When it comes to building a dynamic blog online, it is essential to keep several key factors in mind. Many beginners feel overwhelmed by the assortment of information available, finding it difficult to understand what makes a blog stand out as professional and effective. Fortunately, understanding the essentials of dynamic blog design doesn’t have to feel like an impossible mission. The following 8 tips will start any beginning blogger off on the right foot, equipping a newbie webmaster to build an online destination that will rival the competition.
1. Keep it Simple.
In an effort to build a site that looks interesting and inviting, many first-time bloggers will mistakenly overcomplicate matters. This can cause an assortment of different complications. Firstly, site visitors who feel overwhelmed by content selections may not be able to interact with a blog. Overstimulation can also give off a bad vibe, damaging the site’s credibility. Stick to one or two colors when designing the blog’s theme, and try to avoid using too many different fonts.
2. Aim for a Subtle Impact
Developing a expertly-designed blog requires a keen eye for the small details. Subtle changes and shifts can impact the overall feel of a blog, and are much more effective than utilizing garish colors and bizarre emoticons to attempt to grab a visitor’s attention. Make full use of effects like gradients and textures when designing for a new blog. Without screaming “look at me!”, designs that incorporate these techniques come off more professional than others.
3. Make it Clean
Avoiding clutter is a reoccuring theme when it comes to web design. Clutter is distracting, and can end up pointing site visitors in the wrong direction. One way to keep clean lines and edges is to utilize borders to separate media and text content from one another. Borders do not need to be exceptionally large, but can instead be as small as 1-pixel wide. While it may be difficult to pinpoint what is allowing the content to appear so clean, this technique is a blogger’s friend in helping to ensure the site looks professional.
4. Unlock the Power of CSS
For bloggers who are not yet familiar with CSS, learning this style sheet language could unlock countless opportunities in terms of allowing the site to take on an entirely new look. Many webmasters mistakenly believe that good design sense is enough to make a site truly stand out. In fact, it takes a keen eye for design, combined with the ability to make that design display properly on the web. Learning CSS is an involved process and requires a significant time investment, but it can be well worth the results. Even learning a few simple CSS steps can help bloggers keep their site looking great.
5. Keep the Topic at the Forefront
It is important for bloggers to keep the topic or subject they are discussing at the forefront of a site visitor’s mind. The design of a blog doesn’t need to simply look appealing, but it should also reflect the content in question. This can be done in a number of different ways, and doesn’t necessarily need to include overt references to the subject matter. Colors, images, and backgrounds can all be used in subtle way to complement the overall theme of the site in question.
6. Follow Established Protocols
In an effort to create a site that will really stand out, some bloggers take things too far. Don’t fall into this trap, but instead try to stick to accepted blog formats and layouts. Take advantage of sidebars and provide visitors with the option to subscribe to your content or connect on social media networks. Content should make a site stick out from all the rest, not the bizarre layout of the blog.
7. Utilize Advertisement Sparingly
Ads are a bit of a paradox for bloggers. Advertisement revenue is often one of the most powerful sources of income for those blogging online. On the same page, ads turn readers off and cause them to look for information elsewhere. For this reason, it is essential to pay close attention to how ads are utilized on a blog. Pop-ups should be avoided at all costs, as they annoy users. Try to use ads in places that will not distract from the content displayed on the site, and avoid over utilizing ads.
8. Photo Quality and Placement is Key
Graphic images used on a blog can reinforce the content displayed on the site. When pictures are low-quality and do not reflect the content in a positive manner, site visitors will be left with a bad taste in their mouths. Choose images that are professional and relevant to the content, and try to place them to the right of the text. Images that cut up content can make for a difficult reading experience, which can alienate site users.
