Blog Basics: Design 101

Now that you've joined the blogging world, I bet you're wondering how to get yours personalized. There are a ton of different designs and layouts out there that it can almost make your head spin. Even between all of the contributors blogs, we all have different designs, layouts, fonts, colours etc. This is the beauty to the blog world! Your blog is a way to express yourself through every detail that is put on there. 

It also means there's so much choice & variety that it's easy to get caught up in all the cool things you can do to personalize your blog. There are some basic blog design tips that can help make your blog appear more professional and aesthetically pleasing to your readers. These tips can be applied to any blog, whether you designed your own site or hired someone else to do it for you.

Basic Blog Design:

• Use a clean font that is easy to read and use the same font throughout the post. It's tempting to get those funky fresh fonts but they can be tiresome when reading longer chunks of text. Use something simple for the bulk of your post like Verdana or Georgia. Use a cool font in place like the post title, widgets in your sidebar, page tabs, etc.

• Use a simple background. A lot of blogs, including my own, use just simple white backgrounds. By using a clean background you are directing the focus of your blog to the posts and not distracting the reader. It also makes your text easier to read. If you choose to use a background image, DO choose one that is not too busy and doesn't distract from your content.

• Choose a color scheme for your blog and stick to it. By weaving the same color palette throughout your blog it creates an overall consistent look and defines your blog's brand. Try to stick to 3-4 colors at most to ensure that your blog doesn't look disorganized or overwhelming. Use these colors throughout your blog in places like your header, social media buttons, links, dividers, buttons, etc.

• Align your paragraphs either left-justified or full justified. Left-justified is the typical alignment we all use where your text is all aligned on the left margin. Full justified is when the paragraph is aligned to the left, but all spacing and wording is adjusted so the text falls flush with both margins. You can see examples of left justified here and full justified here. These formats are easier to read and don't take as much effort for your readers to search for the start of the next sentence. This seems insignificant, but it makes a reader want to read on more if it's less work on their eyes. Centered and right justified are tempting, but these can be harder to follow while reading.

• Try to format your pictures to be the same widths throughout your post. Having all your photos the same width creates a cohesive look while producing a better flow to the post. Of course not all photos can be the same size, especially if you are using sourced images, but try to do this as often as possible.

• Express who YOU are through your design! Ultimately your blog should be a reflection of you, your point of view and your creativity. 

By using some of these design tips, combined with your individual style & taste you can create a blog that is both visually appealing and true to you. Remember, these are all just tips - there are no hard & fast rules to blog design. If you really like to do something a certain way, there's no one stopping you! These are just tips after all ;)

If you have any questions or looking for some help, leave us a comment! We'd love to help a fellow blogger out =)

Blog Tip: Blog Commenting - Do's & Dont's

  Blog commenting is a crucial part of the blogging world. Not only is it a way for the reader to feel connected to the blog/blogger that they are following, it's also another way for us Bloggers to connect with other Bloggers. While there are other means of contacting or corresponding, such as Social Media or Email, blog commenting is another way to stay connected. I have read many blogs and/or books that say commenting can be your key to gaining more readers/followers from other blogs, and I have to say that I completely agree with this. Commenting on other blogs shows your presence in this LARGE blogging world and helps create new relationships, which in turn can create life long friendships. I know that sounds silly, becoming "friends" with someone you have never met, but I have "met" many bloggers and built awesome blogging relationships just through commenting alone.

  Now with all that said, commenting can also turn off other bloggers from wanting to follow you by just your comment content. Just because that book/blog said "You need to comment to gain a following" doesn't mean you go and blow up another bloggers comment box just because. I want to share a few tips on what I feel are some basic Do's and Don'ts on blog commenting. {These are just my opinion, and from my observation as a blogger}

Do's

• Make your comments relevant to the blog post you are commenting on; compliment on what you just read and how it made you feel.
• Share a brief incident that you feel was similar to the post you read. Bloggers love to see that their readers have things in common with them. {If you feel that you have more to share with them, I would email them instead of writing a whole book in the comment feed}
• Let them know you are a new follower to their blog and/or how you found them. 
• Always make your comments feel warm and up lifting; We all want our blogging community to be a tight, supportive group.
• Be a great replier; If possible try and respond back to the comments that are left for you on your blog. Sometimes it seems like a long tedious job, but remember that these followers are commenting because they love what they just read and are showing their appreciation for your post. So even just a simple "Thank You" shows that you appreciate them.
• Comment on a regular basis; You can't expect one comment to do magic, it might feel like a daunting task but it's worth it in the long run. You can even set a day in the week where you go through your favorite blogs to catch up on the latest post and leave comments. You don't want to get burnt out on commenting either, so setting time aside for this will feel less overwhelming. 

Now of course there are some don't...

Don'ts

• Like I mentioned in the Do's about being brief in you comments (like maybe 1 maybe 2 paragraphs is good) try not to dump 5 paragraphs in a comment box. Send it in an email. Or if your comment is going to be pretty compelling, you might consider using it for a post on your own blog. Sometimes our ideas/posts are inspired by what we read on others blogs; be sure to leave a little love and link back to that source you were inspired by (and even send them the link).
• Don't gossip or air your dirty laundry on someone's comment feed; No one wants to read any negative comments about others, especially when they are not nice ones.
• Above I mentioned about stating you were a new follower; Stating you are a new follower is fine and dandy - we all love knowing we have new followers, but I personally think it should be left at that. Leaving a comment on why the blogger needs to be following your blog, for me is more of a reason why I probably wont follow back. Leave your comment that is relevant to the post, state you are a new follower (Mention where you found their blog; ie. Blog hop or Link Up), and then instead of telling them to "follow you back" or "go check out my blog now, cause I am following you", you can leave the link to your blog. A link is a nice way to still show that you have a blog that you would like them to check out without throwing it in there face and your comment sounds more genuine with out the plead for a follow back. I personally will be more inclined to check out their blog when they have left just their link and not telling me that I need to do. {Hope that doesn't come off harsh}
• Don't be a Debby Downer; That explains it self.
• If you don't have anything nice to say, well then don't comment! While there may be posts you come across that you don't entirely agree with, think before you comment. You can state your opposing opinion with out sounding offensive, but if you feel you can't contain your emotions then you probably shouldn't leave a comment or you again can write an email. No blogger really wants to receive an email that is an angry rant from a reader, but if you feel like there is something you need to say an email is better than a comment.

 There are probably a ton more Do's and Don'ts, these are just a few. I myself have been guilty of  some (not all) early on in starting my blog. I am not saying that these are the EXACT way you have to comment, these are just some tips to help you along in your blogging career. 

Xo,

Heidi