How to Structure the Perfect Post in Minutes

Got a brand-new website? Need to fill it with content? Don’t know what to put in or how to write it? Well, don’t worry, I have you covered. How to Structure the Perfect Post in Minutes, will cover: what template to use, how to structure your content to be readable and scannable, how to craft an Intriguing introduction, and how to write an amazing headline.

 

Table of content

 

• Use a simple structure template
• Setting up an easy-to-use template
• Setting up a structure for your content
• Why using headings and sub-headings is so important
• How headings provide SEO value
• What’s a logical heading structure
• Heading and font size explained
• Tips on what not to do with your headings
• How to access the second menu in WordPress
• How to use headings within the template
• Table of content: Why this list is important
• Engaging content: How to keep them reading
• Why you should use short paragraphs
• Why use bullet points and numbered lists?
• Why use bold print?
• How long should your posts be?
• Captivating images: Why are they important
• Should you use charts, pictures, examples, and tutorials?
• What to include in your conclusion
• What to ask for in a call to action
• Wrapping it up with your closing remarks
• Intriguing introduction: The second most important part of your post
• Why your headline is the most important part of your post
• The how-to of headlines: choosing a format
• Aligning your headings
• My conclusion
•  Subscribe to my e-mail list
• My closing remarks

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Use a simple structure template

 

If you want to write posts and have informative content, then you need to use headings to separate your sections and announce your change of subjects.

How you structure your blog post has a huge impact on its readability. You want a simple, easy-to-follow structure that has all the important information, a sequence that makes sense to your reader, and a natural flow from beginning to end.

Having this helps you to include everything you need in your post and takes the guesswork out of what to put where.

I’m going to be explaining how to do this within the WordPress dashboard. If you’re not using WordPress to create your documents a few things in this article will not apply to you, but the basic structure will still be the same for all documents regardless of where you create them.

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Setting up an easy-to-use template

I use this template; it’s what most bloggers use. See the template below. You can either type this template information into your WordPress document and save it as your own template, or contact me and I’ll e-mail you this free 2-page template that will be ready to copy and paste into your post.

Then, add each of your items as the template shows using as many headings and content areas as needed to cover your topic.

 

 

Now that you have your template, let’s break it down a bit.

I’m going to talk about each section of the template, but I’m not going to do it in the order the template shows, which is how you would put them in your post. Why? Well, I’m going to talk about the easiest way to create them, instead.

I’m going to start with the meat first, your content. Then I’ll move on to the introduction, and last the all-important headline.

Why am I talking about this in that order? Because your content is the meat of your post and it’s what will make you the most time to write. Seeing as it’s the hardest part to do, you want to get it done first. This allows you to have more confidence in your subject when it comes time to create your introduction and your headline.

Now, it’s time to create your introduction. This is a very important part of your post. It’s the part that draws your readers into your post and grabs their attention.

Then, you’ll want to write your headline, this is THE MOST IMPORTANT PART OF YOUR POST.  Without an amazing headline, your post will never get read. This is what your readers see first and what tells them if they want to read your post or not. 

That’s the order most bloggers do their writing in. Myself included.

Now that you know what I’m going to talk about, let’s get started.

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 Setting up a structure for your content

You’ll want to start with an outline of what your post will contain. It should be formatted in this form. See the template below. I am showing an example of using more than just a single heading in between your content. Here I’m using two subheadings and one sub-subheading, of course, if your content doesn’t need a subheading don’t use them.

Again, you can either type the template information below into your WordPress document and save it as your own template, or contact me and I’ll e-mail you the free 2-page template that will be ready to copy and paste into your post.

 

                          

By copying and pasting this template into your document you’ll never forget to include your headings or what order to put everything in. This takes the stress and pressure of writing off you. I’m all for making it as easy and stress-free as possible. I’m sure you feel the same way.

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Why using headings and sub-headings is so important

It’s very important to use headings because they provide structure to your content.  They break up your text into subsections and make your content digestible. 

Very few people actually read your whole post, it’s hard to hear, I know but, it’s the cold, hard truth.

However, many people are satisfied with skimming your content and only reading the parts that interest them. By using headings that describe what each section holds you enable them to skim your post with ease.

Therefore, if your readers only read your headings, they will still understand what your post is all about.

Using headings in your content not only provides an organized structure for your post but shows your readers, Google, and other search engines that they are dealing with high-quality content.

