The content formatting examples you’re about to see can transform the pages of your website.

This comprehensive guide will show you how your written content — both blog posts and website pages — will engage and retain your audience’s attention.

And it’s not as difficult as you might think.

By understanding web content formatting, you can revolutionize your blog’s design and make a compelling first impression.

Content formatting: Your secret weapon for online engagement

The online space can be challenging, with site visitors quickly skimming through pages and posts. It’s your job to make them pause, read, and engage with your content.

Fortunately, you have two unique superpowers online: unlimited ‘paper’ (screens) and ‘ink’ (pixels).

Content formatting for the web is vastly different from its print counterpart, primarily because of how users engage with the content online. Unlike physically flipping through the pages of a book, web readers click from site to site.

In content marketing, your goal is to captivate and retain a reader’s attention.

In print, the design aims to economize the use of paper — cramming as much information as possible on each page without it seeming overcrowded, as printing costs. But in the digital realm, we have unlimited “pages” (screens) and “ink” (pixels).

The content formatting examples that follow show you how to utilize these digital resources wisely to ensure your audience remains engaged with your content.

Before we dive in, I’m often asked about AI content creation software. From my experience, it can be an effective tool for kick-starting your creative process, given you’ve chosen the right one.

I’ve recently experimented with Writesonic, and it has been a refreshing experience – straightforward, powerful, and fast!

Now, let’s delve into six simple but effective content formatting examples that will enhance content readability.

6 content formatting examples that engage readers

Here’s how to make your words easy to read on the web. You’ll find each of these content formatting examples in its own section below:

1. Add white space to your page by writing shorter paragraphs
2. Incorporate subheads to make your blog format easy to skim
3. Add bulleted lists anyplace you share consecutive information
4. Weave in blockquotes to emphasize memorable ideas
5. Add links for both visual interest and search engine optimization
6. Use at least one image to add meaning to your words

Let’s look at each of these individually — see the examples in each section.

1. White space is your ally

In the online world, less is often more. People skim through content, and a wall of text can be intimidating.

Here’s how to make your words easy to read on the web. You’ll find each of these content formatting examples in its own section below:

Break your content into shorter paragraphs to create white space, making your text easier on the eyes.

A fresh idea should ideally start a new paragraph, transforming your content into digestible, skimmable sections.

This is one of my favorite kinds of content formatting examples.

First, here’s what text looks like without extra white space:

I’ve been a cheerleader for the small business underdogs of the world since I started my business more than three decades ago. You’re at a disadvantage from a marketing standpoint because you’re competing against established, well-funded brands.

Good news! A smart AI content strategy will change that. You may think it’s impossible to compete because your big business aspirations aren’t matched with a big marketing budget. If “over-extended and under-funded” sounds like your marketing strategy today, buckle up. I’m about to introduce you to all the advantages of using an AI content strategy in your marketing.

AI is the Aladdin’s lamp of the modern marketing world. Grab it, ask it for a piece of marketing, and — like magic — it’ll spit out something you can use as a starting point.

Now here’s the same text with plenty of returns (and a little extra formatting):

I’ve been a cheerleader for the small business underdogs of the world since I started my business more than three decades ago.

You’re at a disadvantage from a marketing standpoint because you’re competing against established, well-funded brands. Good news! A smart AI content strategy will change that.

You may think it’s impossible to compete because your big business aspirations aren’t matched with a big marketing budget.

If “over-extended and under-funded” sounds like your marketing strategy today, buckle up. I’m about to introduce you to all the advantages of using an AI content strategy in your marketing.

AI is the Aladdin’s lamp of the modern marketing world. Grab it, ask it for a piece of marketing, and — like magic — it’ll spit out something you can use as a starting point.

The text above, by the way, is from my article Small Business, Big Impact: Leverage an AI Content Strategy to Dominate Your Market.

2. Use subheads for easy skimming

Readers decide at a glance whether your content is worth their time. Using subheads strategically not only makes your pages easier to skim but also hooks your readers.

The best subheads:

• Are smart and promising: they deliver information and incite curiosity
• Appear every few paragraphs: use your subheads to lay out the article’s premise, one step at a time
• Use numbers if you’ve written a list post: numbered subheads help the reader feel a sense of accomplishment as they move through your content (see this article for an example of this)

In my book Master Content Marketing, I teach how subheads play an important role in creating a pleasing blog format.

Subheads aren’t just for the reader. They help you as a content creator, too.

There are plenty of content formatting examples in the book — the book itself is created to be easy to skim and read!

Need an example of subheads in action? See the numbered subheads in this article. They provide structure and give the reader — that’s you — a progress update every time they move from one subhead to the next.

