In the past, on my 5+5 Fridays, I have shared posts on resources for blog designs, social media buttons (vol. 1 and vol. 2), and DIY tutorials. But those are just the “pretty” parts – what makes it look nice. What about the meat and bones – the things that make your site functional and keep the readers around and coming back? What elements are important to include in your layout and design? Here are 10 things to remember when you are setting up your blog design and layout.
(1) Don’t let your design take up more “real estate” then is necessary. Yes, you could create a beautiful header that is very well designed and takes up half of your “above the fold” space – but is that necessary? What about that entices the reader to stay? When you start generating money from your blog, where will you put ads so they have best visibility? Think about these things when you design your header and other elements. Keep it as short as possible – and no more than 200 px tall.
(2) Include a search bar. How many times has this scenario happened to you – you see a great pin of a project you would love to do – let’s say an Easter Wreath. You click on the pin, and unfortunately, the original pinner didn’t post to the post page, but the main blog page. No big deal, you think, I’ll just search “Easter Wreath” and find it. You scroll up and down the page but don’t find a search bar. So what do you do? This happens to me frequently and I will tell you what I do – I click that big red x and likely don’t come back to your site again. It’s not your fault that people don’t pin correctly but it is your fault that you don’t have a search bar.
(3) Make yourself easy to find. Don’t hide your social media icons on a separate page or make your readers search for your email. Place them in a visible spot (this is something that deserves that prime real estate space) and make sure they all link to the correct pages.
(4) Don’t go font crazy. There are so many amazing fonts out there that it’s hard to narrow it down – but the old saying is true – less is often more. A general rule? No more than 3 fonts – a decorative font (the handwriting fonts or funky, fun fonts), a serif font (the fonts that have little “ticks” at the end of characters – think times new roman), and a sans serif font (the plainest fonts, with no “ticks” at the ends of the characters – think arial).
(5) Sharing is caring. Make it easy for your readers to share your posts when they like it. If I have to leave your page, log in to g+, copy and paste your url, and so on… I’m likely not going to share. But when you have a share bar, it’s easy to click that g+ button and not even leave the page – the same goes for sharing on facebook, pinterest, twitter, and so on. I use Share This, but I have also heard good things about Wibiya.
(6) Declutter your sidebar. Your sidebar is also very prime real estate. It’s where you will place ads and anything else that you want to grab the readers attention. Make sure it is wide enough to fit all of your elements and only use it for things that are really important. Consider a separate page for things like features and party buttons, and limit your outgoing links in the sidebar (unless they are ads, which usually open in a new window). You want readers to STAY on your page, not leave and go to another.
(7) Welcome readers to your site and have an “About” page. I once heard that the About page is the most clicked page on most blogs, which I totally believe. If I go to a site that I like and am considering subscribing to, I always click on the “About” page to see what it’s all about before I subscribe. Let your readers know who you are, what your blog is about, and what they will find if they stick around. Finish it up with a call to action – list the ways they can follow you.
(8) Use a “Related Posts” type widget. If the reader came to your blog to find that Easter Wreath, they are probably interested in finding Easter projects or wreath projects. When you use a widget that shares similar posts, the reader is much more likely to find and read your other posts.
(9) Show your readers your most popular posts. This is also one spot where you can use your prime real estate – either with a scrolling image at the top of your posts or by image links in the sidebar. Show your audience the posts that others have liked. Again, if you show them the post, they are much more likely to visit the post and stick around your blog.
(10) Keep your homepage concise. Don’t include 25 posts on your homepage – first of all, no one is going to scroll for that long, and second of all, your page will take forever to load. Try keeping your homepage posts to 5 – 7, depending on post length. If possible, condense by just showing a thumbnail image and summary with a “Read More” link to the full post. Also, it looks best if your sidebar ends where your homepage posts end – no one will scroll down looking at just a sidebar – so if you do summaries, adjust the number showing on the homepage to match your sidebar height.
And those are the ten things to remember when thinking about the layout and design of your blog. It might seem like a lot, but I can guarantee that each of these things will give you a definite return on investment.
Want to find more ways to make your blog both functional and beautiful? Check out these other 5+5 Friday posts:
Steph @ Crafting in the Rain says
Fabulous list of pointers Sarah! My blog certainly isn’t perfect, but it’s come a long way in the last 2 years! Some of these I thought–Oh yeah, I’m totally doing that already! And other, I can work on. 🙂
Chelsea @ Making Home Base says
I love your blog tips posts, Sarah! They are all wonderful! This one is especially great for new(er) bloggers like me! Thank you!!