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How headings provide SEO value

Readers aren’t the only ones who benefit from headings in your content.

Search engine spiders also crawl your website looking for H headings. Your headings show them how different blocks of content are connected, and how they’re related to one another. This is also the reason heading titles are configured to get smaller as the heading numbers become larger. This makes it a lot easier for search engine spiders to find your headings and understand the order of your document. This is the reason you don’t want to skip around with your headings, such as going from H1 to H3.

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What’s a logical heading structure

There’s a reason why the heading format is set in a certain order. Their numbers denote when a section is subordinated to another one.

Since H1 is the headline, it makes sense for an H2 heading to mark your sections within your content. H3 headings are used for subsections, H4 are for your sub-sub headings, and so on. H5 and H6 headings are not used very often, but feel free to use them if you need to. 

Here’s an example of the formats and what they are used for.

• H1-Headline only (your post title)
• H2-Your heading titles for each of your sections.
• H3-Your sub-headings
• H4-Your sub-sub-headings
• H5-Your sub-sub-sub-headings
• H6-I think you get the idea.

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Heading and font size explained

Using headings and sub-headings breaks up your text into logical sections, with each heading you use getting smaller as you go down the page. Normally, as the heading number gets bigger, the font gets smaller.

Headings help search engines like Google, find your main points, and decide if your content matches what people are searching for. It also helps your readers find what they want to focus on and helps them easily scan your content.

These examples are from my WordPress dashboard. The default setting font size is 16 pixels (px) and all headings would be in direct relation to that size. here’s an example using size 16 text.

• H1: Headline=21px
• Introduction= 16px
• Table of content: 16px
• H2: Heading=18px
• Content: paragraph = 16px
• H3: Sub-headings=16px
• H4: sub-sub-headings=14px
• H5:=13px
• H6:=12px

As you can see the font size goes down with each consecutive setting.

Seeing as I use a size 18 px font for my content I have to start with a higher H1 font size, so all my headings sizes line up in the correct order.  

Here is an example of what I use as my heading sizes.

Example:

• Headline: H1- 24px
• Introduction: Paragraph 18px
• Table of content: Paragraph 18px
• Headings: H2-21px
• Content: Paragraph 18px
• Sub-headings: H3-18px
• Sub-Sub-headings: H4-16px

I want you to notice that my headings still line up as they should, even though I scaled them up one notch.

I changed to 18 pixels because I was getting messages from Google saying my content was too small to be read on mobile devices. You may also want to think about using size 18 for your content too for this same reason.

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Tips on what NOT TO DO with your headings

• Do not use headings for styling your content. Headings are not there to make your content stand out. If you want to emphasize something use the BOLD  feature instead.
• Do not apply them to an entire paragraph. Headings are reserved for a single sentence only.

Now that you understand why it’s so important to use headings and sub-headings, let’s cover how to access them in your WordPress document.

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How to access The second menu in WordPress

When you open your WordPress dashboard and click on add new this is what comes up.

 

 

I want you to notice that there is only one option bar and there isn’t any way to change the size or color of your fonts. Because of this, we must start by gaining access to the advanced editing options bar. To do this click on the button Toolbar Toggle at the top right of the WordPress editor. It looks like this, see the circled image below.

 

 

This will open up what WordPress calls the kitchen sink, it has another line of functions for you to choose from. Here you will find a drop-down menu on the left where you can assign headings and set your text into paragraph format. Just click on the arrow next to the paragraph box and this will appear.

 

 

Placing your headings can be done in one of three ways, the 1st is to open the drop-down menu and click on the heading you wish to use. Then type your heading and WordPress will turn it into your desired heading as you type.

Or, 2, you can type the name of your heading and highlight it, then open the drop-down heading menu and select the one you want. WordPress will then change the highlighted text into your heading. Here’s an example of what both of these look like.

 

 

Or, 3, after you highlight the text you want as your heading you press  Alt+Shift+Numbers 1-6. For example, if you wanted to create an H3 heading you would type Alt+Shift+3. 

If you change your mind and want to change your heading back into regular text you can either press the same key combination again or press Alt+Shift+7 to revert to the paragraph format.

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How to use headings within the template

 Now that you understand the basics of how to create headings, let’s talk about how to use them within our template.

