The importance of quality blog design
Many individuals and companies are now diving into the world of social media and social networking. For many, this means creating and running a blog that is updated frequently. These blogs also usually include rich, high quality content.
A combination of the company’s reputation and the content posted to the blog, as well as the feedback and social opportunities provided, will drive customers and clients to a site.
But this is not always the case. One of the major factors in keeping a visitor on your site is blog design.
We’ve all had the misfortune of visiting websites that have been difficult to navigate. You might also have seen sites that are cramped with too much material, or that use blog design elements that are quite frankly painful to behold.
It’s not much fun to have to put on a pair of sunglasses to be able to blink your way through a website replete with flashing images and clashing color combinations.
One major factor you should keep in mind, when putting together or upgrading your company or personal blog design, is navigation. The main content, which usually comprises the newest posts and basic information about your company are essential elements to your site.
Ensure that they are visible from the main page and make sure it does not require the viewer to navigate to get to it. Each extra click that your readers have to make only serves to push them away from your website.
Once you’ve ensured that your main content is easy to find, take a moment to consider the placement of your links, contact details and any links to related sites or archived material. These should be easily accessed using either links on a sidebar or at the top of your site.
If your blog is content heavy, it might also be a good idea to provide a list of ‘tags’ or ‘categories’ in a side column. This way they can be easily accessed by readers.
Another thing you should keep in mind when considering your blog design is the actual aesthetic design itself. While it’s tempting to go for lush fonts and bold colors, bear in mind that there are only a select few fonts that are able to be universally read by every type of browser or computer.
You also have your customers’ eyes to think of. While a swirly pink font may look great, it may pose difficulties when your viewers actually try to read it.
Try to stick with simple, familiar fonts and where possible, use black text on a pale background rather than pale text on a dark background. Also ensure that there is enough contrast between your text and the background color, as this will enhance readability.
Blog design is an essential element of putting together a vibrant, useful website that your customers and clients will want to return to.
By keeping things clear and simple, and focusing on accessibility when designing your blog, you’ll stand above the competition.
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