Blog layouts can make or break the success of a blog. You could have the most brilliant content, but if you don’t have a blog layout that’s going to do it justice then readers will be put off staying on your site. Give yourself the best chance of increasing your readership by making sure your layout isn’t letting you down! Here are 5 tips to follow, to make sure your layout is the best it can be:
Don’t Let White Space Scare You
It’s the content on your blog that’s supposed to grip your reader’s attention- not a wild and outlandish background! It can be tempting to try to stand out a little by choosing a bright and eye-catching pattern, but you need to subdue that urge. Allow your content to shine by giving it a neutral background that won’t overshadow your images and text.
However…..Don’t Let this Stop You Using Colour All Together!
I wouldn’t want you to think that white space is all you should use around your content, as using colour as a way to personalise is definitely something that can help you take ownership of your website and make it feel like your own creation. Side bars, links, social media badges, profile pictures, headers……all great places to add a splash of colour whilst not making your site look over-crowded.
If it Doesn’t Have a Purpose, Get Rid of it!
Too many sidebars and navigation bars are plagued with unnecessary content. If there is no use to the reader, then you probably don’t need it.
Make it as Easy as Possible for Your Audience to Connect and Share
I’m a big fan of social widgets- particularly for Twitter and Pinterest. Allowing your readers to see a snippet of what you’re up to on social will make it far more tempting for them to pop over and follow you!
Make Sure Your Images Are Sized to Your Posts
This really makes a huge difference to the way your posts look. You should always make sure that the images accompanying your posts are aligned properly with the post’s width. Having small images, which are not properly aligned can make things look a mess pretty quickly!
Are you thinking of working on your layout?! Do you have any tips, questions or examples to add? Let us know what you think in the comments below!
This was a really helpful post. I keep wanting to fill in the white space on my blog, and I just can’t seem to get that professional look I want. I am currently using a free WP blog, so I don’t have *too* many options. Do you have any suggestions for that?
Thanks!
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