Design is everything. EVERYTHING!!
Anyone can start up a blog. It’s simple, easy, and a great way to get yourself or your business noticed. What sets bloggers apart, in my opinion, is the design of their site. Your design is a digital representation of you and your business. You would not go to a business meeting in a stained shirt, with buttons missing, and your hair in a crazy bird nest. Treat your blog like it’s your clothes. The first digital impression should be positive, if it’s not, you will lose potential customers/readers in a matter of seconds.
What design aspects of your blog should stand out?
a) Color scheme- chose a color scheme that not only represents you and your business but also goes with any existing logos or graphics you may have. Limit the design to 2-3 main colors and 2-3 accent colors. Keep in mind what colors are easy to read. Font colors are important too. Link color should stand out from the rest of the text. Many readers find dark background colors with light text colors hard to read. It’s not always about you, but find that balance that works for your brand as well as for your readers. www.design-seeds.com is a great resource.
b) Font- While your message might be important and great, if it’s in a font that is hard to read, or in a horrible color choice, it’s not even going to be glanced at. Blogger provides many fonts that will not be distorted in different browsers. Sometimes basic is best. Let the message to do the talking, not the font style. Save the detailed font for your blog title. You want readers to recognize your title. You are building your brand and you want your brand recognition to be high. Think of high profiled companies, we all can recognize their company name in that font. That is the goal you are after. www.dafont.com has tons of free fonts.
c) Graphics- Simple graphics/images can also set apart your blog design from others. You can choose to have a “seamless” background graphic that is shown on the outermost edges of your blog. Simple patterns or textures can always add a punch of pizzazz. eaSeamless backgrounds are always recommended as it keeps the pattern or texture uniform no matter what monitor size or browser. Graphics in your header or blog banner, perhaps your logo, give your blog readers a simple visual message of your business/brand. If it’s a more personal blog, perhaps a picture of your kids or your favorite things would do. Keep the images limited in the header and background so it does not distract from the main column, where the posts are. You want readers to stay and get engaged with your messages, not simply stay because they are mesmerized by your outrageous graphics choice. www.dreamstime.com has images you can purchase.
d) Leave it to the professionals- Lastly, if you find all this information too overwhelming simply turn to a blog designer. There are lots of DIY tutorials out there provided by designers, but sometimes you might want a professional. Google the designers, find one that fits with your needs and budget. Many designers have a niche, so it’s equally important to make sure you pick the right designer for your style/look you are after. If you need help ask, I would be happy to help you. Need a new design, just shoot me an email (vball_chic14@yahoo.com), mention this code as seen in the stew, and you can get 50% off your next design. www.blogmakeoversbytara.blogspot.com is my site.
Next week, I will have tips on the function of your blog as well as a freebie.
Personal blog- http://kenleysmomma14.blogspot.ca/
Website- http://blogmakeoversbytara.blogspot.ca/
FB Fan page- https://www.facebook.com/pipdesigns