How to design a blog? No, I am not going to teach HTML and CSS here. But hang on you’ve got some juicy stuff in this post.
First impression – it matters a lot.
I can clearly remember my first encounter with any person. Its hard for me to forget if the impression they made is bad, ,especially.
If someone “wow”ed me on our first meet, sure the person is gonna be my friend as long as possible.
First impression is that chance you get to express yourself.
If you make it bad you’re gonna appear bad for the person you encountered; it doesn’t matter if you’re good or bad in real life.
Agree?
Like it? Feel free to embed it on your blog (use the code below)!
Why am I telling this to you? A lot of my blog readers ask me: How to design a blog?
Your blog’s design will help you make that good (or bad) impression about your business to someone who visits it for the first time. No your content won’t.
I know, you believe that content is king. It is indeed.
A king will only be recognized as a “King” if he appears in his own costumes and as a king.
So is your blog. You have to do justice to your awesome content (assuming you create awesome content) by supporting it with a clean and a professional design that “wow”s your readers.
I am going to discuss below a few important factors you should consider for an amazing blog design that will wow your readers and convert them. I am going in, straight to the point.
Design a clean blog
Think this is a no-brainer? If so, just do some random browsing on the internet to find blogs in various niches and tell me what percent of them have a clean design!
All the content is treated with very less respect; that’s all I can say!
Now, go back to your blog and take a closer look. Step aside. Forget that it is your own blog. Visit it as one of your casual readers. Are you amazed by the clean design?
If you think that every ad banner that makes a few pennies per month is so important, think again.
You are missing that great opportunity to showcase your great content and capture leads. You are missing out on conversions!
Here are the simple things you can do to maintain a clean and a professional blog:
1. Get a professional theme like Thesis or Genesis. Free themes are usually clumsy.
2. Reduce the number of ads. In most cases, this will solve the problem altogether.
3. Reduce the number of details, especially on your homepage.
4. Pay attention to your sidebar. Remove those unnecessary widgets.
5. Give importance to your content and let the rest stay aside.
No, I am not talking about placing one or two navigation bars in your blog. Although that is pretty much needed for most blogs/websites.
I am talking about the EASE of navigating through your blog.
If the reader wants to know more about you, he/she will look for a link to your About page. Is there a link to your About page on all your pages?
Similarly, are there links to Contact, Home, Blog pages?
And if you have any money-making pages that are important for conversion, can your visitors get to that page from any page on your blog?
Go back to your blog and analyze.
Will this WOW your readers? Yes, because they will have an amazing user experience if you design your blog in a way that your readers are not left confused.
A confused reader will only bounce off. Don’t forget the “ease of navigation element” in your blog design.
Design your blog to convert
I’ve saved the most important for the last. Almost 50% of the blog audits or consultations I do are from clients who want their blog to convert.
Most of them say: I get XXXK hits on my blog per month. This is a huge number. But I am not getting even 1% of them to be my clients. I am not generating income.
While there are a handful of aspects that will contribute to conversion, one of the most crucial factors is your blog design.
And this is one of the easiest factors that can be implemented once and be forgotten. Your blog design will work for you 24/7 to get you clients and business (assuming you have awesome content in there!).
Naturally, a blog that is designed to convert will offer the user/reader a great experience.
Such a blog will cut down the BS, offer great value to the readers and will direct them to action points (without leaving them confused).
It is a win-win.
In my opinion, a blog that cuts off the BS and teaches people something valuable will wow the reader and will help with great conversion.
So how can you implement this in your blog design?
1. Have clear call to actions. Make them enticing. Make them un-annoying, yet enticing enough for the reader to click through. And, oh, don’t forget to make them beautiful. Two plugins will help you on this (i) Immediate List Building Pro (read my review), and (ii) Optin Skin.
2. Create specific landing pages for specific purposes and design those pages such that they have only one purpose. For instance, if you have an email optin page, let that page serve ONE purpose – to make people optin to your list. Don’t add adverts, put up a sidebar and sell your video course on that page.
3. Stand out from the crowd. Make your blog unique in terms of design. People will easily remember you.
In short, a blog that is designed to convert will cut off the flab and get to the point. That’s what most readers consider to be amazing, including myself.
How to design a blog: Takeaway
While you could have read numerous posts on how to design a blog, I’m sure you’ve picked up one, two or three unique tips from this post.
Most of these tips are simple, but they’re very effective.
And it wouldn’t have occurred to you that a clean blog, a blog that assists easy navigation and a blog that is designed to convert will have to be incorporated into your blog design.
Do you want crystal clear blog design that converts? Click the image below
Article by JaneSheeba
+Jane is the founder of Problogging Success. She is an expert blogger, consultant, freelance writer and blog designer. Don't forget to get your hands on two FREE Ebooks she offers.
Jane has written 258 awesome posts for Problogging Success.
