{"id":19521,"date":"2019-02-01T14:49:23","date_gmt":"2019-02-01T14:49:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/helpfuldigital.com\/?p=19521"},"modified":"2020-05-28T10:37:09","modified_gmt":"2020-05-28T09:37:09","slug":"publishing-readable-blog-posts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/helpfuldigital.com\/fr\/publishing-readable-blog-posts\/","title":{"rendered":"Publishing readable blog posts"},"content":{"rendered":"

Accessibility is becoming hugely important on the internet (as it should be!) and attention spans are shrinking. So being able to write easy-to-read content is essential. This post isn’t about what you should write but instead has easy-to-follow tips on publishing a blog that everyone can read.<\/p>\n

\"Magnifying<\/p>\n

1. Use headings<\/h2>\n

Readers have extremely short attention spans so keeping your content in easy to digest chunks is key. Headings are also important for accessibility as screen reader users are able to navigate web pages by heading structure.<\/p>\n

When you use headings, they need to be in the correct order on the page. The most important heading has <h1>, the least important heading goes down to <h6>. You should not skip header rankings (so <h1> should always be followed by <h2> and so on).<\/p>\n

\n

<h1>Main page heading<\/h1><\/h3>\n

<h2>Sub heading <\/h2><\/h4>\n

<h3>Sub-sub heading<\/h3><\/h5>\n<\/div>\n

A common mistake is using styles (e.g bold) to create fake headings, instead of using heading styles in content so screen readers are able to read content in the correct order and users can jump between sections easily.<\/p>\n

2. Use plain English<\/h2>\n

Unless your writing a technical blog for a specific audience, keep your content simple. If a phrase or word has a simpler alternative, use it! There’s a great free content tool called Hemingway<\/a> that highlights how you can improve your content.<\/p>\n

3. Keep paragraphs short<\/h2>\n

Blog posts should be easy to skim read and shouldn’t be structured like a book. Keep your paragraphs short and break up content with headings. The Government Digital Service (GDS)<\/a> recommends sentences remain under 25 words.<\/p>\n

4. Use meaningful link text<\/strong><\/h2>\n

For readability and accessibility, you must ensure links can be easily understood out of context. For example, reading a \u2018click here\u2019 or \u2018read more\u2019 link out of context will mean nothing to the user. Ensure link text isn\u2019t ambiguous by describing where the link takes you; e.g: \u2018Bob\u2019s study on the advantages of having an office dog\u2019.<\/p>\n

Ask yourself: \u2018does this link text make sense on its own?’<\/p>\n

5. Round it up<\/h2>\n

When you’ve finished your blog, ensure you have a conclusion. You could add a quick round up of what you’ve learned, some useful links to external resources or related content or even a call to action such as a contact form.<\/p>\n

And in taking my own advice, here are some useful links with more advice on writing for the web and accessibility if you’d like to learn more.<\/p>\n

\n

More useful links and guidance<\/h3>\n