Blogging can be a dime-a-dozen pursuit. Websites, articles, posts — the same things are being published across so many other sites as well. That’s why your blog needs to be different than everyone else’s in order to stand out and attract a loyal audience. One way to stand out is through the design of your blog. What you have here is an opportunity to create a design that is unique to you, your brand, and the type of content you want to showcase on your site. However, designing your own blog can be intimidating if you’re not sure where to start or what kind of design works best for you as a writer and business owner. To help ease some of those fears, we’ve put together this article on how to design your blog so that it looks professional from day one without spending too much money or time up front.
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What to think about when you’re deciding on a blogging platform
With so many blogging platforms on the market, it can be difficult to know where to begin. As with most things in business and marketing, certain platforms are better suited for certain types of bloggers. For example, if your business relies on sales, then Shopify is the way to go. On the other hand, if you want to focus more on growing an audience and building a brand around your content, then WordPress is your best bet. Ultimately, it depends on what you want to achieve and the type of content you’re planning on publishing. With that said, there are a few things to keep in mind when deciding on a blogging platform. First, think about the types of readers you want to attract. Is your audience mostly businesses or do you want to focus more on a community of readers? What kinds of content do you want to publish and who do you want to include in that content? These are some of the questions you should be asking when deciding on a blogging platform.
Determine who your audience will be and what your blog is to them
Most bloggers base the design of their blog around the idea that their audience will be other bloggers. And while that’s usually the case, it’s not always the case. While you want to incorporate some of the elements of blogging that appeal to other bloggers, you also want to take into account the types of content that your audience is hungry for. After all, you want to provide them with something they want, not just something you want to do. So, take a step back and ask yourself a few questions. Who are you writing for? What are they looking for in your content? What do they need to know? Once you know the answers to these questions, you’re one step closer to designing your blog with an audience in mind.
Research your topic and write with purpose
Before you start designing your blog pages and widgets, you should spend some time researching your topic and writing with purpose. While many bloggers think they can just dive head first into designing their blog, that’s not the best idea. You want to be prepared, so take some time to research your topic, write with purpose, and outline the exact type of content you want to publish on your blog. This is especially important if you’re just starting out or if you’re new to blogging. A blog that’s designed without research and clarity can look sloppy and unprofessional in a very short period of time. Now, research isn’t meant to just be a Google search. You want to dig a little deeper than simply reading articles on the subject matter. For example, if your blog is about weight loss, you might want to conduct some research on diet plans and healthy eating. You can also look into trends that are happening in your industry or niche. What are the people you want to read your blog interested in? What are they talking about?
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Create a mood board of colors, fonts, shapes, and photography
Mood boards are a great way to visualize and communicate your design vision with a team. They can also be a great way to work out any kinks in your design as you go along. You don’t have to be super creative with them. You can just photograph some items in your space that you want to incorporate in your blog design and then create a mood board with those photos. By doing this, you can create a visual representation of your blog’s design that helps with any confusion you might have about the direction of your blog’s design. You can also use colour schemes and fonts when creating a mood board. This will help with visual clarity when you’re creating your design boards and also help with brand recognition and consistency across all social media platforms.
Use CSS to style your site
Once you have the design of your blog figured out, it’s time to apply some CSS. This stands for Cascading Style Sheets and is a style sheet language that’s used to style your blog pages. There are a couple of things to keep in mind when using CSS. First, you want to make sure to include the appropriate CSS for your blog platform. Next, you want to keep your CSS as simple as possible. This helps with loading time and also makes it easier for your content editors to make updates to your pages. Finally, you want to make sure to keep your CSS up to date as often as possible. This helps keep your blog looking fresh and uncluttered.
Use HTML to create unique content pages
If you want to create more complex pages, such as CTAs, you can create them with HTML. These pages are designed with a header, content, and footer that is the same between all the different platforms. This is helpful when you want to create a blog post that’s more complex than a standard article such as a guide or how-to post. The only issue with this is that there are a limited number of templates you can use with HTML. Also, if you want to create more complex pages, it’s best to use a WordPress site.
Sumo for posting content quickly
If you want to create a few posts quickly, you might want to consider using Sumo. This tool allows you to post content, receive engagement, and track comments all in one place. While it’s not the best option for long-form content creation, it’s a great way to quickly share new posts to your readers. It also has some great features when it comes to tracking social media shares and tracking comments on your posts.
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Final Words
As you can see, there’s no one-size-fits-all when it comes to designing your blog. You need to take into account the type of content you plan on publishing, the types of readers you want to attract, and more. With that said, there are a few things you can do to ensure your blog stands out. Although it can be challenging, it’s worth it in the end. After all, a unique design can help you reach your audience, grow your business, and build a stronger brand.
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