10 Easy Steps To Designing Your Personal Blog

So you’ve decided to take the plunge into the online world, and you need to learn to make a website. You have a passion for writing, but a regular eCommerce site is not going to work for what you need. You’re going to need a blog, but you have no idea how to design one and need help. If you’re in this boat, I’ve collected 10 tips to help you get started designing your blog.

1. WordPress

WordPress is the standard for blogging platforms. WordPress is free, and you can get you own WordPress blog from their official site. Although you can get a free site, I would recommend buying a domain and hosting, and installing WordPress from there. Doing this gives your blog a more professional appearance, and you’ll have more control over your site.

2. Themes

After you install WordPress onto your site, you have a plethora of themes to choose from. You can do perfectly fine with a free theme, but if you want more features and more options to customize, then you’ll do better with a premium theme. Usually premium themes will run you around a $100, but they’re worth the investment if you really develop your blog and it takes off.

3. Plugins

After you have your theme installed, you can then start to explore different plugins you may want to use to help with user experience, SEO, and other things that will make running your blog easier. Before you get a plugin, make sure that the developers are still supporting it, and it has a lot of users having success with it. If you’re still not sure after looking at the feedback score of the plugin, I suggest hopping onto Google and searching for the developer’s site. Better yet, look for any reviews online to get a truly biased opinion of the plugin before you download or purchase it.

4. Navigation

When you set up your blog, it’s important to make sure the menu and other areas are intuitive for your readers. When users come to read your latest post, you don’t want them to get frustrated stumbling around trying to get to where they want. Keeping the layout clean makes for a more pleasant experience.

5. Logos

This is not a necessity, but having a logo is a nice touch and is essential if you have a blog-based business. A nice logo will help your blog be more recognizable, and it may even attract new readers. If you do decide to get a logo, make sure you get a professional designer. You get what you pay for with a cheap logo, and you don’t want a poorly designed logo representing you or your blog.

6. Monetize

Learning how to monetize your blog can prove lucrative in the long run if you do it right. Even if you’re blogging as a hobby, why wouldn’t you want to make some extra cash on the side? Most people would, and learning how to place ads or products on your page can help bring in some revenue, even if it’s just a few dollars a month. I would check out YouTube to learn more on how to do this properly as there are too many details to explain it all here.

7. SEO

SEO stands for search engine optimization. A blogger’s dream is to optimize their site, and get it on the coveted first page of Google to get all the free traffic they can handle. This of course is easier said than done, but it’s not impossible with some practice and proper keyword research. Knowing how to properly optimize your site can yield life-changing income, but it can also bring you the readers you so desperately crave.

8. Simplicity

Simplicity and navigation go hand in hand, and what I’m referring to in this case is banners and flashing colors. Too many newcomers trying to design a website, or bad marketers, think that if they load their site up with tons of ads that flash and use popups that they’ll make more money from their site. They may for a little bit, but after a while most visitors will detest the site and never return.

9. Colors

Color is an integral part of designing a website properly that most people have no clue about. They just pick some random color that they like and call it good. It’s not good, it’s bad. Knowing how colors affect others, and how people perceive your blog will help you choose the right color palette.

10. Font

When webmasters think they’re being so creative with 10 different fonts on their site, users will find it obnoxious and hard to read. No one will come back if reading your blog becomes a hassle. A simple, easy to read font is all you need.

I hope the tips above will help you learn to make a website properly, and that you’ll avoid many of the pitfalls that other bloggers make when first starting out. Although the tips above are great, you may develop other design ideas when you gain more experience. Don’t be afraid to make a few mistakes, and stay consistent.