At Apollo’s blog, we have talked extensively about creating captivating content, posting on a regular basis and listing your most popular posts. These are all strategies and features that can bolster your blog’s communicative power and quickly draw in a dedicated fanbase.

Once you have a regular blog posting schedule set up for yourself, you can improve the organization of your blog by listing your most recent posts at the side.

Here are some of the benefits of doings so:

1. It allows returning visitors to catch-up on what they missed. You can’t always assume that your readership will be with you every single day, so listing your most recent posts can help them get back into your content when they do return. This list should be accessible on your front page to assure directness.

2. A recent post list places emphasis on the strength of your blog titles. Because your recent post list will generally only show the titles, this will encourage you to write and edit them accordingly; keeping in mind that each word you use is valuable. Look to our 7 Ways to Craft a Viral Title post for some helpful suggestions.

3. It eases navigation on your blog. Having your most recent posts conveniently compiled together on the sidebar allows users to easily access your blog’s updates without having to scroll through your entire front page and checking for dates. The sidebar can be thought as your table of contents while the main body of the front page should be dedicated to the bulk of your information. A most recent post list is a valuable addition to this organizational scheme.

4. Listing recent posts adds another key visual element to your blog. This point ties into the navigational element mentioned above. Having specific features on your sidebar creates visual interest across your front page and is an effective way of displaying information. This may seem like a shallow point (because it is), yet you would be surprised by how effective simple design elements can be in producing an aura of professionalism for your blog.

5. It will catch the attention of ‘scanners’. Scanners in this sense mean Internet users who quickly glance over a blog or website instead of reading everything they see. Time is money after all! A scanner may just happen to glance at your list of most recent posts to get a general idea of what your blog is about and what you have been focused on lately. Depending on how well your titles are crafted, this quick impression may be enough to hook these scanners into actually reading your content. What a concept!

Well, I hope these reasons have been straight-forward enough in helping you build a better blog. Creating a recent post list is just another example of ‘writing for the Internet’ and anticipating (and meeting) the needs of a voracious and speedy audience. Be sure to keep coming to Apollo’s Blog for more tips like these. Good Luck!