Start by changing all the H2 headings in your copied template to your post-section titles. But remember to keep them in the H2 format. If you have more sections than what the template provides just add the headings you need to the template.

All these headings are now your content outline. Now that you have your outline started, are there any subheadings that need to be added to help explain your sections? If so, add these now.

You now have your whole content outline created.

The sub-headings would be in the H3 format and placed below your main H2 heading. Here’s one of mine as an example with some of the content text that follows it, so you can see the difference in the text color too.

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Explanation of the above example:

The medium purple title (How to correctly use headings and sub-headings)is my heading. This is in the H2 format.

The smaller grayish-blue title below that (The H1 heading) is my sub-heading. This is in the H3 format.

My content is done in black on a white background.  As all your content should be too.

______________________________________________________________________________________________

I use dark purple for all my headings, medium purple for all my sub-headings, and grayish-blue for my sub-subheadings. This helps me to follow my format and allows me to find all my different size headings at a glance.

You don’t have to change the color of your headings if you don’t want to. as a matter of fact, most bloggers do not use color at all. They prefer to have only black text on a white background for its sleek appearance. They only use black for all their text and headings, relying on the difference between heading sizes to fill in their H headings properly. The choice is up to you.

Now that you have your outline created it’s time to go back to the top portion of your document and put your table of content in place. See below for how it should look.

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Table of content: Why this list is important

Your table of content is the second thing your readers see after opening your post. You want it to be either a numbered list or bullet points. This helps break up your text and makes it scannable.

Think of it as the chapters in a book, this list gives your readers a preview of what your post contains. You want it to compel them to keep reading. If you’ve done a good job of writing the heading titles, you have that covered already. Now you need to place them in the table of content. This section is now done.

It’s time to move on to creating your content.

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Engaging Content: How to keep them reading

Now, all you have to do is fill in your engaging content in between all the headings of the basic template.

 In the above template, I’ve only included three headings, if you need more to cover your topic by all means add as many as you need.

You want to provide your readers with lots of valuable content. Show them how to do it, rather than tell them how. People love step-by-step instructions and tutorials. You also want to use charts, and pictures to explain how to accomplish it. Your readers appreciate this and will keep coming back to your posts to get more.

Many people find it very hard to read a large block of text, so you’ll need to break up your post into several sections to make it easier to read. You can break up your text in several ways, I’ll cover that in the next few sections below.

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Why you should use short paragraphs

By breaking up your text into shorter paragraphs you make it a thousand times easier to read.

You also want to stick to only one idea per paragraph.

You will find that over half of your blog traffic will come from mobile users. Using short paragraphs is very important because they appear twice as long on a mobile screen. You want to have paragraphs that are no longer than three or four sentences if possible.

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Why use bullet points and numbered lists?

Use bullet points and numbered lists to break up your text and make them stand out. It also helps your readers scan your information with ease.

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 Why use bold print?

Use the bold feature for important words and phrases to make them stand out. This helps the reader know what to pay attention to. I use bold to emphasize prices, important words, and important phrases. But be careful not to overuse this feature.

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     How long should your posts be?

Your content should be at least 1500- 2000 words long. I know what you’re thinking, that’s a lot of words. But it really isn’t. If you can’t come up with at least that much content for your topic, you need to choose another topic.

This is the least amount of words you need to rank in the search engines. If your topic doesn’t have at least 1500 words it won’t get indexed by search engines. If you don’t get indexed, you can’t get ranked either.

Google loves longer posts, so if your posts are longer than the given length, you’re more likely to rank higher in the search engines. You’ll find after writing a few posts, that it gets easier to create the required amount of words. Your posts will naturally start to flow and you’ll achieve way beyond what you think you’re capable of doing right now.

I felt the same way when I first got started too. Now, most of my posts are at least 3000 words long or longer. I even have to break up my posts into two parts to be able to cover everything without getting too wordy in one post.

My advice to you is, don’t worry about the number of words while you’re writing your content. Just naturally write your information and when you’re finished explaining it then look at the word count in the lower-left corner of your document. I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised at what you’ll find.

If you don’t have enough words, don’t panic. Go back and read over your content to see if anything needs touching up or explained a bit better. This will usually take care of it.

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 Captivating Images: Why are they important?

Using captivating images is one way of attracting readers to your post. Everyone loves to see great images, I’m sure you feel the same way. I know I do.

