It is a fact that in 2022 the main ingredient in the online success recipe is originality, and this also applies to blog design and layout.
But, no matter your approach, there are several elements to be aware of when designing your site that are universal must haves, read on to learn more about the most important elements to consider in blog design.
Elements to Consider When Designing Your Blog
1. Pleasing Colours - The very first impression that a visitor has of your blog is visual, and a dynamic presence online should start with a nice, comforting blend of colours. You should maintain a balance, so do not go for the extremes, too light or too dark. Select a colour palette that well represents your niche.
If you are using a banner image for your header, then use complimentary colours for the rest of the site. When used properly the right colour combinations can really bring your blog to life.
One of the worst colour ideas is to use black background with white or yellow font. While this may be ideal for a gaming site, it is very hard to read. It's usually best to make text background white or a light colour, and use dark font colours, like black or very dark blue.
2. Simple Site Navigation - Web visitors do not like to, nor will they stick around long to search too long for what they are looking for on your site. Navigation should be simple and easy to find, this includes the use of sidebar menus and top navigation menus. Simple to use site category widgets are always a good idea.
Also, besides listing a Recent Posts widget on your blog, consider adding an archives or visitor sitemap page, such as that provided by the Dagon Design Sitemap Generator plugin. This will allow visitors to reach all the pages of your site and if they are intrigued keep them on your site longer, consequently, reducing bounce rates.
Another thing to keep in mind is your calls to action and exactly what you want your visitors to do on your site, those calls to action should be easily accessible from all angles of the site.
3. Provide Related Posts After Content - Make sure to provide related posts within each piece of content on the blog, this keeps visitors around longer and lowers bounce rates.
4. Threaded Comments - When comments are threaded and each comment has a separate reply button, visitors are often more inclined to join the discussions or share a viewpoint than when they have to browse comments and provide names in their replies to provide their viewpoints.
5. Mobile Ready - Less and less individuals surf the web with their computers and even notebooks. Many think it is much easier to access the internet from their smartphones or tablet computers. When your blog loads fast and it’s optimized for mobile, visitors will find it easy to browse, read and comment and they will definitely return.
6. Make Links Look Like Links - This is really important because if you want visitors to click on your links, for example, affiliate links, then they should stand out within the text font colour.
You should be flexible and open to innovation, to handle a broader array of internet users and to design your blog to be user friendly, welcoming and accessible by all types of computing devices.
When your site visitors like what they see and the content they read they will undoubtedly return and tell their friends. Don't be afraid to experiment and test to find what makes your blog pages convert the best.
As previously mentioned, it’s important to various elements to see how users react and how they affect conversions on your calls to action, it is only by collecting and analysing data can you really zero in on problems and create fixes.
