With all the frenzy around BlogHer '10 events and parties, one could have forgotten that it was an actual conference where you sharpen your professional skills. As rushed as the weekend was, I am glad that I got to attend several panel discussions/workshops about topics of interest to me, such as blogging about special needs, or how to improve your blog design. I'm going to focus this post on the latter, since I think that everyone enjoys reading tips from the experts about how to make their blog look as fantastic as possible. Here's what I learned from two amazing bloggers: Grace Bonney from Design Sponge and Gabby Blair (whom I've had the pleasure of meeting several times before) from Design Mom:
1. You MUST invest time, energy, and, yes, money into your blog design. If you want your blog to stand out, it has to look really, really good.
2. Good blog design will cost you, but don't be scared to shop around for bids. Make sure you hire a designer who feels like a good fit and has good references. Go with your gut.
3. Match your Twitter background to your blog so that people will easily recognize your "brand" (Note to self: must do this).
4. Know your audience. Is your blog mostly aimed at women? Women prefer soft, curvier blog design than men, who prefer straight lines (add your own jokes here).
5. Don't go overboard with graphics, fonts, or anything else. There is nothing worse than a blog that looks like a jumbled mess.
6. Know what areas of your site are most "used" (if you use Google analytics, check the area called "heat mapping"). You can see which areas are most popular and make those most visible/user-friendly.
7. Anticipate what basic information visitors want to access quickly, such as contact info. Make it plainly visible on your site (Hear, hear! Drives me bonkers when I can't find this on someone's site. Must make it more clear on my own, too.)
There's more, but that's some of the most important stuff I gleaned. The panel wasn't long (maybe an hour? I can't remember) but it was chock full of SO MUCH helpful information from two bloggers whose work I really admire. If you want you can read the entire transcript of the Good Blog Design session over at the BlogHer site.
Thanks, Grace and Gabby, for the helpful tips!
Photo courtesy of Kate McNeil.
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