Today i was browsing my RSS and i come across an interesting post from my buddy Tristan, titled 26 Blog Design Tips for Non-Techies and Non-Designers.
The Post has some awesome design tips for non Techies, but he missed some tips like having a custom header, background and footer etc.
In this post i’m going to share 5 more blog design tips for non techies.
1. Get a Custom Header
There are so many benefits of having a custom header. I see many people ignore this but it is one of most effective way to make your blog look awesome. This is your chance to put a unique spin on your blog.
Above is the screen shot from TrafficGenerationCafe . Did you notice how awesome her blog looks with the custom header!
2. Don’t use Dark Backgrounds
This is one the most common mistake people make (including me), i know it looks good but light colors are much better. After doing so many customization, i think white or blue colors looks awesome
3. Social Sharing Icons
If you scroll down your mouse bar, you will see we have a social media images instead of buttons. I think having social media images instead of buttons looks much better.
Using Social icons instead of count buttons can also increase your blog speed.
If you need any help on adding social sharing icons then read this post.
4. Remove extra widgets and badges
Too many widgets and badges can make your blog look very unprofessional. Stick to the essentials that enhance your blog’s usability — such as categories, social media sharing buttons, RSS feed, top posts, etc.
5. Get a Custom Footer
Footer is another great design tip to engage your readers. You can include recent posts, top commenters, popular posts, Banner Ads,RSS icons, Contact Info, about us info etc.
Yeah, this blog don’t have a good footer and I’m working on this.
If you need any help about WordPress customization then don’t hesitate to contact us.
Do you have any tips you would like to add? What do you think about the design of WP Kube?
Well it depends on the nature of blog. For example for fashion, sports and entertainment blogs custom header works great.
Social Sharing icons works for all type of blogs. Footer is not always suitable for all blogs, but suitable for blogging related blogs.
Yes i agree with you, placing too many widgets and badge on blog is a very silly mistake. Just a few important widgets are fine.
Hi Bilal,
Exactly. Social media buttons works awesome for all type of blogs.
Thanks for the nice comment. Much Appreciated.
A simple thing people often make mistake with are fonts. They need to be easy to read and many people use fonts that are hard on the eyes.
When you mention backgrounds – The best thing is white background and dark letters. It is easy to read.
A lot of blogs use black background with white font and after just a few sentences your eyes get tired, which results in – click out.
Nice post
Exactly Brankica.
White backgrounds looks much better!
Thanks for the nice comment. Have a great weekend.
Nice Tips!
Is all about the sharing and having the bookmark box
Hope to see you around. RTed
Glad you like it.
Thanks for the RT man;). Much Appreciated.
No problem Devesh
Thanks for the mention, Devesh! These are some more great tips here!
I personally am not a fan of most social media icons, however. They’re just not as user friendly. A lot of Twitter icons, for example, don’t shorten the URL or @mention the blogger, and that’s just annoying! These ARE taken care of with a simple TweetMeme badge.
Sure, form is important, but functionality is even more important!
You’re welcome tristan. Glad you like it.
Yeah, that’s right many icons don’t have @mention or short url option. Will going to create a function something like that very soon.
Thanks for the awesome comment man.
Hi Devesh,
I like the tips you shared here. Ana’a blog design is awesome, probably the best I have seen for a long time. Do you do the design and styling?
I have just recommended your WordPress support services to someone who was looking for someone. I hope she comes your way.
~Marcus
Hi Marcus
Yeah, Ana’s blog design is really awesome and i do design and styling.
That’s awesome to hear marcus. Thanks for the awesome support. Have a great day and keep rocking.
good advice
Hi Dev,
Nice tips for overall blog design. Customization is a must – generic blogs simply don’t stand out, especially if you’re in a niche with any competition at all.
Nice idea to customize the footer, I’ve never thought about it.
Clarity is a key that seems to get lost amongst some custom jobs – it doesn’t just have to look good, it must be functional as well.
Tweeted and 1′d. Thanks and all the best,
Jym
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