Jane Sheeba has an excellent understanding of blogging and the issues bloggers need to learn like search engine optimization and link building. Her Blogging Action Plan breaks the information into manageable sections, with in-depth explanations for bloggers who really want to get to grips with the technical issues which will help them grow their blogs. This is an impressive resource for serious bloggers.
{ 83 comments… read them below or add one }
Having an opt in form placed in the right folds can really help us with conversions. Besides, call to action buttons and how we guide them, makes them do accordingly.
I recently found out “Welcome Gates”, a beautiful and free plugin to grow lists. It is just so awesome and useful.
Thank you
Thanks for your input Koundeenya. Yes I like Welcome gates too.
Good stuff there Jane!
Design is the other side of conversion
Conversion should be on the mind of the blogger all of the time and he should be tweaking his blog all of the time to optimize his conversion.
I like your suggestion of themes!
Conversion is the very key Sam. Thanks for stopping by!
Thanks for sharing these all tips for make a clean and useful blog for your readers and if your blog is useful for readers only then if you will use original content.
That’s right Sam. Thanks for stopping by!
Well i was thinking to Re-design my blog.
Just perfect time to read this very informative post. Thanks JANE
As you have said i am trying to create a new blog design that assists easy to navigation and to convert .
Hope to complete it’s work before end of this month.
Glad to help Vishnu. Let me know once you’ve completed your blog’s design.
Always love the info shared Jane!
Yes indeed, you answered a question most people would be asking, and there can be no one better than you for doing so.
I too have been playing with the design of my blog and am trying to make a few changes because I believe one should keep trying out different things till they suit you and your readers – isn’t it?
I agree with the clean-clear look and I noticed the changes you made to your blog too. I guess the reading becomes easier when you have a clear looking blog and if the navigation is easy too. Having a unique or different looking blog helps indeed. I’ve yet to check out the two plugins you mentioned, which I would soon do.
Thanks for sharing.
Yes Harleena, when you focus on a cleaner design, you do your content great justice. You are able to present your work/expertise to your readers without distracting them – and in my opinion, this is a very crucial thing!
Ensure that the blog visitor has a good experience and want to return is crucial to get the conversion. We need to establish a relationship of trust with the visitor to facilitate conversion and a clean design makes it easier.
Yes exactly – with a cleaner and a user friendly design it becomes SO easy to establish relationships (of course, top-notch content is another crucial factor here).
Good Stuff Dear Jane. Its true that Better Design Is must one for a blog to convert some quick sales .
I’ve fallen for most blogs and have bought their stuff just because their websites look posh and clean (shhh, that was supposed to be a secret
)
Hi Jane,
I totally agree with your point about the importance of a clean blog design. Whenever I visit a site and see too many ads and banners and constant pop ups, my instinctive reaction is to go for the cancel tab!
On the other hand, if a site has a clean and pleasant design, one is more likely to hang around to explore more. Since it comes across as being ‘reader centric’ , one is more likely to opt in for subscriptions or recommendations.
Yes Goari – whenever your blog’s design annoys your readers, you have to work really hard in vain to make them stick with you – let alone converting them!
Jane, this was a really good read thank you.
It’s important that this conversion thing is highlighted .. there’s more to just slinging up a blog and then making money.
You need to establish your goals and what you want your blogs readers to do then shout it loud so that nobody can miss it. … there’s nothing like a good call to action.
The coolest thing about blending your design with your goals is that you can seamlessly convey your value prop to your readers without putting much effort into it – you can easily blend it in your design.
Great content Jane!
Sure I have a lot of work to be done to let my website better for convertions! I have recently joined a multilevel company here in Brazil and I am very interested in learn how to attract and convert people to my opportunity!
Thank you for this so important article.
Wow congratulations Claudinei! I’m glad to be of a little bit of help!
I personally don’t like Thesis because you need to learn Hooks to be able to use it’s full potential. I still use it for one of my blogs because I don’t like to waste my money. I prefer the theme I’m now using so much I use it for all my blogs, other than the one that uses Thesis
I do agree though that a professionally designed theme is important because it’s so much better to have one that makes you stand out from the crowd.
Yes Thesis is not suitable for people who don’t know coding or are not willing to spend time or money in customization – I agree
One of the thing that can bring success to a particular blog is the designing and must be properly done because that’s what your readers or visitors will see in the first instance and this will make them to proceed to read your posts and even come back for more.
Yup its all about the first impression and making the visitors feel very pleasant!
Nice Guidance for Designing a Blog that can converts easily ..
Indeed, the design do matter. That’s why Premium Themes are sold that well, and that’s why web design is still a profitable business.
Regarding the number of ads, I think is OK to display as many as needed, as long as they don’t interfere with the reader. I mean, if they are displayed on a sidebar, not within the text itself.
