Blogging, Web Design

How To Design A Killer Blog

January 9th, 2010 by Matt Haff

Presented by: Mitch Canter

to STAND out
to have CONTROL over CONTENT
to PERSONALIZE your brand
to {re}FRESHEN your online image

It Boils Down To Three Tenants:

• readability – if they can’t read your content, they won’t
• usability – if they can’t navigate your content, they won’t
• findability – if they can’t find your content…

Basic Tips

• know your craft
  know enough html to understand the basics
  know your blogging platform
• use discrection
  widgets distract from content install widgets readers will utilize if you want fun widgets, put them in a widget section
  find widgets that style to your theme automatically
• use good markup
  (im)proper markup can make (or break) a site’s SEO
  Utilize H Tags (h1-h6) accordingly
  One h1 tag per page (main keywords)
  Allow specific CSS targeting.
• use color theory
  1-3 colors work best (2 primary/secondary and 1 neutral [black/grewy/brown])
  Font colors too – stick to a pallete and be consistent
• use good images
  a good image tells a story that accentuates the content
  good images should work with your design, but good designs also have styles built in for images
• it’s the little things
  most overlookd “polish points”
  bulleted lists
  hover colors
  headlines
  post format
  comments

Resource: WEloveWP.com

Recommended Plugins

• akismet
• disqus comment system
• exec-php
• feedburner feedsmith
• front page excluded categories
• get the image
• google analyticator
• lifestream
• mailchimp
• recommended reading
• redirection
• tweetmeme retweet button
• twitPic
• Twitter tools
• Woopra
• wordpress.com stats
• wordpress database backup
• wp greet box