Blog Design Features You Can Love
Earlier this month I wrote a post on serious blog design flaws, and got several additions from commenters - thank you! It seems fair to follow up that post with something more positive, so here we go with must-have blog design elements. Hope you have more to add!
What makes a blog beautiful?
Of course, standout blog design involves doing the opposite of the things we talked about last time –
- No CAPCHA, easy comment submission
- Full RSS feeds
- No advertising within the blog post
- Easy to find internal search
- Sidebar(s) on right
- Human identity, welcoming
- Subscribe to comments option
- Readable fonts
- Compact sidebar
- Readable, searchable archives (from Lillie Ammann)
- Good photo of the blogger (from Karen Putz)
- Easily editable comment forms (from Robert Hruzek)
- No tacky banner ads (from Jeanne Dininni)
What else?
Fast page loading. Slow page loading is often symptomatic of a blog design overloaded with graphics and widgets. A clean, crisp design should load like lightning.
Prominent recent posts list. Why is it so interesting to see what a blogger has written about recently? I don’t know, but it is.
Well constructed and prominent categories list. How do you like to browse through a blog to find posts of particular interest? Browsing within a category is my favorite method, especially when the category names are descriptive and there aren’t too many. As a side note, I think a lot of bloggers, myself included, don’t spend nearly enough time making their best posts findable.
Appealing color palette. Color selection involves picking the right color combination, using color in the right places in the right amounts, and more. I have trouble matching my shirt to my pants, so I rely on designers and handy online color selection tools. Warm, inviting colors draw people in immediately.
About page. An about page gives readers, especially new readers, a sense of what the blog and the blogger are all about. Indispensable.
Social networking links. This one is just beginning to dawn on me. A blog is not a stand alone chunk of communication. It is just one of the many threads that comprise the tapestry that is social media. Sidebar links to the blogger’s Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, etc. ID’s really aren’t optional anymore.
Dated posts. When you stumble across a post via a Google search, for instance, it’s nice to know when it was written. I use blog posts extensively for research, and dates are essential if I’m going to cite it. Dating is particularly important for technology blogs, since information becomes outdated very quickly.
Images. Powerful images work wonders. They drive home the message of a post. Screen grabs, charts, etc. make complex written instructions comprehensible in a stroke. Gotta have ‘em!
So … what blog design features do you love?
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Maybe you and I can introduce UK slang to Chicago. Brad...
The fast page loading is something that bugs me too, but I’ve noticed the Zone loads fast one day, then slow the next. What’s that about? Being technologically challenged like me, it’s difficult to tell. But still, I’ve tried to keep the design simple.
Another thing I dislike (maybe it’s just me) are sidebar ads that flicker and changed as you watch. They’re trying to distract me from the content and it’s mildly irritating. But maybe that’s me. I understand the logic, and even admire the innovative approach. But it’s still mildly irritating to have something moving just out of my line of sight.
Ah, well…
Robert Hruzeks last blog post..Way to Go, Guys!
Hi Brad, this is a good list. The lack of dates bugs me for the same reason. When researching, the dates become imperative, however I often wonder if the author intended it as evergreen content and purposely left off the date. I also detest captcha in any and all forms! All of these design preferences are from bloggers but I wonder what elements are important to non-bloggers?
Hi Robert, My assumption is your home page graphics, which might be big files, are slowing down the loading. A programmer could probably figure it out for you. Flash is distracting … maybe I should not have allowed Flash ads on my site … hmm … what do you think?
Karen, You ask a great question about non-bloggers. I’d love to get some feedback here on that. I would think some of these, like fast loading, would be important to non-bloggers, while others, like social media links, would be confusing and even annoying. But you know what they say about assumptions…
Brad Shorrs last blog post..Blog Design Features You Can Love
Yeah, I need to get those social media links on mine ….
–Debs last blog post..Soliciting Advice and Encouragement
Brad, it is a topic I am most interested in these days. So much of what we do caters to the blogging community. I was reminded of this last week when I got two of my non-blogging friends to comment (one for the first time ever on any blog). It forced me, in a good way to step outside of the community and look at it from the perspective of the vast majority of computer users who use email, do a little research on the web, use google, etc but are not living their lives on the web.
Brad,
I love Lillie’s comment form, which is editable for, I believe, five minutes after you’ve posted your comment. It’s really a godsend for those times when you notice a typo right after you’ve clicked “Add Comment.”
Glad to hear you aren’t finding my banner ads tacky! That’s likely because most of the time they display less-obtrusive text links, rather than multi-colored images, and also because I’ve used white text for the links and made the link-ads blend in with my web page by making their background match the color of the page.
But, truthfully, I would rather not have banner ads on my blog at all. I’d also prefer to have zero image ads and all text-links — both in my banner and between my posts. But Orble has taken away some control over ad-display options from its bloggers, and even though I’ve excluded image ads in my AdSense account, they still display on my blog part of the time. Once, I even noticed that AdSense had displayed a video ad on my site (after I’d placed a video in one of my posts), though I’ve never okayed video ads for my blog.
I’m definitely guilty of SLBS (Slow-Loading Blog Syndrome)! Guess I love my badges and widgets a little too much! (Whatever would I do if I didn’t have all those smiling faces in my “BlogLog” widget to greet me whenever I sign in?)
I agree with Robert about flickering sidebar ads, and that’s one reason why I’ve passed up 99% of the affiliate ads I could have placed in my sidebar. I wish these companies would realize that not all bloggers want to accost their readers with such overbearing, irritatingly attention-grabbing ads. The only places I’ll put such ads are inside posts and (very infrequently) near the bottom of my sidebar. For some reason, though, your Flash ads are neither annoying nor distracting — probably because your blog design is so spacious and open and because the ads change slowly, rather than flickering incessantly.