3. Add bulleted lists to organize consecutive information

Many people seem to think bulleted lists are for pro copywriters. But writers of all abilities can easily create bulleted lists. The key is knowing where they make sense.

Bulleted lists simplify consecutive information and make it easy to absorb. Whenever you find yourself writing a sentence with a list separated by commas, consider using bullets instead.

They add white space, are friendly to the eyes, and make your content more digestible.

Here’s an example:

I really like to eat sorbet, especially when it’s warm outside. My favorite flavors remind me of my favorite tropical fruits, like sweet mango, ripe pineapple, tart passion fruit, and zesty lemon.

Notice the commas in the sentence above. That’s your cue to create a bulleted list. Here’s an example of how to format the same text:

I really like to eat sorbet, especially when it’s warm outside. My favorite flavors remind me of my favorite tropical fruits, like:

• Sweet mango
• Ripe pineapple
• Tart passion fruit
• Zesty lemon

Adding this short bulleted list injects ample white space around the text. It’s inviting and super easy to skim.

Here are some pro tips for bulleted lists (in the form of a bulleted list!):

• Start bulleted lists with the same part of speech. This helps create symmetry and flow that makes them easier to read.
• Aim for no more than 6-7 bullets. More than that and you risk creating a list that’s too long for your readers.
• Consider adding formatting to give your bullets extra style. Notice how I’ve bolded the first part of the bullets in this list. This makes them easier to skim.

If possible, get into the habit of using a bulleted list at least once in every piece of written content you create.

4. Add blockquotes for emphasis and visual interest

Not sure what a blockquote is? Here’s that content formatting example in action:

This is a blockquote. Turning some of your text into a blockquote is a simple way to highlight important parts of your content so that people pay extra attention to it.

Blockquotes help you to emphasize important points or standalone thoughts. They automatically add white space to your blog format, making it visually appealing and memorable.

Pro tip: Don’t confuse these with pull quotes. Pull quotes are short excerpts from the existing text of an article, made more prominent to grab attention.

Block quotes stand by themselves. You won’t see them repeated within the article.

5. Add links for SEO and visual interest

Links are a multifaceted tool. They add visual interest to your content, provide more useful information to your readers, and boost your search engine optimization (SEO).

Make sure to link to relevant content both within and outside your blog post or page.

Here’s what that means:

• Add links backward to previously published content that supports the topic you’re writing about now.
• Add links forward from previously published content to your current page or post. This is one way your well-ranking existing content can support your newer content.
• Add links outward to authoritative online content you’ve found that supports the information in your post or page

People don’t often think of links as a blog formatting technique, but they add visual interest and have powerful search engine advantages, so be sure to add them when you format your content.

Content formatting examples: No links and links

This website is devoted to helping people build online businesses they love. You’ll find information for every stage of your business growth here, from planning your brand based on your brand personality, to launching your website, to creating your first offer.

Here’s the same text with enticing links that invite you to follow them:

This website is devoted to helping people build online businesses they love. You’ll find information for every stage of your business growth here, from planning your brand based on your brand personality, to launching your website, to creating your first offer.

6. Incorporate images

Including relevant images in your blog format or web page is crucial. Images communicate through a part of our brains that is entirely separate from where words are processed.

Coupled with a compelling headline, images can be a powerful hook for your readers.

And images work fast — they get their meaning across in about 13 milliseconds.

That’s 13/1000 of a second.

That’s one reason you see so many online content creators using powerful images alongside their content.

Just look at the difference. Here’s that information in words:

“… a team of neuroscientists from MIT has found that the human brain can process entire images that the eye sees for as little as 13 milliseconds — the first evidence of such rapid processing speed.”

Here’s the same information in graphic form:

Which one do you think you’ll remember? The words, or the blue pie graph with the teeny-tiny millisecond-sized slice?

The impact of content formatting

Content formatting isn’t just a minor detail — it’s an essential aspect of your content creation process.

Investing time to properly format your posts and pages can significantly enhance your blog’s readability and engagement.

Use the content formatting examples above to remind yourself to take the time to make your posts and pages more appealing to your readers:

1. Add white space to your page by writing shorter paragraphs
2. Incorporate subheads to make your blog format easy to skim
3. Add bulleted lists anyplace you share consecutive information
4. Weave in blockquotes to emphasize memorable ideas
5. Add links for both visual interest and search engine optimization
6. Use at least one image to add meaning to your words

Implementing these strategies will become second nature with time. And your content will reflect the effort you put into it.

Remember, the objective of a professional page or blog format is not just aesthetic appeal but to make your content easier for your audience to read and absorb. Happy formatting!