser tag? And there’s really only 5 of them?
Why Are Heading Tags Important in SEO?
Heading tags, (H1, H2, H3, etc.) are super important to on-page SEO. They help search engines understand the structure and hierarchy of your content, which determines its relevance to a search query. Basically, headings create a content roadmap for search engines to follow that shows them what exactly you’re talking about.
But it’s not just about SEO—different heading sizes make your content WAY easier to read. They break up large blocks of text (because who wants to read 12 lines of the same small font?) and make it easier for readers to scan the information they’re looking for.
So, What About Formatting?
Beautiful design (and I’m qualified to talk about this because I took two web design classes in college) relies heavily on proper formatting. Readability, hierarchy, list items—these are all things that make your content clean and structured. Take a look at the formatting I’ve used so far. They follow all the best practices for formatting content:
- Paragraphs of four sentences or less
- Bolded and italicized key points
- Bullet points to break up content
- Correct punctuation
- Varying sentence lengths
It all comes together in a content piece that leaves our reader thinking, “Huh, this business uses impeccable formatting; I’m going to buy their services.” At least, that’s what I hope for.
That’s not all—proper formatting also heavily impacts your SEO. Search engines will analyze your headers for keyword usage, relatable questions, consistency, length, and more. Plus, incorporating formatting like bullet points or bold text can draw the eye to important information, making your content more user-friendly.
Proper Formatting: What Not to Do
So, what shouldn’t you do? Let’s break it down with an example. How does this formatting make you feel?
hey there, this is for a BAD example
- yuck!!!!!
- icky formatting
- even worse formatting
It probably makes you feel a little confused. That’s because the formatting is inconsistent and doesn’t follow any best practices. To follow proper formatting rules, avoid using excessive punctuation (!!!), incorrect punctuation or grammar, and inconsistent font styles and sizes.
Avoid Overdoing It With Expert SEO Help From Lemonade Stand
Next time you’re wondering whether you should break that long paragraph up or add a header in your email for some increased clarity, do it! I triple-dog dare you. When it comes to SEO, headers and proper formatting are your best friends for both readability and search engine ranking.
But don’t just take my word for it—let the experts at Lemonade Stand help you optimize your content and make it shine. A little help from friends never hurt anyone! Give us a shout and we’ll be more than happy to help you rock your content game.
