You’ve decided to join millions of other people around the world who consider themselves bloggers. You’ve come up with this amazing idea that no else has and you think you will be an internet sensation because your idea is just that good. Well, sorry to burst your bubble but it isn’t as easy as that. There are many things to consider before you jump straight in and start creating your own website. It’s the small things you need to consider to ensure your blog stands out from the crowd.
Plan for your Audience
When creating a blog some people get a little too excited and forget about who their target audience is. This should be the number one thing you consider before creating any blog. The key to success is entertaining your audience.
Depending on the type of blog you want, the one question you need to ask yourself is “who am I talking to?” Are they male and female between the ages of 18-24? Or, are they women with children between the ages of 30-40? Knowing who you want to target your readership to will help you with your planning decisions.
Great Design Captivates an Audience
Humans are visual creatures. We are always captivated by the uniqueness and creativity of a design. Like meeting someone for the first time, it takes about 60 seconds to make a first impression and that’s what you need to do when creating your website. Every aspect of your website should be a reflection of you. Your personality should shine through the content you write as well as the imagery and layout of the design.
According to W.L. Wilder, website Psychologist and owner of Critical Thinking, says each colour has its own meaning and can influence how a person feels.
“[G]reen is the easiest colour on the eye; it has a calming effect which is why it is most used in hospitals. It relaxes the patients. Different shades of green have different meanings: yellow-greens are the least preferred colors by consumers,” Mr Wilder says.
“Red has been shown to increase blood pressure and heart rate. People working in a red environment work faster, but they also make more mistakes. It increases appetite, restlessness and nervous tension. Creating a site with bright red and bright blue is a very poor idea! Bright red has the longest wavelength and bright blue has the shortest. When viewing these colours the human lens has to adjust to focus, and it tries to focus on both. This tires the eyes very quickly and will give the viewer a headache.
“Websites that contain different shades of blue, or a blue and white combination tend to be more popular. Why? Blue represents calm, stability, hope, wisdom and generosity. People inherently trust blue websites faster. Add blue text and people will retain more information from your site. Combine blue, purple, and white and you have nobility,” he said.
Who ever thought that colour wouldn’t be important when creating your website design is so very wrong. You might as well scrap any idea of having a psychedelic rainbow themed background and opt for a more conventional approach that will please the masses.
Not only does layout matter but images in your posts do to. Sorry to be cliché, but a picture says a thousand words. An image can add to a story that words cannot say. If your blog is current affairs based an image can show your audience the pain a victim of war feels –– you may not be able to describe that in a few sentences but a picture can.
Easy Navigation
Now that you have your target audience in check and your website design is looking fabulous, the next thing to consider is how your audience is going to navigate through your website. Let’s be honest, society has become super lazy now that technology has made it easier for us to do things. The best thing to do is make life easier for your audience. Being made to look for something will simply turn them away as they say to themselves “too hard, I can’t be bothered!”
Easy navigation is essential in producing the best blog or website possible. If something is too complicated for your target audience to use, they won’t continue using the platform. Labelling everything clearly and ensuring you don’t need to click a hundred times to return to your original location, will certainly make a lot of people happy.
It is the small things that separate a good blog from a great one. Producing the best possible website and content for your audience will not only benefit you, but will certainly please your audience.
Now, go, and show those 250 million other bloggers why your site rocks!