You want the pictures you use to be relevant to your topic and be of medium size. No one wants to get eye strain looking at tiny images. There’s another benefit to using relevant images and that is you’ll rank higher in SEO because they index your pictures as well as your text.

Having clear and sharp pictures is also a must. No one wants to see blurry pictures either.

Choose an interesting picture for the front of your blog. This helps draw the reader in and also allows you to use the image on Pinterest to advertise your post. 

A great featured image always helps draw readers in. You’ll find the features image box at the lower right of your WordPress page. Just follow the directions after you click on the “set featured image” link.

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Should you use charts, pictures, examples, and tutorials?

Yes, by all means, use as many charts, pictures, and examples as you need to explain your topic. This will ensure your readers want to come back and read more of your content. People love being shown examples because it helps set your point in their minds.

You want to use some step-by-step tutorials too, even though this is time-consuming for you to create. Why? Because your readers want to be shown how to do whatever you’re talking about. They’ll appreciate the time and effort you’ve taken on their behalf and will be more likely to return to your blog for information in the future because of it.

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What to include in your conclusion

Here’s where you give a quick summary of what you covered in your post. You’ll also want to encourage and motivate your readers to use the new information you just gave them.

If your readers have made it to your conclusion then they trust you and want your advice on what to do next. Now’s the time to ask for what you want them to do in your call to action.

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What to ask for in a call to action

If your readers made it to your call to action chances are your post has been informative and you have a fan. 

Congratulations!

You’ve given your readers a lot of valuable information. You’ve taken the time to construct your post with their busy time frames in mind. You’ve structured your post so they could scan it easily and made it readable just for them.

This is the time to ask them to do something for you. Now’s the time to ask them to take action. Now’s the time to ask for support for your efforts by clicking on your buttons. This is called a call to action.

This is where you ask your readers to click on your product or service and either buy it or get more information about it.

Don’t be afraid to ask for this from your readers. If you’ve given them a ton of value in your post, they should be more than happy to return the favor and respond to your request.

I know what some of you are thinking, “but Lynne, I’m not selling a product, so what do I ask for?” Well, I have that covered too.

You don’t have to be selling something to ask for a call to action. It could be something as simple as sharing your post, leaving a comment, reading another of your posts, or subscribing to your e-mail list.

Now that you know what a call to action is don’t be afraid to ask for it at the end of your post. After all, this is why we all create our posts in the first place, to help our readers with problems and get some small reward for doing it.

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Wrapping it up with your closing remarks

This is where you thank your readers and let them know that if they have any questions you’ll be able to answer them in a timely fashion. (Usually within 24 hours)

You can also ask for comments on your post and to share your post with their friends and family.

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Intriguing Introduction: the second most important part of your post

The introduction should stimulate your reader’s interest while introducing them to your topic. It summarizes what your post is about and informs your readers how they will benefit from it.

Your introduction needs to be intriguing enough to draw the reader in. It needs to make them want to keep reading. 

It needs to be short and to the point. No more than eight to ten sentences long.

Your headline and introduction are what people see when they search for information online. The search engines show your headline, website URL, and your introduction on their search results page when it matches the reader’s inquiry.

They look like this.

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How To Build A Website In Four Quick And Easy Steps …

https://guidetosmallbusiness.com/how-to-build-a…

Apr 15, 2020 · from this article you will learn, it’s an easy four-step process to build your own online business. You’ll learn how to build a niche website that is also a four-step process. Those four steps are: Choosing what kind of website you want, choosing a domain, choosing a website name, and choosing a design…

___________________________________________________________________________ 

Asking a question in your introduction helps evoke an emotional response from the reader. It also conveys the feeling that you’re talking directly to them.

Showing empathy also lets the reader know that you relate to their problem and that you understand what they’re doing.

Here’s an example of both of these.

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the basic styles of carving: Which One Suits You? | Carving Tutorials

https://carvingtutorials.com/the-basic-styles-of…

Mar o6, 2020 · so, you’re interested in doing some carving, but what kind of carving appeals to you? There are many styles to choose from. Today in the Basic Style Of Carving: Which One Suits You, we will go over the most common styles used by carvers. This overview will discuss each style to give you an idea of what each one is and looks like, so you can choose the one that appeals to you the most.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________

I want you to notice that some of my introduction is in bold. I didn’t put it in bold on my post, the search engine bolded the keywords when they placed it on their search results page. These are the keywords they think are important in my post and are what my post is about. These are also the keywords I’m ranking for.

