As I’m sure you know, the design of your blog is extremely important. Your blog design is the first thing that new visitors see, even before your content. So make sure your blog is all dressed up for the occasion. You wouldn’t go to a job interview wearing sweatpants and your old college t-shirt, right? Same thing here. According to a recent study, it takes a new visitor two-tenths of a second to form a first impression of your website. These 3 ways to spruce up your blog design will help ensure that your visitors stick around and become an invested part of your community.
I’ve even got a free Blog Design Checklist for you that you can print out and utilize to make your website even more awesome!
CREATE A FUNCTIONAL + BEAUTIFUL FOOTER
Make your footer work for your blog — otherwise it’s just wasted space! It’s often the last thing your readers will see before they exit your blog, so give them a reason to stick around! You can add an Instagram widget, social media icons, a link to your shop or e-book, a newsletter subscription form, or anything else you can think of.
Kory from Kory Woodard includes her most recent Instagram photo, a subscription form for her newsletter (which you should totally sign up for, btw! It’s the highlight of my week to open my inbox and see her email there!), and her recent pins. What a perfect way to gain followers on social media, as well as promote your newsletter!
I’m sure you’re already reading Melyssa’s blog, The Nectar Collective, because she’s awesome. Her footer highlights her Facebook page, her Instagram and other social media sites, as well as her menu and a search bar. That’s just packed with good stuff!
RETHINK GOOGLE FRIEND CONNECT
If you have a Blogger blog, or you’ve ever read a Blogger blog, you’ve likely seen the Google Friend Connect widget on the sidebar. Most people aren’t as apt to follow your blog with GFC anymore, so I suggest giving your readers the option to follow you on a platform such as Bloglovin’ or even your newsletter! Bloglovin’ is personally my favorite way to keep up with all the wonderful blogs out there!
REMOVE COMMENT FORMS FROM YOUR PAGES
This is another mistake that many don’t even think about! But it’s so strange for your readers to be able to leave comments on your About or Contact pages. What are they going to say?
“Dude, your contact form is awesome.”
Yeah, I doubt it. Keep the comments on the blog posts!
If you’re on Blogger, you can remove the comment form by editing each of your pages, then clicking on Options under Post Settings and selecting “Don’t allow, hide existing.”
If you’re using WordPress, then you can remove the comment form by bulk editing your Pages, as shown in the screenshots below.
Blog design is one of the important factors that can help one-time visitors turn into long-time readers. If you’re feeling overwhelmed with the many aspects of blog design, make sure to download this design checklist for actionable tips and help to design your own blog.