Consie @ AtopSerenityHill.com says
Thanks for the tips. As a new blogger and I glad to see that I am implementing some of these already and some are on the never-ending to-do list!! Popping in from Tatertots and Jello link party.
Happy Weekend!
Natasha In Oz says
This is a brilliant post-thanks for sharing you ideas!
My Say G’day link up has just started so if you have a minute to spare please pop over and perhaps link up this really informative post.
Best wishes,
Natasha in Oz
Virginia says
Great little read! Very helpful
Danielle says
Thanks for sharing! I’m new to blogging and will be sure to put some of these ideas into practice this weekend!
Britni @ Hubby Made Me says
This is such a great post, Sarah! And I’m so happy to be included in it! You are the sweetest! And I love all of your posts like this, so helpful and I wish they were around when I started blogging. 🙂
Barbara Hiatt says
Great tips my friend!!
Nicki Parrish says
Thank you for the information. I am always looking for tips because I am new to this and I want to grow my blog.
Nicole Walter says
Great tips for blog design! I Have pinned to my blogging pinterest board! Thanks for sharing! Hope you have a wonderful weekend!
Kelsey Keefe says
Great tips! I love your example pictures! I’m a relatively new blogger, and I’m happy to say I think I’m already doing all of these to some degree. (Some better than others, and there’s always room for improvement. I think a background in user-interface design has helped.)
I do have another element I think is quite valuable. I also have a Project Gallery page (like your lovely Projects & Tutorials page) with thumbnails and titles of all of the projects I’ve posted. Currently it’s one running list, but as I continue blogging, I plan to categorize it. This page has taken over as my most viewed page, pushing my About page into 2nd most views. In fact, it has 6 times more views than my About page. (I did say I’m new to blogging, so I don’t have all that many views to begin with.) I added it, because I know that I am personally much more likely to subscribe to a blog if I can see a page that visually displays all of her projects. It also helps (along with the search bar) when locating posts pinned to Pinterest from the main page instead of their permanent URL.
Lauren says
Great tips. I have been blogging for almost a year and maybe I need to implement some of these elements. Thanks.
http://www.ifitsnotbaroquedesignblog.blogspot.com
Sarah Desjardins says
A project gallery is also a great tip for anyone who has a project based blog for sure 🙂
Cocalores says
Love this list! Some time ago I started to include most of the things that you mentioned. The only thing that I am not a big fan of as a blog reader is the “Click to read more” thing, but that’s probably just me – that’s why I haven’t changed that in my posts.
Including some of the favorite posts on my sidebar, as well as having a projects page and recipe page, have really made a difference in the visitors’ flow on my blog.
Mandy says
Love this! How do you add the list of easy share buttons that look like yours to the end of every post?
Thanks!
Mandy from thecomfycrafter.com
Sarah Desjardins says
Thanks Mandy! I use the Share This toolbar – if you go to their website you can sign up for your own for free 🙂 Its really easy to install!
Leah S says
Thanks for these tips! I am working on my blog this month as my monthly goal, so this definitely helps!
freshandorganized.com says
Great tips! Will definitely put some of these into action! 🙂
yagottahaveahobby.com says
Thank you for the great tips! Pinned to my “Blogging” board on Pinterest as well.
I need to add a “Popular Posts” sidebar and “Related Posts” widget. Any idea how to go about that on Word Press?
Such helpful ideas!
Sarah Desjardins says
Sorry – WP is a completely foreign world for me! I am sure there are plugins for it though 🙂
Ibbs Quinton says
Thanks for the advice, I’ve now made my following options more easily accessible and all in the same place.x
Lola says
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NYCStylelittleCannoli says
great info Just found your site and signed up to follow as lots of good information
I had my posts at quite a bit of length and now reduced to about to match side bar items
looks better I think Would love to do the Read More option but not sure I want to play with my template. Look forward to your posts and will be signed up for emails too
Thanx again
Rosemary from NYC Style and a little Cannoli
Julie redheadcandecorate.com says
great tips! can’t wait to make the swtich to WP!
Kat Biggie says
I just found your blog through a Tip posted on Sverve! Wonderful tips! Glad to have found you!
kristi@ishouldbemoppingthefloor says
These are AWESOME ideas, Sarah!! Thanks for putting this together.
Tyson Cooper says
Thank you for this post! It really helped me know what to do next.