If I need a editor could I contact you? If you were to use this font today as your blogs text you would definitely risk losing credibility. In my footer section, I include a number of important links and I have them broken down into relevant sections. It's no secret that we kind of like dogs here at HubSpot. All great social proof. Zapfino might look cool, but it would be very difficult to read as a primary font. The stories that HONY shares are compelling both because of the written text and the visual images. So how do you make sure that your pages are loading quickly? Load time is another very important consideration when it comes to your overall blog layout. Clean Mama is a blogger who teaches people how to keep their homes clean (and is a very clever blog name idea, too). Another positive aspect about this style, is it allows you to see a lot of interesting content all at once. Well, the answer is a resounding yes. Logos are a part of our daily life without us even really noticing it. If you click on the affiliate marketing menu item, it navigates you to a curated landing page that breaks down all of their top resources on the subject: Here youre able to find a variety of helpful information about affiliate marketing, including how to go about finding and joining the best affiliate programs for bloggers. BarkPost, the blog of canine subscription box company BarkBox, is a great example of design for a number of reasons. The typography they use for their headings is easy to read, but a little more interesting than your basic Arial. IfBloomberg and Forbes are offering their endorsement, this must be something good. As with some of the other creative blogs, Magnum Photos uses photography as the primary blog layout vehicle to drive the story. Free and premium plans. This is a perfect window into the thoughts your visitors are having, and an easy way to build a relationship with many of them. I tend to fall on the side of not utilizing much of a sidebar (aside from a table of contents with particularly lengthy articles), and I intentionally left it out of my new blogs recent redesign. Tina. My headers should make it very easy for that reader to scan the blog post, in order to find the answer quicklyplus theres a navigational table of content running along the right side of this article (when viewing on desktop). ", "The fonts on your blog may not be the reason someone stays but it could very well be the reason a reader leaves. To help you land on the right blog layout (thatll attract and retain more readers), were going to break down the most crucial blog layout best practices and highlight 12 of the most impressive blog layout examples from real-life websites, blogs and publicationsso that you can take inspiration from the best when designing your own blog layout. What we particularly like about this blog is its use of featured images for all posts, including a banner one at the top that highlights a recent or particularly popular entry. Strength and Sunshine is a blog that shares recipes and information about vegan, gluten and allergy-free foods (her description sits right in underneath the logo). This functions as a version of a learning center for readers to dive deeper into the subject they care about. Earlier, we talked about about the ways in which I thoughtfully utilize white space on my blog layout. Youve alerted them to a problem, but you havent offered them any solutions. Editor's note: This post was originally published in 2013 and has been updated for comprehensiveness.
This color scheme is carried throughout my blog and in the graphics that I use for my blog post header images, too. Each section of the Adobe Create blog starts with a striking image: This artistic flair continues as you scroll down the page. To help direct people, you need to frequently employ whats known as a Call to Action. If you havent included a call to action within your blog post yet, many people will read it, leave your page and give it very little thought later. In addition to high quality images, they also regularly include graphs (like this one about the increase of daily users on Zoom this year): One major difference between the fashion blog and this article on Forbes, is that this piece has much longer blocks of text. And in that context, it really adds a lot of value to your blog layout in terms of creating a more reader-friendly experience. Near the top of the blog's homepage, readers can side-scroll through "highlighted" posts. By using it in a design scheme, Fubiz is able to visually attract visitors to its content. Simple fonts arent as visually exciting as some, but utilizing a simple font will be infinitely better for your readersand will encourage them to keep progressing through your content, rather than turn around and run for the hills. Hope that question makes sense, happy to clarify if not! Georgia is one of the most widely used fonts for bloggers. The effect is a blog layout that looks very much like an art display. Are you attracted to bright colors or monochromatic themes? As youre designing your own blog layout, look for opportunities to brand your site as being somehow unique. Lets look at a fashion blog first, which is a space thats intensely visual. Heres another beautiful, creative and simple blog layout example from a travel blog called Rojo Cangrejo. They use a shade of purple in a very unique way throughout their website. In the middle of one blog post, they included a link to an article with more information on a similar, closely related topic. Those whove already started blogging probably chose a WordPress theme at the beginning and allowed the general format of that theme determine your blogs layout which is understandable (and what I did for several years here on my blog). Well for one, people are very visual in nature. Now that weve laid down the best practices for designing a winning blog layout, lets see them in action by looking at some of the best blog layouts on the Internet. Papyrus