There’s a lot of text out there in cyberspace competing for your reader's attention, so if you’re blogging, how can you engage your reader’s interest and ensure he/she stays on the page for more than 30 seconds? Here are some tips for great blog content.

1. Be yourself-write in a natural voice. To write great blog content write it as if you are speaking to your readers. There are many blogs out there, and it's easy to get mentally gridlocked and start sounding like someone else. Your message is just as important as theirs, so use your own voice and your own words. You'll connect better to your readers. Authenticity sells well on web. People are eager to learn from your experience.

2. Use short paragraphs-It's sad but true that people have a short attention span when reading on screen. They can be become easily overwhelmed by too much on-screen type. Break your article into small segments. It makes for easier reading.

3. Avoid rambling-Know what you want to say and get to the point right away. This may contradict what your writing teachers told you about writing introductions, but just to remind you, on the Internet, people have short attention spans. They are usually reading your article for pragmatic reasons, and if you don't let them know it will be worth their while, they will quickly click their mice and go elsewhere.

4. Deliver lots of value - The best bloggers don't waste the reader's time and engage the reader with content that is useful and practical. And they don't let up for a moment. Your blog is not the place to ventilate about your other problems (unless you are also selling products that address those problems).

5. Use formatting-Onscreen writing must be visual. Use bulleted lists (these can easily be digested by your reader). Bold your headlines ( most text editors have a bolding function; otherwise learn how to use the bold tags in html). Bolding works to segment the text and make your writing more screen-friendly. Use white space (that means short paragraphs – of no more than 5-6 lines—again, watch out for creating the dreaded wad of type that makes your reader glaze over). Don’t use ALL CAPS and especially, don’t use ALL CAPS that are underlined. These shout at your reader.

If you write authentically about practical topics and present visually pleasing text, you will have created engaging blog content that will help you capitalize on all your blogging efforts.