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Why your headline is the most important part of your post

A headline has a huge impact on whether people read your content or not. Headlines are very important. They’re the first impression your visitors get of your blog.

If you want visitors to read your posts they have to be eye-catching and attention-grabbing. Just like your introduction, your headline has to make your visitors want to keep reading.

Think about it, if you’re going to read a book don’t you want it to be interesting? You want it to grab your attention and make you want to see what’s inside. Right?

Well, a post is no different, You still want the headline to be amazing and draw you in. You still want the Introduction to make your mouth water, and you want the headings to entice you into consuming every last drop of information.

Without an amazing headline, your post will get overlooked and not be read at all. That’s why it’s the most important part of your post.

So, how do you do that? You write a headline that lets the readers know what problem your post will solve.

Here are some headlines that attract a lot of attention.

58 Blog Topics People Love To Read,

Or maybe this two-liner,

Why New Bloggers Should Do Affiliate Marketing

 Simple Ways To Make Affiliate Sales Fast

And then there’s mine,

How To Structure The Perfect Post In Minutes

See how all these headlines not only grab your attention but also tell you what problem they will solve.

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The how-to of headlines

 

Choosing a format

Your headline should be in heading 1(H1) format. Only headlines use this format because it’s a very large text.

 If you were to use the H1 heading within your content it would look like you were shouting at your readers, and we never want to do that, plus the search engines wouldn’t know which one was your intended headline.

If you’re using WordPress to create your post you don’t have to worry about changing the headline format, WordPress does this for you automatically.

Your headline should have each word start with a capital letter. This helps Google and the other search engines find your headline super-fast. If you mention a headline within your post it also needs to have each word capitalized for the same reason.

 To change the format for your regular headings, click on the paragraph box on your WordPress dashboard page. This now shows up.

 

 

Now just click on headings 3 and type in your heading on your document.

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Aligning your headings

You can also change the alignment of your heading if you want to. Many bloggers choose to have their headings aligned to the left of their documents. Some choose to center them, it’s up to you. I personally like mine-centered.

To the center, of your headings simply place your cursor in front of your heading, then click on the formats tab on the top of your WordPress screen. This will appear.

 

Now, click on the alignment arrow and you’ll see this.

 

 

Now, choose where you want your heading to be and click on it. Your heading will be moved to your desired location.

It’s that easy.

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My Conclusion

WOW! We really covered a lot in this article. Here’s a quick list of everything we covered.

• Setting up an easy-to-use template
• I showed you the template to use (remember, you can contact me to receive a free 2-page copy of the template)
• Writing the body of your content
• I showed you the basic body template
• Why use a table of content
• How to access the second menu in WordPress
• How to use headings within the template
• Why using headings and sub-headings is so important
• Headings provide SEO value
• How to use a logical headings structure
• Headings and font size explained
• Tips on what not to do with your headings
• Engaging content
• Using short paraphs
• Bullet points and numbered lists
• Bold print
• How long should your posts be?
• Captivating images
• Charts, pictures, examples, and tutorials
• Your conclusion
• Your call to action
• Your closing remarks
• How to write an introduction
• How to write an amazing headline

Now that you understand how to structure your post and you know how and what to include in it, it’s time to start the process of actually writing your first post.

I know you’re a bit nervous about starting this process, but trust me, you can do this. I want you to know it gets easier as you go along. It’s time to start creating quality content for your blog, just follow my advice above and you’ll have no problem at all.

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My closing remarks

I hope you enjoyed this article and feel it has met all your needs. If for some reason I haven’t met your needs, please let me know how to better serve you in the comments area, or by contacting me privately. I want to make it right.

If you have any questions about this article or anything else please feel free to leave a comment below. I would love to hear from you and help in any way I can. I’ll get back to you as soon as possible with answers to your questions. (Usually within 24 hours or less.)

 

Do you feel this article has been helpful, and appreciate the information I’ve provided? If so, could you please share this article with your friends and family on your social media sites? I appreciate your support for this website.

Don’t forget to: “Like”, “Share”, “Pin”, and “Tweet” to show your support.

Thanks for stopping by,

Lynne

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