6 SIMPLE BLOG DESIGN TIPS AND TRICKS
When it comes to designing your blog's layout you want to remember to keep it simple. Content should be your main focus.
Your main goal should be to make it easy for your readers to navigate your site and find the content they want to read.
But it’s actually pretty easy to sabotage your readers’ ability to find what they’re looking for with a cluttered, distracting blog design.
That’s why I wanted to share some quick and simple blog design tips that can benefit bloggers of all levels.
#1 | KEEP IT CLEAN
People have lots of difference preferences for how they like blogs to look and you’re never going to please everyone - and besides, you don’t want to do that anyway.
But one thing we all seem to agree on is that we like layouts to be clean, uncluttered, and easy to navigate.
Now I know it can be tempting to cram your sidebar with every widget known to the internet.
And while it’s nice to have a great-looking blog, readers come for the content. Not the font you picked for your header or what you’ve got in your sidebar. It’s all about your content.
So regardless of the look and feel you end up going for, try and cut the clutter and only include the elements you think will be actually useful to your readers.
#2 | KEEP IT CLEAR
You need to make sure your website is easy for people to read and navigate - for ALL people. Including those who are visually impaired. The best way to go about this is opting for dark coloured text on a light coloured background.
If you’ve got light coloured text on a dark background, well let’s be honest, you’re not gonna stay on that site for long.
Font size and style is also important to mention.
You might be tempted to use some fancy flowing script for your post text, but people ain’t gonna be able to read that.
They might look pretty, but you want to stick to something that’s clear and easy to read.
#3 | KEEP IT CONSISTENT
If your blog design is consistent across all the pages of your site it’ll give you a more cohesive, professional look.
When you choose the colours you want, you want to use them consistently across your site.
You also want to make sure all your photos are the same width as well as the text above or below them. You’ll rarely find a blog which uses small images, so make them big enough to be seen. But speaking of that....
#4 | KEEP IT QUICK
How quickly your blog loads is just as important as how it looks.
Here’s the problem - many of the design elements that help your site look visually attractive, can actually really slow it down.
Big images, loads of widgets, pointless clutter - this all makes your blog slow to load.
It doesn't matter how good your blog looks if people don’t hang around to see it (and trust me, they won’t).
#5 | KEEP IT RESPONSIVE
Your blog needs to be responsive when it comes to different web browsers and mobile devices.
A lot of people make the mistake of only testing their blog design on the browser they use specifically, forgetting that different people use different browsers and so on.
More and more people are viewing blog posts on their phone or tablet, so it’s important to make sure your blog is responsive to that.
I get that this can be complicated but there are plenty of themes you can buy that will be fully responsive.
And if you do choose to buy a blog theme, make sure it’s responsive. Responsive themes change size so that no matter the size of the screen you’re viewing the blog on, it will still display properly.
#6 | KEEP IT BRANDED
Once you know your website is clean, clear and responsive, the only thing left to do is brand it up and make it stand out.
There are lots of ways to brand your site but it starts off with your logo or banner and making consistent use of colours and fonts throughout your site. You might want to consider using these same branding elements on your social media too to make your brand even more memorable.
How have you tweaked your blog design to make it better? Let me know in the comments!
Remember to be the boss of your blog design so you can get one step closer to a breakthrough.
