Ali Blogging – Internet Marketing Coaching Program

Below are some small design and layout tips for your site and blog. This version is mostly about the text. At the bottom is my own comments on this blog and also on Alex Jeffreys blog.

Please feel free to leave your comments and tips. Everyone are right about what they think.

Design
• Keep it clean and simple.
• Organize the links and the site content.
• Dont pack your info. Use spaces helping the eye finding info.
• Not too big site heading images. It is not good if you have to start to scroll for reading the content of the site/blog.
• Compress images for faster views.
• Keep size of images not too big as they take space from text content.
• Blue text links are preferred. Definitely not same color as body text and underlined.
• Not too many details, images etc – it will distract your visitors from receive your message.
• Help the text and make the text more interesting with images.

Body Text
• Black body text on white background is most readable.
• Not too small font size, check that it is possible to change font size in the browser.
• Use a standard easy to read font size.
• Not too long text rows. Long text rows are difficult to read.
• Write short sentences. (I often end up in too long sentences.)
• Split the text in small paragraphs.

Text Headings
• Make a clear difference between the body text and the headings.
• Make the heading as short as possible.

General
A good website and blog design is easy to understand and it should be easy to find content.

Most important is to keep the design clean and simple. But for some niches it is suitable with unconventional and special designs.

It is good to have a simple and standard design, especially fo new visitors. If it takes too long time to find out what the blog is about and where to find information visitors will leave for other sites.

With the design you try too find a solution that is ok for most of your visitors. It is not possible to please everyone.

Google was/is very successful due to their simple and clean site. It was no distraction from the search function. (Also Google make good work with searching information). (But inside some Google tools there are several design mistakes)

A good sales pages have only one offer. Too many options can confuse the visitor and the visitors may not be targeted enough.

Alex Jeffreys is very successful because his text is so easy to read. Very short, clear and down to earth. It is like he is talking to you. It is possible ot understand his text with only skimming the text. See Alex Jeffreys blog

Text
It should be possible to change the font size of the text in the browser. This is good for those that can’t read small text. Keep the body text black on white or light background. A good contrast for the body content makes it easy to read. The font type should be clean. A standard font is good to use if you want to be sure how the text will be shown for most of the visitors

For headings it is ok with other colors than black. It will make it little more dynamic. A good tip is to have all headings in same font, size and color. This will make it easy for the eye to find where a new blog post starts etc. Keep a clear difference between the body and heading text.

Keep the paragraphs short. See Alex Jeffreys blog as an example. One sentence is one paragraph.

Having black background and white text is not recommended. It is high contrast but the readability is poor. Also it will be problems if wanting to print the site pages.

Helping the text with images is a good idea. If having an image that visualize what the text is about it is easier and faster for your reader to get your message. The opposite will happen if your image is unclear.

Design on this blog
Here are some design comments for this blog as an example.

• Theme design is ok. Clean and simple.
• Blog heading image is not personal or special enough. Too ordinary.
• Text rows too long.
• Too long paragraphs.
• Maybe should be black body text. It may be good as it is now. When it is dark grey it makes it little more soft. If it is too light the readability will be bad.
• Archives and categories should be placed more close to the top. You want to get a grip of the content of the blog.
• Should use more icons or images. Now mostly text.
• Should edit the text and make it more interesting. Now only a flow of body text. Good to have icons and small text color changes. (but not too much then it will be messy)
• The response time is slow. Maybe depends on the theme.
• Too long text links in the right column.
• Limited space for page links at the top

Alex Jeffreys blog as a design example
• Heading image/logo is ok. Message is very clear. Size ok.
• Text very short and punchy, easy to read and understand.
• Too big RSS logo. Takes space from other links.
• No capital letter in the headings. Personally my eyes have problem to “find” the headings, but not here, because the headings are so big and bold. Anyway the “no big capitals style” is the style Alex Jeffreys has. Ok, it is branding.
• Very light and easy to find links etc in the right column.
• The widgets are clearly divided. Very good. But maybe to big fonts for the headings.
• Most negative I think is the links in the body text that are difficult to see because they have same color as the body text. Even if the links are underlined.