How to choose the right look and feel for your blog

There are millions of blogs out there, and naturally internet users are not going to read them all. What makes one blog more inviting than the next is often not the content at all. In fact, what draws people’s attention more often than not is the look and feel of your blog. If you are thinking about starting up a blog or if you want to spruce up your existing one, there are a few things you should consider.

The theme

The theme is the central aspect from which the rest of your design will be based. Without it your blog will just look like some sections of text with a few pictures added in. Think about what you want your theme to be. If it is about diving, for example, you should gear your theme towards incorporating pictures, text and animations representative of diving and water sports. The same rules apply whether your blog is about weddings, shopping, baking, cooking or cars.

The color scheme

The color scheme needs to tie in with your theme as well as your target audience. For example, if your blog is about tropical destinations then you would want bright colors, however, if it is about financial management you may stick to something simpler like blue or green. The color scheme needs to resonate in the layout, picture choice, text color, and background.

The layout

Just because it is a blog it doesn’t mean that it just needs to be reels and reels of text with one or two pictures. Make sure that there is a good balance of text and graphics. Too much text is boring, while too many pictures prevent the page from loading quickly. Ensure your text is all the same font and that they are set out in paragraphs. Most people will add one main picture for each blog piece, and then have a few at the end of the text for further viewing.

Getting around

If you want to have different sections for different blogs or add links to other pages or articles then you need to consider how user friendly your site really is. Having a basic layout with clear categories and divisions often makes for easy navigation. If you aren’t sure whether you’ve done a good job, get somebody to test it out and point out your flaws.

Target audience

A lot of your look and feel should depend on your target audience. This includes the color scheme, font style, pictures, language and links. If you are blogging about surf boards, for example, you may use jargon and a more relaxed look. If you are blogging about royalty you would be more formal in your approach.
These are just a few things to consider when it comes to the look and feel of your blog. A little bit of attention now will go a long way.

About the Author:
Patrick is a Internet marketing enthusiast and web designer working for Go-gulf Web design Beijing firm.