is another font that gets a bad rep. Like Comic Sans, this font was a shooting star. While the core function of their website is to drive new business (as all smart small business website designs should), they also have a blog component to their site. The Verge is a multimedia blog that examines how technology changes the lives of people around the world. She has a Start Here section on her blog that does a good job of identifying some of her blogs most central ideas. Plus, with such great visuals, we took note of the nod to Pinterest that icon is important to include when your blog incorporates attractive imagery. As with WePresent, this blog goes far out of its way to appeal to very particular audiencereaders that are seeking bright, happy and uplifting images, artistic ideas and inspiration. Heres a look at their blog layout directly on the homepage: At the top of their pages, they have a few key links followed by a visually interesting and well-designed header with three additional CTAs that are all relevant to their target readers. At one time, Comic Sans MS was a very popular font. Your blog visitors are going to decide whether or not to continue reading based on the featured image and the description youve provided, so make it good. These posts are in order of publication date: We already covered that my blog layout is intentionally minimalist, but one element of this is the utilization of white space. Treat the slow perfection of your pages and other components more like side projects to the really important work of creating useful content & finding readers . This will help you develop your branding strategy and become much more memorable over the long-haul. It may seem like a risky move to post images with no explanation and expect people to continue reading. The second, is making their content interesting and engaging enough to entice readers to keep going. For example, you wouldnt want your homepage to be bland and then other pages to be in vibrant technicolor. But at the same time,the blog doesn't hock its own products rather, it serves as an informational resource to dog parents and lovers alike. Recently, the organization redesigned its blog with a lengthy post dedicated to its 10-year anniversary. So my savings were depleted and I almost ended it all myself, but one of the strongest traits ive gained from this life of hardship is never giving up. Im wondering, with the pieces you talk about above, what timeline/order of operations do you recommend a new blog follow? Youve probably heard it before, but if youre not totally familiar with the term, let me take a moment to explain what a call to action really is. The main thing here is to pick something thats easy to read. 
This is another way to ensure that youre creating a brand and personality to your blog. You may not even know who your ideal audience is yet (and thats ok). They use pastel colors that feel joyful and light: The House that Lars Built, takes on the difficult task of including a lot of content without crossing over into an overly cluttered design. Free and premium plans, Operations software. Its not that readers dont care about whales, its that they werent given anything tangible to do next. ", specifically talking about why people hate it so much, According to online marketing influencer Jeff Bullas, Google uses to determine its search engine results, "Calls to action are so effective on a blog, because they offer readers a clear solution to the problem they're reading about. Now, instead of seeing multiple blog posts at once (which can be a little overwhelming), readers see one large featured image and the corresponding blog post at a time. Are you a photographer that wants to use a lot of images in your design? An interesting snippet of text that leads into the blog post, A very clear View Post call to action button. Like the fashion blog we highlighted above, Forbes often leans heavily on using large high-quality images at the tops of their feature storiesgiving it a very magazine-esque look. I wanted to include the Dowse Art Museum here as an example, because their blog layout is so completely different from just about any other site youll find yourself on today. Here are 15 more award-winning website design examples. The first step in determining which changes need to be made with your blog layout, is discovering what your current load speed is. It works for Innocent Drinks (hint: childhood innocence), and that brand presence is maintained throughout the company's blog. Here are ten best practices you can use in creating a winning blog layout today. But you can still take a lot of inspiration from the blog layouts youve seen here in this guide, because theyve been intentionally designed to attract (and retain) readers over the course of many years. Her blog layout consists of a lot of full-size images and shop-able posts. And keep in mind that these blog layouts youve seen here, follow proven best practices that are designed to keep your bounce rate lowand encourage people to return to your blog for more. Getting my laptop from bestbuy today and starting my at home work life from 0 literally. There are a lot of theories about the use of color and how people interact with it, but I chose to lean on shares of blue largely out of personal preference for the colorand the very cool, calm, relatable sense that I feel it conveys to my readers. While each blog post does certainly stand out from one another, theyre also placed in specific spots to look more like an art gallery display. Another thing to point out about this blog layout, is the way they break down sections. The higher the quality, the better impression theyll make on your blog readers. Magnum Photos is a photography blog with a deep interest in storytelling. They may think your site isnt working properly, or they may just not care enough to wait more than a couple of seconds. And check out those navigation arrows on the right never before has it been so easy to