The concept of web logs (later shortened to "blogs") emerged in the mid-1990s. The first blogs were mainly online journals or personal websites where people documented their thoughts, experiences, and interests. Already in the early 2000s, bloggers discovered they could monetize their online presence by promoting other companies' products or services and selling their own content like courses or services.
The launch of Blogger, WordPress and similar platforms empowers everyone to design a blog. However, even the most exciting ideas need an attractive visual wrap to attract the audience. So, what does a blog look like? Let’s discover it together!
A successful blog must bring much more than simple reposts. A true blog builds a community, establishes the blogger as an authority, and delivers valuable content that keeps readers engaged and coming back for more. It generates high conversion rates!
Today, there are over 600 million active blogs on the Internet, but only some of them manage to leave competitors behind and thrive worldwide. The secret to a strong blog lies in a powerful combination of captivating content, audience engagement and strategic design.
Informative and valuable content is a must. However, it is a professional design that works behind the scenes to let the content shine. Blogs are diverse in content, so they are in design. There are no strict rules here, but if you seriously want to grow your blog traffic, it is time to uncover some blog design tips.
Although you are free to build your personal virtual space in the way you like, remember that your blog is like a store. Imagine visiting a messy one – you will immediately want to leave it, right? However, if you find yourself in a well-arranged place with colorful and neat signs, you will gladly explore more of it. So, here are the key tips on blog layout to create exceptional user experience.
You have literally a few seconds to convince a visitor to stay and read your blog. And it is a homepage that will form the first impression as it is the landing page of your blog. Here, prioritize clarity and visual appeal. Craft a clean, well-organized layout that guides readers' eyes to the most important pages. Besides, use it as an About page where you will briefly introduce yourself as the author to establish credibility.
The header is the prime visual of your blog and your chance to stand out from your competitors. Its core elements are a logo, blog title, and a navigation menu. Additionally, you may add a tagline, social media icons, and a subscribe button. You can elevate the design with a captivating hero image or video that reflects your blog's style. Consider incorporating a search bar for larger blogs.
This section appears at the bottom of every page and typically contains important information and navigation links. It is a copyright notice, contact information, a favicon link, social media icons, and subscription forms. At the same time, keep the footer content clear, concise, and easy to read. Don't overload it with too much information.
The sidebar plays a special role in a blog. This is where various banners, calls to action and navigation elements are most often placed: list of articles, search by tags, etc. Don't forget about the search option - it is vital to allow your visitors to easily filter your content. Make sure your search bar is highly visible and that the algorithm can actually find what you are looking for.
The foundation of your blog is the arrangement of content, images, and other elements. You should prioritize a clean and organized structure, using white space strategically to create breathing room and guide the reader's eye. However, unusual empty space utilization adds a spark of interest too - think of a touch of asymmetry or unexpected placement.
Calls to action help your blog increase conversion. You can add the following types of CTA:
CTAs might appear at the end of blog posts or in the sidebar.
Make it easy for readers to share your content with the world. Integrate social media sharing buttons that allow visitors to share your latest post with a single click. This helps expand your reach and attract new readers to your blog.
Make your blog unique and memorable by the use of an eye-catching logo, a consistent color scheme, high-quality images and appropriate fonts. Also, remember of your brand voice - the tone, style, and language used in blog content reflect the blog's personality and values. Create your brand story, as a compelling brand narrative adds depth and authenticity to the blog's identity.
How does it all work in reality? Let’s explore how various design solutions have become the winning features of the most popular blogs.
The Blonde Abroad is a travel blog that prioritizes a clean and user-friendly aesthetic. The minimalist design choices allow the stunning travel photography to take center stage, while clear menus and navigation make it easy for readers to explore the vast collection of travelogues and destination guides.
2. The Pudding
The Pudding is a blog that uses cool visuals and interactivity to tell stories about data and culture. They mix data journalism, design, and coding to create unique experiences that push the boundaries of what data visualization can set. The team has realized an incredible way of visual storytelling via design.
