Designing your own blog is exciting. It is also a little scary if you are totally new to design. If you have picked WordPress as your blogging platform this post is for you. If you have not started your new blog yet, check out this previous post to learn how to.
HOW TO DESIGN A BLOG
Now that you have your new freshly published WordPress blog, the next step is customization. Making your website look good is very important when starting a blog. It should be a reflection of you, what you are offering or showcasing. The wonderful thing about WordPress is that it comes with what seems like endless themes to choose from to instantly take your blog from drag to fab!
INSTALLING YOUR FIRST BLOG THEME
To install your first theme:
Visit your WordPress Admin dashboard >> choose Appearance >> Themes >> Add New Theme
Here you will find a ton of themes to choose from. Some of these themes are free, and some are premium themes (paid).
* Note – When clicking preview, many of the themes do not show full samples of what the blog looks like installed.
To install your chosen theme simply click Install. Once installed make sure to click “Activate” to finish up.
Now you can visit your new blog with your new theme.
THEME CUSTOMIZATION
The next step after theme installation is to make the theme work for you.
Click on >> Appearance in admin panel >> then select Customize.
Here you will be able to preview & customize the following:
- Site Title & Tagline
- Colors
- Header Image
- Background Image
- Navigation
- Static Front Page
Designing your header Image
There are a number of programs out there where you can create your own header image. I personally really like how Kaye from BeautifulKayeKie teaches how to create a colorful yet good-looking header without using high-end graphic software. Here are some free photo graphic editing software options for you to choose from.
creating your brand
When creating your blog or website, you have to keep in mind the image you are presenting to your readers. If you are creating this blog as a hobby then the DIY header is perfect for you. To be honest, not all small businesses need to stand out. If you are a small business like a dry cleaners in a small community then you could do with just an ad in the yellow pages and appear in online search, however if you are 1 in 10 dry cleaners in your area, then you are going to want to stand out!
If you are creating a blog as a source of income and want to be taken seriously, you need to hire someone to get your vision of who you want to be online. If you are a fashion blog or a food blog there is a ton of competition out there. Actually there is a ton of “everything” out there! Now I am not telling you this to deter you from starting your own, I am just letting your know you are going to have to really focus on your image to stand out from the rest!
Ultimately the foundation of your brand is your logo, it should be on everything from your blog header to your business cards. You should try to make it as consistent as possible. An effective brand strategy will give your blog a major edge online and help build reader trust. It also helps your readers know what they can expect from your products and services.
Whether your blog is big or small, I believe the design is the most important feature of your blog. You only have a few seconds to make your first impression on a blog visitor. If your blog looks outdated or low quality your visitors are more likely to click the exit button and leave without even reading your awesome post.
If you are a creative person looking to start designing your own graphics for your blog you might want to take a look at some of the following programs:
- Adobe Photoshop
- Adobe Illustrator
- Adobe Acrobat
These are programs I use myself everyday and I will be hosting some live webinars and tutorials in the near future focusing on the creative individual! Everything from designing your header, to designing graphic images with text for your blog, and even creating a watermark for your pictures. These webinars will be limited to small groups at a time to be able to answer any questions that you might have and get a bit more personalized attention.
I will be sharing in much more detail the webinars that will be available in the upcoming months. If you would like to be informed of this great opportunity to take classes with me LIVE online, sign up below.
