In modern-day blogging, Joomla is one of the most used content management systems in the world. This is because it allows developers to build websites with ease as well as powerful online applications. The key benefits of using this open source platform include the ease-of-use and the extensibility. All in all, if you are considering using this platform for your website, there are a couple of things you should consider doing for the best results.
To begin with, for you to optimize the efficacy of your blog, it is imperative that you have a plan in place that outlines how you will be satisfying your audience’s demand for a simple and visually appealing site. Therefore, not only is a great design a fundamental component of your branding message, it also plays a critical role in attracting more visitors to your site. While blogs differ in terms of their goals and outcomes, there are a couple of tips that will give you universal value.
Are you getting ready to launch a new blog? Is your current blog design frustrating you? Are you having trouble achieving your goals? These are questions most bloggers ask. The good news is that they can be answered easily by knowing what you need to focus on during blog development. The following Joomla blog design tips will help you create a more effective blog.
Cleanup your sidebar
A sidebar that is overly crowded will definitely overwhelm and intimidate your visitors. The purpose of having a sidebar is to add convenience and add value to the blog and not confuse or distract. Other common mistake bloggers make with their sidebar is of adding a long blog roll, reference to a long list of keywords and tags, having an excessive amount of drop-down menus; and having sidebars that are longer than their content. Sidebars serve a crucial purpose and need to be as streamlined as possible. They are real estate and should only include elements that you want to be featured the most. Choose carefully what to include and what to leave out. This is the key to setting your blog apart.
Some of the essential elements to include in the sidebar include the following:
- Social profiles. You definitely want to connect with your audience both on your blog and in places your audiences already hang out: Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Google hangouts, and more. Your blog must have social media buttons that link to your profiles. This makes it easy for your audience to connect with you. Add these buttons towards the bottom of the sidebar.
- User-signup. Yet another important element your sidebar must have is a way for your loyal visitors to sign up. Giving readers a way to subscribe can easily turn a casual reader into a regular reader. The subscription area has to be obvious and easy to find and use. You can use a different color for the subscription area to stand out. You can use different ways of subscribing to your blog. The most popular methods include email or RSS feeds. Email subscriptions will deliver updates of the latest posts to a subscriber’s inbox. With an RSS subscription, readers read your posts through an RSS reader.
- Biography. It is always good to share your biography in the sidebar just as a way of welcoming your visitors to your blog. This tactic helps connect the personality of your blog to you, the actual person. Do not forget to add a picture of yourself for a more visual connection. The biography has to be brief. On the sidebar, you can include just a sentence about yourself. Let your audience know your name and what you offer in your blogs. Make sure you entice your visitors so that they have a reason to read on and come back for more. You can then give more information about yourself on the about page.
- Highlight credibility. Credibility is crucial if you want readers to buy what you are offering. If people have praised your work, including their logs in your sidebar layout to grab the attention of your readers. If you have received awards as a blogger, make sure you include awards buttons.
The four elements are a must-have in your sidebar. However, while doing so, you must never overdo anything. Too much of anything is never good.
Pick a clean color scheme
The color scheme of your Joomla blog is very important. It is very easy to distract users and even push them away with the wrong color schemes. On the other hand, clean and simple color schemes can lure readers in and keep them engaged as well as immersed in the content.
In addition to making sure that your blog is aesthetically appealing, you must ensure that the colors of your blog do not affect the legibility of your content. Consistency is a must-have. You should also not use too many colors. Stick to at most three colors.
Make use of headers
Most bloggers forget about the headers when it comes to web design. This is something you must never forget when working on your blog. Each post must have a catchy header. Headers help break up large sections of text and also provide guidance as well as direction for the reader’s eyes. Your posts must have headers and sub-headers which must be in systematic orders starting with Heading 1 (largest header) at the top to Heading 3 to 5 or more (smallest headers).
When working on your blog, it is always important to remember that it is quality content that will keep your audience engaged and coming back for more. Even so, the quality of the blog design you use is what will grab the attention of new and existing audiences and leave an impression that is lasting. Therefore, in addition to focusing on creating superior content for your blog, you must also give special attention to web design. Keeping in mind the recommended tips above will help you create a more pleasing blog that meets its purpose.
Author Bio:
John Rampton is an online entrepreneur and loves helping people out on online matters. He has written many articles regarding online marketing and entrepreneurship. You can find most of his posts on How To Start a Blog Online.