scroll to the top or bottom of a page. I mean, just look at that header image. Its very different when compared to verbose academic writing or published books. Notice how the logo displayed in the upper left is simple, cartoonish, and almost delightfully child-like. Try to write something thatll entice them to keep reading, and include a Continue Reading call to action button: Another way to get people to continue reading your content is to put clear pagination at the bottom of your list of blog posts. The Interceptis an online news source that provides investigations and analyses of topics like politics, war, national security, technology and the environment. If youre a writer, take your layout as a way to highlight your style and tone. Lets look at a dramatically different example to really showcase how diverse your blog layout can bedepending on the audience you want to attract (and retain). The New York Times has taken a very smart blogging strategy in crafting their blog layout, by blending its print image with its digital one. More than the color you choose, the way you implement it, is what matters most. Join me here, on ryrob.com to learn how to start a blog, make money blogging and grow a profitable side business. Crew Backstage, the blog of the Crew platform for designers and developers, has a fabulously minimalist blog design, but quiet a unique one. Finally, she includes some helpful links (and clear next steps for visitors), like a shopping link and a round-up of her best cleaning tips. Blogging is still largely about what its always beenand thats still primarily the written word, because search engines like Google still read content through text. THANK YOU <3, Thank you so much for sharing your story with me, Alex. document.getElementById( "ak_js_2" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged. This vibe continues with their choice of artwork and even their overall blog layout. You made it so simple to follow. They also use images that are unusual and sometimes even a little absurd, with the goal of catching the attention of a reader instantly. This time well explore the distinguished publication, Forbes. And as an added bonus, the museum has gotten a lot of press and attention for their unique blog layout over the years. If you have any contacts/info you could link me to starting a blog/estore that I can make ANY income on within one day PLEASE email me. As people read that blog post, what do you want them to do? Now, lets go through some of the ways that you can use branding to make your blog layout that much better. My advice is not to be afraid of leaving some comfortable spacing throughout your blog layout, as it can often be more calming to readers than a design thats jam-packed with elements. It's the softer side of Microsoft, so to speak. It's free of clutter, making the content more digestible, and the layout is extremely organized. Medium is one of the top free blogging platforms on the market, and they allow you to post new content (or repost content from an existing blog). We dig the seasonality of the site, too. The first is building trust with their readers and potential readers.
The sidebar to the right which remains visiblewhen a blog post is opened to read is perfect for showcasing thumbnail images for new articles. Heres a sampling of recent stories from The New Yorker. They also include CTAs directly within their blog posts. Why is someone holding a smoking piece of glass that resembles a cell phone? For a similar look, check out the new CMS Hub theme collection on the Envato marketplace. The primary reason why I decided to redesign my blog layout, was because Id been using the same theme & overall design format for more than five years. Thats a wrap on the ways my own blog layout has been intentionally (re)designed earlier this year.
Images, text, and links need to be shown off just right otherwise, readers might abandon your content, if it's not showcased in a way that's appealing, easy to follow, and generates more interest. It uses something called "blue mind" psychology, which has found that the sight of open water can naturally draw us in. Maptia is a travel and storytelling blog with a mission to help people learn more about the world and grow in empathy for people in other places and cultures. Here, were going to review a few alternative blog layouts that are very diverse in their design decisionsillustrating that you can be extremely creative without forfeiting ease of use and functionality. A good way to figure this out, is to check out other blogs within your niche. Heres an example from a Google tutorial: If you choose the no response, theyll prompt you to say what wasnt helpful about the experience: If youre creating blog posts specifically designed to help people with a specific task, or answer a clear question, this could be a very savvy way to get immediate feedback on your content. Fubiz, an art and design blog, is an example of a really sleek design that also includes some cool personalization. Look through a dozen or so sites in your niche and notice what stands out about their blogs. You can also notice a big difference in color schemes. Disclosure: Please note that some of the links below are affiliate links and at no additional cost to you, Ill earn a commission. It looks more like a print magazine, and is a format I follow in some ways here on my own blog layout. 53% of your visitors will leave your site if it takes more than 3 seconds to load, A one-second page response delay reduces conversion by 7% (read this guide for more on designing your website, Websites with a 1-3 second load time have a much lower bounce rate probabilitythan those with a longer load time, Go to other important articles on your blog for further reading. From a design standpoint, there are a lot of things you can learn from them. Nike can brand a black t-shirt with nothing more than a tiny swoosh and just about everyone who sees that shirt will know who made it. 