Bogdan that’s a great point. If design is not so important no one will be making premium themes
Wonderful post Jane! It is never easy to start in this business since there are a lot of competitors to beat. But with proper knowledge, and of course, good quality articles things will eventually turn out okay.
The way you have written the Post is something what all Bloggers must do. People think that adsense is the only way to make money from Blogging. If we know how to make a conversion Page and make money from selling Products then we can make 100 times more money then adsense or any other advertisement.
Hey Prateek yes its about giving the users a pleasant experience at the same time making money – you ruin one and the other is gone as well.
Agree that design is very essential for a blog. And it must be tried lot`s of time. What I see is bloggers select the color which they like and make it live.
Color matters more when you`re trying to get leads.
You need to try with different colors, track them and compare them altogether.
For this GA is not enough, if you`re very serious about blogging business then get Clicky or anyother tool which can give more info about users movement.
I started my day reading a post on A/B testing
~@Khajamoin1
Khaja yes you’re right. GA can only go so far. But they’ve recently added some new features like real time stats, for instance.
I am designing my own website and I find this selection so inspiring! I love the newer looks that are a little grungy and where the elements and icons to select are in unexpected places.
Sonali that’s great news – have you finished your design? Yes surprises can work great too!
Designing a Clean Blog obviously attract Visitors as it seems that Author has spent time and money for it and hence readers think that Articles will be Genuine. So readers Engagement increases.
So, clean design is one of the factor to convert best.
May I ask your opinion Jane? what do you think about mine?
If there is something I need to add maybe or something I need to change. I would love to know a word from someone like you Jane.
Thank you Jane.
Yes a well designed theme is a must! like you shared first impressions are everything. I really think that Genesis is the way to go. I really enjoyed your last 3 points to have a clear call to action, create landing pages, and stand out from the crowd!
Thanks for sharing,
Eric
As a blogger, I personally expect elegance in the design. Though the site doesn’t have much loaded CSS or so forth, clean design is always catchy. Nice one Jane!
Really useful tips, Certainly tips are quite simple and normal but generally works great to have a nice looking blog. After all first impression is the last impression.
To be short write some good quality content with proper layout and powerful SEO techniques which will lead you to become a successful problogger.
Hi Jane
It is extremely interesting for me to read that post. Thanks the author for it. I like such topics and everything connected to them. I definitely want to read a bit more on that blog soon.
Thanks for post it.
Like i always say; a simple blog can be easily turned to a money avenue. And really, traffic does not determine your conversion but atleast it follows |(lol). This is indeed a nice post Jane.
Keeping BLog Design Clean and Easily readable Content works for Me. Most of the new visitors gets attracted by Blog Templates and I have observed it
Very Nice Article Jane, Clean Design And Original Content Is Key To Success For All Bloggers.
Excellent tips! The first impression is the most important. There are so many websites now that if you give a bad first impression in any way, the visitor will just go to another site. Very important!
I started with PLR products I used to sell them without any tweak or changes. Giving away such free reports from website or in JV give away programs can easily build large email list which can be used to promote your main PLR package, Click Bank Products or CPA network offers.
Blog design is really an important part here & you have explained this very well with the example. I love thesis them & I use it on most of my blog because its very easy to create sites with this. Although it comes at a high cost but you can also consider other themes like Genesis as you have mentioned.
Thanks Jane for explaining this.
this is really a great post jane, i am also facing the same issue with my blog. I experimented some themes on my blog but not happy till now my blog is about various topics any suggestion you have.
Navigation as well as conversion indeed is the name of the game. Blogging is never easy affair especially for those who are tyros like me. This indeed in an eye opener and I can continue with the game as detailed so authoritatively by you
Nice post Jane. You certainly walk the walk and talk the talk judging by the look and feel of your blog
Good & well designing matter for a Blog. I do see another blogs & specially blog themes than I came to know what kind of blog design should be.
Social media has really become important in search engine optimizations. I thinks it cool because it’s a way to get to real people.
Read more: When Social Media SEO Strategies Toe the Black Hat Territory
Hi Jane I am in the process of trying to tweak my blog now. I have been mainly trying to get it to rank and it is starting to do ok that way. Now I want to try and monetize it so your post has been very helpful. Will go back and see what I can improve.
Thanks lee
Great tips, Jane. Yes, design do play a big role in conversion though it may not be a sure shot way if your content is not of good quality. Good design will make the reader/visitor stay for long and hence increases the probability of conversion. Thanx for sharing.
A brilliant post!! These are great tips which can certainly aid in creating an amazing blog. A minute alteration in the design of the blog is capable of refreshing the look of the blog and provide the readers a pleasant change. Thanks for the share.
I really appreciate how you have explained all tips in a very concise manner; helpful indeed! Web designs have to be appealing and catchy. Thanks for sharing.
