How to Design a Blog
Today I wanted to focus on blog design and what you need to remember when designing your blog, because I remember going through a lot of phases where I didn't really know what my blog should be like.
A definite that I have learnt is that no matter what it needs to be simple. However you want to interpret simple doesn't matter, as long as it is. It is also really important to have lots of white space and make sure that your design stands out from everyone else designs too.
A definite that I have learnt is that no matter what it needs to be simple. However you want to interpret simple doesn't matter, as long as it is. It is also really important to have lots of white space and make sure that your design stands out from everyone else designs too.
Another thing I have talked about before is including your brand or a theme into your design, so that whatever you make / sell / design / is yours, will be recognizable to someone looking at your blog. This means that your have to be really unique and offer a new take on what you are trying to do.
Make sure that whatever you do, you make sure you are checking the 'above the fold' constantly as well when you are designing your blog (above the fold = before you start scrolling, what can you see - definition).
Make sure that whatever you do, you make sure you are checking the 'above the fold' constantly as well when you are designing your blog (above the fold = before you start scrolling, what can you see - definition).
My one last piece of advice would be to understand which bits of information on your blog are the most important / significant and therefore that they need to be highlighted and stand out more than others bits of information.
For example, on my blog, I have put my search bar and topic list high up on my side bar so that they can be seen easily and no one misses them.
Other than that, I hope these tips were of some help in improving your blog design.
For example, on my blog, I have put my search bar and topic list high up on my side bar so that they can be seen easily and no one misses them.
Other than that, I hope these tips were of some help in improving your blog design.
Do you have any blog design tips to share?
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A blog side bar is a column or so on either side of the main content on a blog, which appears on every blog page. In the sidebar is where you put all the things you want viewers to always be able to see when they go on your blog. Sidebars can be really important for introducing what your blog is about and pointing readers to where you want them to go.
In my sidebar I have a little section at the top as introduction, about me and the blog, so that straight away people know who I am. Then I have the links to all my social media sites, which means people can easily follow me.
I have a list of topics (categories) next, to make it easy for readers to find exactly which posts they are after and gives an overview of the types of posts that I write. And last but not least, I have a search bar. I think this is essential because it means people can easily search through your content and find what they are looking for.
Now a few suggestions and do's and don't's:
The Do's
DO... utilize categories, tags or topics. Readers can then choose which content they want to see and this gives an overview or summary of your content.
DO... be minimal, only have the essential things in your sidebar that people need to see, put everything else on a separate page or remove it completely.
DO... incorporate your brand in the design of your sidebar, so that it fits with the rest of the blog. This also makes it look more professional and adds something to the overall picture, look and feel of your blog. If you haven't already got a brand for your blog, you can check out my blog brand resources post, brand focus post with worksheets and another about applying your brand.
DO... some blogs have disclaimers, blog courtesy messages or copyright print. This can be put at the bottom of the sidebar and always looks good in a box or separated so it looks separate from the rest of the sidebar but is still in tune.
DO... prioritize the widgets in your sidebar, so that you have the most important / useful thing that you want viewers to see first, at the top and then the next important below that and so on.
DO... e-mail subscription buttons and social media links are also important for the sidebar, to make to obvious which sites you use and points you directly to them, so in a few clicks the viewer can easily follow you.
DO... I would highly advise a search bar, simply to make your site easier to navigate and use. A good tutorial for creating a search bar I found here and think they look gorgeous and you can easily customize them so they fit your blog brand.
The Suggestions
SUGGESTION... have a picture of you. This adds a personal touch to your blog so people can see who you are and an about section or introduction near the top of the sidebar so people can learn about you and the blog right from the start.
SUGGESTION... any ads or sponsors can go in the sidebar too, but in my opinion these look a lot better and more professional if they are all the same width and are very minimal, in terms of design and colour, sot that they don't look messy or distract from your own blog content. ( Cocorrina, Blog Milk Blog, Holly Marie Designs )
SUGGESTION... blogrolls are sometimes put in sidebars, although these work best when the list is shorter or it is placed as a drop down menu so that it doesn't fill up too much space and looks neat.
SUGGESTION... putting a shortlist of popular posts in the sidebar can be a good idea so that new readers see what others readers like most on your blog and its another snapshot of your type of content.
SUGGESTION... buttons or lists of pages and important places to go in your blog are in the sidebar so that they can be easily noticed and they point out what readers should do or where they should go.
A Don't
DON'T... I discourage blogs from using more than one sidebar, as this makes the blog look more cluttered and messy, unless it is made to look very minimalistic and professional. Admittedly sometimes it can work (Blog Milk Blog) , but I think it is altogether easier if there is only one sidebar just in case it doesn't work.
What do you think is important for your blog sidebar?
I am planning to make a specific post about using fonts at some point in the future, but today I decided to begin with a little round up of links to do with the basics of fonts and typography.
Lots of these links I've found really useful for using fonts myself, so I hope you find some of them useful too. You may not think it but typography is a lot more complex than you may have first thought, so hopefully, these sites will be really useful as an introduction to fonts.
Removing the navbar along the top of your blogger blog is a very simple task but will make your blog look a lot more professional and less like a boring free Blogger blog.
It was one of the first things I improved on my blog when I first got it and I'd definitely put it at the top of your to do list (especially as it will only take a moment).
What is the NavBar?
The navbar for anyone who doesn't know is basically where you can do some functions to do with Google and Blogger. These include:
- Sharing the page you're on
- Creating a new post
- Editing you blog design via a shortcut
- Moving to the 'next' blog along
- Searching your blog
- A shortcut to blogger.com
- The ability to sign out
How to remove or change it?
After learning about what the NavBar is, you have probably decided whether you actually want it on your blog or not. Below are the instructions for editing or removing the NavBar from your blogger blog:
- Select the blog you want to edit on your Blogger dashboard.
- Find the Layout section down the side of the dashboard.
- Click on the widget called Navbar along the top.
- Select None (or a colour).
If you do still want to see the navbar, you can change its colour. Rather than selecting none you would select the colour you would want it to be. You can choose blue, tan, black, silver, transparent light or transparent dark.
Now save your Layout and go to your blog to makesure that the Navbar really has disappeared (or changed colour).
I hope this was a useful little tutorial for Blogger. If there are anymore ideas for tutorials or advice you would like to see on the blog, post your ideas in the comments section below.
