Everyone says content is king. To some extent, that is absolutely true. You need good content to attract readers and to encourage them to return to your blog again and again, helping to drive conversions. However, if you have a poor design, you’ll never convince your visitors to stay and check out any of your content. They’ll see your poor design and leave, sending your bounce rate sky high.
You have to put just as much effort into your design, if not more. Here are the top 5 mistakes you might be making with your blog design that are costing you readers:
The Design Is Too Busy
Simple is always better. If you clutter your page with too many graphics, too many widgets, and too many contrasting fonts and colors, you are going to make it very difficult for your readers to focus on anything. Your page will be too cluttered and too difficult to navigate. Instead, you need to focus on a simple, streamlined design that will make it easy for readers to get the information they need quickly.
Too Many Sharing Buttons
Social media marketing is a great way to promote your blog, and it’s important to make sharing easy by including buttons on your blog. However, when you have buttons for each of your social media in the header, the footer, and the sidebar, and when you have sharing buttons on the end of each post and page, and you have a floating sidebar for sharing content and a popup to follow you on Facebook, it’s all a little too much. Put links to your profiles in the header OR the sidebar, and use one widget at the end of posts or in a floating sidebar for sharing.
Poor Ad Placement
Advertising is one of the most popular ways to monetize a blog. However, when you allow your blog to become too cluttered by ads, you alienate readers. Even for those readers who stay on the page, the placement is not effective because the disorder just causes readers to overlook all the ads. Focus on a simple ad placement that includes one in the header and maybe a couple in the sidebar. Choose in-post ads very carefully.
Hidden About and Contact Pages
Readers want to know who you are, and they want to be able to contact you if they have questions. Supplying this information and making it easy to find inspires trust and confidence in your readers. Make sure you have these pages published on your site, and make sure they are easy to find — preferably putting them right in the header.
The Design Is Not Responsive
The mobile market is exploding. More and more customers are accessing the web from their smart phones, tablets and other devices. However, your website does not automatically appear the same way on all these devices. You must make your design responsive, meaning that it will adapt according to the advice so that users have a good experience no matter how they access your site. Most themes are now created to be responsive, so this should be an easy thing to do. However, if yours is not, you must make sure you correct that so you don’t lose readership.
Content is indeed one of the most important aspects of a successful blog. However, your design is almost equally important. Make sure you’re not making one of these common design mistakes and losing out on readership for your blog.
What other mistakes do you see people making with the design of their blog? Share your thoughts in the comments!
Bio: Amber Satka writes on financial topics, such as her look into bad credit car refinance. Amber is a former office manager and current mother and writer.


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