3. Pitch of Yum
Pitch of Yum is a blog about food and recipes. It is an example of a very well-structured blog where you find all key elements and useful content. However, it relies on color scheme to stand out from competitors – the blog employs a white background, and all visuals have orange and purple color dominance.
The Great Discontent’s blog is known for its inspiring interviews with creative professionals like artists, makers and risk-takers. The blog features a clean and minimalist design that puts the focus on the portraits of the heroes. With ample white space, elegant photography, and subtle animations, the blog provides a serene design pleasure.
A minimalist haven for travel enthusiasts, Along Dusty Roads blog employs a clean and uncluttered aesthetic. This design philosophy ensures that the focus remains on the captivating imagery and insightful travel content. By minimizing visual distractions, the blog compels the reader to embark on a visual journey alongside the authors.
Fashion Jackson blog is a visually appealing platform that showcases a clean and modern design. The high-quality photography takes center stage, complemented by a minimalist layout that ensures a seamless user experience. The blog utilizes a neutral color palette that allows the colorful fashion items to pop, further emphasizing the visual content.
Keep It Simpelle blog is a health & fitness resource that prioritizes a clean and user-friendly design. The blog utilizes a minimalist aesthetic with ample white space, allowing the high-quality visuals and clear calls to action to take center stage. This approach creates a streamlined user experience, making it easy for visitors to navigate and find the information they seek, whether it's fitness tips, healthy recipes, or details about the author's online courses.
8. GetSmarter
GetSmarter is an educational blog that effectively incorporates multimedia elements such as videos, infographics, and interactive quizzes to engage and educate its audience effectively. Its content covers a wide range of topics and provides readers with valuable insights, practical tips, and actionable advice.
9. Medium
The Medium blog prioritizes readability. Its design is clean and neat, with lots of white space around the text. Special fonts make articles look good and easy to understand. And there are always good content suggestions for everyone. People like it because it's easy to use and helps them find great stuff to read.
10. The Intercom
The Intercom blog is a great resource about customer service, AI and automation. Its creators decided to impress the readers with an untraditional layout. They have completely changed the approach to promoting fresh posts by placing them on top of the feed and showing the older content in just a 3x3 grid.
A stunning blog website design is like a stunning storefront window - it can attract attention and create a great first impression, but it will not guarantee traffic. Here are a few website optimization tactics that may be effective for your blog.
Ensure your blog loads quickly to prevent user frustration and improve overall user experience. Optimize images, minify CSS and JavaScript files, and utilize caching plugins to enhance loading speed.
A well-designed blog uses clear fonts, proper spacing, and strategic use of visuals to enhance readability and make content a pleasure for the reader and not a consuming struggle.
A beautiful design can be frustrating if it's difficult to navigate. Clear menus and intuitive layouts are essential for keeping readers engaged and allowing them to find the information they need easily.
Your blog must be accessible and user-friendly across all screens and devices. Remember that many users access blogs from smartphones and tablets. Implement a special menu for mobile navigation.
Even the best blog may remain abandoned if not optimized for search engines. Keyword research, meta descriptions, links to related posts and proper use of headings and subheadings are essential for online visibility and user flow.
You may envision your blog as a house. Design plays a role of its beautiful facade, compelling posts are its rooms, SEO and easy navigation serve as its solid foundation. It may be overwhelming for a blog author to address all these aspects alone. However, a skilled design team will easily create a truly welcoming and successful blogging space.
If you have a creative blog idea, let us bring it to life. At DreamX, we have extensive expertise in creative exclusive user experiences in various niches. Reach out to us and let’s build a perfect frame for your vision!
Design a blog that gets noticed: pro tips & stunning examples
Veronika is a UX/UI design team lead driven by a passion for user-centric design. She spearheads the creation of innovative and effective design solutions that elevate the user experience.
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