Does your blog have these key design elements?

Whether you are just starting your blogging career or you are looking to restructure your current blog, there is an important question that should be asked.

What are the key components of a good blog?  What’s the difference between an okay blog and a great blog?

It doesn’t matter if you are writing a lifestyles blog or a financial blog, there are several website features that resonate with a reader and help turn your site from average to great.  Great websites are what bloggers strive for as these great blogs attract readers that not only like your stuff but also want more.  Great blogs earn their readers’ trust and have an easier time converting the reader into a customer or subscriber.

If you are looking to make a great blog, the first thing you need to consider is what your reader sees and feels about your site.  Is your site easy to navigate?  Does your site provide content that the reader would find useful?    Is your blog worthy of being recommended to the reader’s friends?  If you are unsure of the answers to these questions, here is our list of important features that every blog should have.

What are the key components of a good blog? What’s the difference between an okay blog and a great blog? Click To Tweet

 

An About Page

Believe it or not, readers are interested not only in your content but also in the face behind the words.  They click on the About page because they are looking to learn more about the people providing the information.  Does the blogger seem trustworthy and knowledgeable?  This page is where the reader comes to find out.

When you write your About page, don’t be afraid to let your personality out a bit.  There are millions of bloggers in the world and there is a good chance that someone else is writing about your same topic.  The best way to stand out is to let your personality shine through and help the reader get to know you better.

The About page is also where people come to find out the blog’s purpose.  Use this page to talk about what inspired the blog to be formed and what readers can expect to read on the site.  Is this a serious blog dedicated to talking about weighty matters of state or can readers expect to read humorous takes on everyday events?

To learn more about how to write a great About Me page, check out our post on exactly this topic here.

 

Social Media Buttons

Once you have crafted a great post it’s only natural that you want the world to know about it.  To advertise your work, you will do your best to share it on all your social media platforms and hope that the readers will flock to your site.  It’s at this point, though, that you’ve realized that the world is a big place and you are only one person.  So why not enlist the help of your faithful readers to assist you in promoting it?

This is why social media sharing buttons are crucial for any blog.  Instead of being an army of one, you’re allowing your readers to be your unofficial cheerleaders in your marketing strategy.  When 90% of marketers found that their social media efforts generated more exposure for their business, it only makes sense for you to also leverage your resources (aka your readers) to help grow your following.

The catch comes in making it easy for your readers to share your work.  Make your social sharing buttons highly visible by placing them in noticeable areas such as in headers, footers or on sidebars.  If you make it easy for the reader to simply ‘click to share’ right by the article, the chances of them sharing it with their following is much greater than if they need to hunt all over the page for the buttons.

 

Favorite Posts Page

Have you noticed that some of your pages attract lots of traffic while others don’t?  Why not capitalize on that traffic by putting your poplar posts under a Favorite Posts Page.  When a new reader visits your site, they can see a list of your greatest hits, as it were, and they might stick around for a while taking it all in.

You can also use your popular posts to bring new traffic to your older posts by cross-linking to them.  This helps the reader by giving them more information about a topic they are already interested in and it helps you by driving traffic to older posts.  Win, Win!

 

Navigation Menu

Help your readers find their way around your site by including a Navigation Menu to your site.  A well-executed menu will help increase your page views and enhance your reader’s overall experience.

Before jumping right into menu creation, it’s important to first have a content plan worked out.  Pick category headings that are general enough to accommodate the types of posts they will hold, but specific enough that readers can find the content they are looking for.  Popular categories to consider include an About page, a Favorite Posts page, a Services page (if you offer any), and a Contact page.

 

Great Visuals

People love a good visual.  From window displays in department stores to great cover art on books, they are all designed to catch your eye.  Xerox found that when they used colored visuals in their marketing strategies, people’s willingness to read a piece of content increased by 80%.

The same can be said of blog imagery.  If you include a captivating image with your posts, readers will take notice.  If you are operating on a tight budget, you don’t need to stress.  Check out our post on how you can add stock photos to your website for free!

 

Ready to take it to the next level?

Are you looking for more tips and tricks to help make your blog a great blog?  We can help!  Contact us today to get more information on how we can help make your dream a reality.

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