Aug 5, 2010 Posted by beafields on Aug 5, 2010 in Blogging, Leadership, Marketing to Generation Y, Social Networking | 0 comments

Friendly Blog Designs Lead To Happy Readers

This blog post was contributed by Ryan Chaffin (left). Ryan is currently a college student majoring in Business Marketing. He loves anything technology, internet, and social media related along with sports and health & wellness. Ryan currently specializes in search engine optimization (SEO), blogging, and social media and believes in achieving your fullest potential on and off the web. You can also find Ryan on Twitter (@ryanchaffin).

When creating a blog it is as important to have a good design as it is to use proper etiquette and spelling in the text. One of the first things a person notices when viewing a blog is the design. Most often it is the design that hooks a reader in or turns them away from a blog. Design includes the images, format, colors, headings, and the links or buttons on the blog. Web design businesses help their customers create friendly blogs that will attract readers rather than confuse and turn them away. So if I lived in New Jersey, it may be wise for me to consult with, or even hire, a local NJ web design company to help give my blog a fresh, friendly design. However, if you are an everyday blogger like most of us, that probably won’t fit your budget; so here are some things to keep in mind while designing your blog.

Colors

The colors on a blog bring different feelings to the readers. Choosing colors that distract the viewer or create negative feelings are not a good choice. Colors that create such feelings include red, black, orange, and sometimes yellow. Colors that typically bring positive feelings include green, blue, brown, and purple. This does not mean that red will always cause negative feelings and blue will always bring positive feelings. With the right graphics and format the colors will add the friendliness and positive feelings readers will enjoy.

Graphics

Graphics are a big part of web design. Graphics do more than entertain, they teach. When readers have a graphic as a reference for what the text is saying they can paint a picture in their minds that is clearer than with words alone. Graphics should be appropriate, clear, friendly and relevant. It is not wise to post a picture of dog when the blog is focused on construction. This may cause confusion for the reader. Too many graphics may cause the reader to be distracted and they may not read the important text on the blog.

Layout

The clearer the layout is the happier the reader will be. When a reader first sees a blog they will immediately have a feeling towards it. If the format is clear and the site is easy to use they will be happier than if the site is cluttered and the links on the blog don’t work. The right design will make the reader happy because they won’t be frustrated when trying to find the information they need. Improving the site visitors experience will improve your return visitors, effecting your sites overall traffic

For more information on blog design or Search Engine Optimization service, contact Ryan Chaffin through his blog: http://www.ryanchaffin.com. He has some really great articles on a variety of topics (not just blogging and internet marketing!)