I could comment on so many more items in your list, but I think I’ll give everyone a rest!
Thanks for these great reminders to make our blogs more reader-friendly!
Jeanne
@Karen– whadddya mean, there’s people out there with lives outside of the web? No way!
I think Robert has a good point about the flashing ads. I do have one on my site and I plan to change that.
Hey! Actual proof I can make a point (other than the one on top of my head)! Thanks Karen! ;-D
Robert Hruzeks last blog post..Way to Go, Guys!
Deb, it took me a while to figure out how to what degree blogs and other social media are interwoven. Now it’s a no brainer to have those links, but gee, even six months ago, it didn’t seem all that obvious.
Jeanne, Any chance Orble will be influenced by your feedback and what appear to be blogging best practices? It’s a question I’ve been meaning to ask you.
Karen P, Do you think are splitting into two worlds, those inside the Web and those outside? Sounds like a science fiction story, but …
Brad Shorrs last blog post..Blog Design Features You Can Love
Brad,
I think we definitely have two worlds because when I mention things like “tweets,” I get some strange stares from people.
When it comes to AdSense, I don’t expect Orble to budge on their policies, since their ads are displayed on our blogs 50% of the time and I believe the ads are their only source of revenue from our blogs. They’ve already mentioned testing banner ads and deciding to keep them because they increase ad revenue. Not sure why they’re overruling our decisions not to use image ads, but I suspect it’s for the same reason. Obviously, image ads are more difficult to ignore, though I really hate having them either in my banner or between my posts — and I definitely detest video ads. (When I watch TV, I mute the commercials. Why in the world would I want to watch a video advertisement — or force one on my readers?)
On the whole, Orble is very responsive to my requests, concerns, and technical problems, and I’m hopeful that they’ll eventually come around on a few issues (such as offering full RSS feeds). But, because our AdSense choices affect their bottom line, I don’t expect too much leeway in this area — though I’d be very happy to see them stop overriding our decisions about whether or not to allow image and video ads. To be fair, I haven’t discussed these last two AdSense issues with them. Perhaps I should.
I’m afraid I can’t help much Brad - I tend to focus on the writing and am design blind to a lot of other stuff. When I was doing the redesign last winter my design friend showed me a lot of material on white space and eye tracking but I struggled to ’see’ what she was seeing.
I’ve got a flashing add on my sidebar I’m afraid. Will see if I can swap it for a plainer version. I don’t like the twinkles either.
Joanna Youngs last blog post..Can’t Get To Vegas? Come and Expo Here
Hi Joanna, Your site has improved steadily in terms of design. You must have good instincts and/or a strong support group. Design is one of those things that’s never “done” - an ongoing process of refining and tweaking with the occasional overhaul.
Brad Shorrs last blog post..Blog Design Features You Can Love
I’m blogging for in-depth conversations. I care that my site is clean and aesthetic to me, and I hope some other people share my interests and tastes. I spend a lot of time finding the pictures I use. I hope they don’t slow things down too much, but they’re an essential part of the message. I do try to put the dimensions of the image in its link so it doesn’t slow down the rest of the post. I put a lot of myself into my posts, so they would be meaningful to me even if no one else read them.
Thanks for asking!
Jean, your site is very fast loading, at least on my computer. I appreciate the time you and other bloggers take to find the right images. it so enriches the reading experience.
Brad Shorrs last blog post..Blog Design Features You Can Love
Brad - this is wonderful I have come to it a bit late but I am waiting for my designer to help me with a “refit” and will build some of your suggestions in. I guess my current blog style falls into the very simple category. Thanks - as ever - for your supportive and helpful post!!
Jackie Camerons last blog post..Young employees and social networking -using the best skills for the job
Tough part is deciding what to use because some blogs have become so crowded with all the social media links and other features. Mine is.
Meryl K. Evanss last blog post..A Real Life Internet Fable
Hi Jackie, Good luck with your new design. Can’t wait to see it. Did you decide to change the title?
Meryl, What about putting your links on a separate page or adding it to an About page? I’m seeing a lot of that lately.
Brad Shorrs last blog post..8 Great Writing and Marketing Reads
Found you through…I’m not so sure now :-).
Great list. I agree with the first…some blogs take forever to load, and I simply am not patient enough to wait that long :-).
I love warm colors, blogs that jump out as unique (theme, look or what they are saying) and creative “About Me” sections. I like it when the blogger invites comments pertaining to the reader. And short and sweet ones that invite a chuckle or two.
Pink Inks last blog post..Staying Young
Hi Pink Ink, thanks for visiting (I find lots of blogs the same way you found me)! Colors are a mystery to me, which is probably why I have a (yawn) monochrome blue thing going. I would never think of matching pink and purple and green as you do, but it sure works!
Brad Shorrs last blog post..8 Great Writing and Marketing Reads
Hi Brad - searchability is so important. I’ve lost count of the times I’ve searched someones blog for an old post and couldn’t find it.
I’m trying to improve my own searchability too but, I still don’t have it the way I want it.
Cath Lawsons last blog post..Free Gift Ideas That Help You Sell More
Cath, are there different types of internal search engines for blogs, or is it more a question of how you tag and categorize posts?
Brad Shorrs last blog post..8 Great Writing and Marketing Reads
Hi Brad - before I make any changes at all I need to thing about what I am trying to do,then ask the tekkies how to do it and then get my son to focus on making it look great. This project is growing arms and legs. So don’t go holding your breath there!
Jackie Camerons last blog post..Young employees and social networking -using the best skills for the job
Jackie, (GASP!) Thanks for the heads up Jackie. I was turning blue. Please let us know when you are ready for an unveiling … I don’t mind waiting.
Brad Shorrs last blog post..Why Business Blogs Should Welcome Negative Comments