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Blog Web Design: Best Practices & Examples

By Snap Agency April 12, 2023

blog web design

Blog design can be as important as the blog topics themselves. 

Within the context that you plan on using your blog to grow your online presence, blogging is useful for search engine optimization and attracting customers to your site with problems and interests that you can serve as a business. 

If the content is optimized for relevant keywords in your niche, your blog can be a useful tool to prospect and convert potential customers. 

However, your efforts may be in vain if the blog post is difficult to read because of its style and layout. Customers may bounce before exploring more topics or lose interest in your business as a whole.

So, the balance of aesthetics and functionality plays a role in creating a blog design that captivates and engages the reader.  

Here are some key concepts and best practices to elevate your blog’s design and make it stand out from your competitors.

First, Engage Your Customer

Ever since the first blog was created (back in 1994), the idea of blogging has evolved to a point where a blog can either work as an entire website or be an integral section of a business website. 

Your blog design should capture your visitors’ attention while making it easy for them to navigate and find the information they’re looking for. 

Furthermore, your blog shouldn’t be the sales part of your website, and it should answer the questions and topics your audience is interested in. You can use your service and about us pages to discuss who you are. 

The blog design should also be for your customer.

Blog Web Design Best Practices

Striking the perfect balance between aesthetics and functionality is crucial. 

Your goal as a business owner should be twofold: provide an enjoyable and efficient browsing experience, and ensure the content quality resonates with your reader.

A blog layout needs to be easy to navigate, the content easy to scan for main points, and accessible for all readers. 

Here are a few guidelines we follow:

  • Use high quality images and graphics
  • Have a page width based on typical monitor sizes (ideally around 1024px)
  • Include compelling calls-to-action (CTAs) to guide the reader’s journey
  • Maintain a balance between creative and cluttered design elements
  • Enable comments and sharing options as a way to promote user engagement and optimize for SEO

Incorporating these practices into your blog design helps create a visually appealing website and enhances the readability and comprehension of the content. 

Other Key Aspects

Let’s discuss some of the focal areas to include in your review of your blog design. As web design trends evolve, emphasize adapting and improving, and this will maintain visitors’ interest and provide a user-friendly experience.

There are several key aspects to consider when reviewing and developing a blog’s web design:

  • Usability: Make sure the blog remains easy to navigate and user-friendly. Visitors should be able to find what they’re looking for with minimal effort. This may involve updating the menu, the search function, or even the site layout.
  • Aesthetics: A visually appealing blog will more likely entice visitors to explore further. Keep an eye on design trends; consider adopting them into your blog layout and color schemes, while maintaining a cohesive and recognizable brand identity.
  • Performance: Ensuring that your blog loads quickly and efficiently is crucial. Regularly check for performance issues, such as broken links, slow-loading images, or outdated plugins, and address them promptly.
  • Accessibility: Make sure your blog is accessible to as many users as possible, including those with disabilities. Use proper HTML tags, include alternative text for images, and ensure keyboard accessibility for all interactive elements.

Finally, periodically throughout the year, reviewing and developing your blog is an excellent idea to ensure it stays up-to-date and visually appealing. 

Blog Web Design Examples

Overall, a useful strategy is to review web design and blog examples provided by popular web design blogs, such as Webdesigner Depot and Smashing Magazine. 

Here are some trending blog designs to consider to maximize your blogging ROI:

  • KEB America blog: Industrial automation is no easy, breezy topic and requires a lot of visuals and easy-to-navigate sidebars to view product options.
  • YWCA blog: With clear, engaging CTAs, this blog layout uses imagery and blog filtering to view all of the relevant categories to a user.
  • Vrad blog: Sometimes, you may want to consider using a microsite or subdomain to host your blog. For this blog, there is a slider section for trending topics.

These resources can introduce you to new design trends, tutorials, and technologies that can elevate your blog’s web design. Constantly learning from experts can help you stay ahead of the curve, ensuring your blog remains fresh and up-to-date.

How Blog Web Design Produces ROI

UX Design

Investing in a user-friendly and responsive blog design contributes to a positive user experience (UX). This keeps readers engaged and encourages them to explore more content on your website. 

Short paragraphs and whitespace make content easy to digest and navigate, resulting in better customer satisfaction and ultimately improving the website’s ROI.

Content

Take the time to produce valuable, educational, and engaging content. Quality content attracts visitors and retains their interest, establishing your business as a trusted authority in your niche. 

This trust leads to readers sharing your content and increasing reach and influence. It also enhances the likelihood of converting casual visitors into loyal followers or customers – positively impacting ROI.

Branding

Having a strong and consistent design tied to your brand identity makes a positive impression on visitors, adding value to your website. Incorporating distinctive colors, fonts, and logos creates a memorable experience that keeps your site top of mind when visitors need the products, services, or information you offer. 

SEO

Optimizing your blog’s web design for search engines is essential for generating organic traffic and contributing to a good ROI. Elements like site speed, sitemaps, and responsive design help improve your website’s search engine ranking. 

Focusing on these aspects will attract more targeted visitors likely to engage with your content and offers, leading to increased conversions and a better return on your web design investment.

Latest Web Design Trends and Blogging Topics

SNAP can help you understand the relationship between the blog’s design and its overall effectiveness for business-building. Maximizing your web design can help you make the most of available opportunities in your market.

The foundation of a blog design starts with the layout, ie. how the content is organized on the page. 

With various layouts to choose from (such as image-heavy designs or minimalist approaches), our job is to help you develop a layout that matches your content and target audience.