Hi Jane
i thought to tweak by blog bit and this post will really help me
Few bloggers wont consider our blog theme as a criteria to attract readers, but it does matters a lot.
You’re right Jane. Blog design us very essential when it comes to professional blogging. I like the way you compared it with the King’s aspects. Hats off.
blog design matters a lot and plays some role in conversions. i always give some focus towards that and finding it quite successful
great write up you have here.
Robin.
Hi Jane.
You made me realize that I actually had a bunch of useless and even annoying widgets in my sidebar. I really liked the part where you used “The King” as an example.
Well written
And Good Luck to you!
Its nicely written and explained. Your research about presenting the content to visitors is very close to the actual facts. I will surely make some necessary changes in my Blog to present a clean reading experience to my loyal visitors.
Thank you for your tips Jane..I’ always looking to build clean blogs, but sometimes I need a third parties judge to wake up!!
Great tips to remember Jane. Clean designs and easy navigation are definitely important, that’s for sure !
cheers
Jamie
Well explained! it is very important that blog must be clear and good looking,i would try to make necessary changes in my blog.
Thanks you lot.
I think blog design is not a one shot outcome especially for newbies. It takes time to come out with a nice design. It is a multi-trial and error effort and requires frequent changes to arrive at unique and well designed blog…Thanx..
I definitely agree with your point Jane, design matters A LOT to impress the first time visitors.
There’s no other way to quickly build a great impression on the online readers except having an alluring blog design (which you and me have
).
Two cents from my side: “Great design is the simple design”, don’t clutter it by using too many widgets under the sun and make it unique by using top notch fonts.
Hi Jane
Have read this post a couple of times now I have been getting I creased traffic to my blog but not really the increase in revenue that I would of hoped. So it is time for a few changes definatly going to have a look at my landing pages as I had only set them up to encourage people on my blog and hadn’t really optimised them.
So for great info thanks lee
nice post above how the new blog is design . I fully agree with the fact that 1st impression is last impression and 1st impression must be impressive. in above post i like your content as well as font of your blog compare to other blog
recently posted anandmaratha
Well yeah totally agree with your points. Design of a blog is very important because whenever every new visitor visits a blog first thing he/she could recognize is its design. In simple we can say first impression is best impression.
thanks for the tips.
Hey Jane !
Blog design is very important for conversion, indeed.
You have shared awesome concept in this post. I just want to add one more thing that design should be changed with the passage of time. I am not talking about the change of the whole design and aesthetic, I am talking about a little bit change in design, just like facebook which has changed the design of profile and added timeline instead.
Nice Idea you have shared.
Thanks.
Matt
Hey Jane,
Nice post with great information and I totally agree with you that design is one the important part of a successful blog and it helps to attracts readers to our blog. Thanks for sharing this post.
Hi Jane,
I like your article. these all the technique of blogging really impressive and useful for me.
Thanks for share with me!!
Thank you for the input into designing blog, i used simple clean theme for my blog and i am going to build from there.
This is an awesome post. Thank you for sharing this post. I actually have a blog which hits thousands in traffic but I don’t really get clients from it. This is a big let down. However when i came across this blogpost I knew it was a great chance for me to right the wrongs and create a blog that converts.
Regards
Hi Jane,
This is nice and attractive post. I like your skills of given the detail knowledge about designing..
Thanks for share with me!!
Excellent post. You really dialed that in. It’s the simple principles that worked for people that have already been where we are heading and desire to be that we should pay close attention to.Thanks for keeping it real and I always look forward to your next post!
Content is king, but just having content is not enough. Your site has to be easily navigable, and content too should be easily readable. And after all these, the readers must identify themselves with the content and the viewpoint of the author.
thanks for sharing your ideas all are nice and very useful…
I really enjoyed this fantastic post, I used to think that “content is king “, but after reading your article now i have come to know that the importance of designing
Simple .. without dressing king is nothing and same as like that without designing content is nothing! Thanks for sharing this post!
JANE
YOU ARE A MASTER IN BLOG DESIGNING. YOU REALLY ALWAYS GIVES US AWESOME SUGGESTION. THANKS FOR THIS ONE.
REGARDS
CHETAN GUPTA
Jane -> you are just too wicked: That image at the top of your post with the word juicy in italics right by it was not fair!
Anyway, I have gotten a bunch of mileage out of a couple other theme packages over the last few years: ithemes and weaver pro. Mostly weaver pro lately because it is SO modifiable.
Great post AND images!
Hi Jane Sheeba, I recently create my WordPress blog (website) but I am in trouble. Actually I have some issue with my blog ! I want to install a good looking WordPress theme but I am not getting any sources from where I can download & install WordPress theme in my blog. Please share your experience Jane & tell us how to download install WordPress theme.
Dear Jane You always give us some awesome suggestion thanks for your work and keep giving us this kind of information