You DO Judge A Blog By It’s Cover
Image by melop via Flickr
I consider myself a relatively non-judgmental person. I try to look at issues from both sides. I try to evaluate a person’s motives, as well as their actions. I understand that people have good days and bad days.
But when it comes to blogs, I’m a complete snob. As are most people.
We give a blog about 15 seconds - - TOPS! - - to impress us, and then we move on. Why? Because there are several million other blogs to choose from. So what does that tell us? That first impressions matter - - A LOT.
For that reason, it is of the highest importance when creating a blog to focus on the overall visual imprint your blog is going to have on a visitor.
- Are the color schemes inviting?
- Is the template you are using unique?
- Does the header clearly express what the blog is about?
- Is the title catchy and interesting?
- Have you made the blog easy to navigate and find the most important information?
- Are your sidebars easy on the eye, or cluttered with excess?
- Are there enough graphics to keep visual people engaged?
These are all terrific questions to ask yourself when you are in the process of building a new blog. If the answer to even ONE of these questions is negative, you may have just lost a potential reader.
It would be ideal if everyone in the blogosphere was willing to look past the “externals” of your blog in order to see the truth of what you have to say, but we’re usually far too fickle and too pressed for time to be that understanding. So, give some serious thought to what your readers’ first impressions of your blog should be, and take the time and effort to make sure they stick around long enough to find out just what it is you have to say.
If you’d like to find out more about blog design, and how to create the right “look” for your new blog, consider signing up for our next session of Blogging 101 - - a comprehensive eight week, instructor-led course for new bloggers!
Until next time,
