A lot of beginner bloggers are sure that it’s all about the content. They believe the better you write and the more engaging your topic is, the more views you’ll get.
Unfortunately, blogging is about how it looks combined with what it says. Horrific content, riddled with errors, coupled with gorgeous design will get you nowhere. But fabulous, informative posts with confusing layout won’t get you much further.
Blogging, as with everything in life, is about balance. Let’s achieve that by pinpointing the worst blog design mistakes you can make.
Littering in the Sidebar
The one thing you don’t want to do is distract your reader from your post, and cluttering up your sidebar with links and buttons is the quickest way to drive them off.
This is especially true for banners. A lot of readers will get irritated if there are ads flashing at them from every angle. They’ll assume you’re in it for the money and nothing else. Stick to a maximum of two banners in the sidebar.
One sidebar does the job admirably, and provides helpful navigation rather than advertisements and annoyance.
Flashy Logos
Once again, this distracts your readers. It detracts from the blog in general and pulls focus from the content.
It’s also likely to frustrate those who do end up reading your post and will limit the amount of time they spend on your blog. Since you want to maximise the amount of time people spend browsing and commenting, a classic logo will provide the correct tone.
Widget Land
No, Widget Land isn’t next to Funky Town. It’s actually a little place where your blog goes to die.
I cannot stress this enough: leave those widgets alone! Don’t have a pop-up on every page. Don’t install extra toolbars. Just don’t do it. What would interest you more: great content or pop-ups and flashing doohickeys?
Keep it simple.
Bright and Tiny
Brightly-collared fonts paired with tiny font size, and an equally distressing background, will induce headaches rather than increase viewing time. That’s not the kind of metric you want to measure.
Black and lime green is a big no-no. Go for plain backgrounds (white and neutral colours) paired with a font that’s big enough to read.
Good background and font pairings: white and black, grey and navy blue. You get the idea.
It’s important not to make your font too big either. Go for something you’d like to read, not something you’d stick on your wall and admire as abstract art.
What’s This About?
The worst thing you can do is confuse a potential reader. You’re passionate about your content and you want them to equate that and feel the same depth of interest. You can’t do that if they have no idea what you’re talking about.
If your blog title or sub-heading is ambiguous, they won’t be tempted to read on. People aren’t willing to slog through your content to discover your hidden meaning. It’s much easier to search another blog with more clarity.
Imagine you blogged about writing. You have two heading choices:
- My Freelancing Experience: A True Artiste’s Tale
- Writing: Like a Boss
Which would you read? The first could belong to a photographer, actor, writer or any other kind of freelancer, and doesn’t lead into the content. Whereas the second tells you what it’s about and how well you’d do it if you read the post. It’s short, simple and describes what’s in the tin!
Avoid these design mistakes and you’re bound to see an increase in traffic. Be clear on your content, don’t brighten up your blog, and avoid cluttered sidebars, flashing widgets and disturbing logos.
Do you have any blog design tips or a link to one with a sleek design? Let us know in the box below!
Caitlin is an avid blogger and fiction writer. When she isn’t checking out tips and trends on the internet, she’s blogging for the GKBC Creative Academy.
Image by John Sutton
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