10 Easy Ways to Make Your Blog Design Shine

There are a variety of ways to customize your blog so it doesn't look like a standard template. You could hire a blog designer for a complete blog makeover or you can tweak a blog template to make simple but highly effective design changes. Don't worry if you're technically challenged and not comfortable modifying HTML or CSS code. Blog designers offer the simple design changes listed below at much lower individual costs than a completely customized blog design costs. Use a free or premium theme and use the quick blog design tricks below to make your blog stand out from the crowd!

1. Blog Header

Your blog header is displayed at the top of your blog and is the most prominent part of your blog. It instantly communicates what your blog is about, so it should be well-designed. Blog headers can include text, images, or both.

2. Blog Background

The background of a blog displays when the content columns don't fill a visitor's full computer monitor screen. Usually, the background can be seen flanking the theme content columns (the posts column and sidebars). You can choose any color for your blog's background or upload an image for your background.

3. Blog Colors

You can change a variety of blog colors to create a consistent, branded look. For example, choose a color palette of 2-3 colors and change your blog's title text, link text, background, and other elements to use only those colors.

4. Blog Fonts

A blog filled with dozens of different fonts looks sloppy and creates the impression that the blogger doesn't care much about the user experience. Choose two primary fonts for your blog and use those fonts (and bold and italic variations) for your title and body text throughout your blog.

5. Blog Post Dividers

What's in between the blog posts on your blog's home page or archive pages? Is there just a bit of white space? Maybe there is a single black line that stretches across the column? A quick trick to make your blog look better and unique is to use a custom post divider. Post dividers can be customized simply by changing the color of the rule between them or you could insert an image as your post divider.

6. Blog Post Signature

Many bloggers like to sign their posts by inserting a custom signature image. This simple image can add personality and uniqueness to your blog.

7. Blog Favicon

A favicon is the tiny image that appears to the left of a URL in your web browser's navigation toolbar or next to website titles in your browser's bookmarks list. Favicons help to brand your blog and make it seem more credible than blogs that use the generic blank piece of paper favicon.

8. Sidebar Titles

Don't forget to dress up the widget titles in your blog's sidebar. Change the color and font to match the rest of your blog as well as the personality you want to give your blog.

9. Social Media Icons

There are tons of free social media icons available that you can add to your blog (most often in the sidebar) to not only invite your audience to connect with you across the social web, but also to add some personality to your blog. From simple shape icons to fall icons, there are creative icons available to add some pizzazz to your blog.

10. Blog Navigation Menu

Your blog's top navigation menu can be a simple bar with links or it can be a free-flowing group of links that match your blog's header design. The choice is yours, but this type of blog design customization is just one more way to make your blog stand out from the crowd.

CSS Overview for Bloggers

What is CSS?:

CSS is a programming language used to define how web pages will look. HTML is used to tell your web browser what content to display on your web (or blog) pages while CSS defines the presentation of those HTML elements (how they'll look, including colors, sizes, placement, etc.).

What are Style Sheets?:

A style sheet is made up of various rules that you modify to make your web pages look the way you want them to. A complete website is made up of a group of style sheets that work like a waterfall does where one cascades to the next. In other words, rules from one page follow to the next in a type of hierarchy of rules the visual presentation will follow.

Do I Need to Learn CSS to Start a Blog?:

The short answer is no. However, if you want to be able to customize your blog without paying a blog designer, then learning CSS can be an invaluable tool.

Where Can I Learn CSS?:

You can learn CSS through online tutorials and books. You can follow the link to find 10 popular resources to learn CSS. 

CSS Overview for Bloggers

What is CSS?:

CSS is a programming language used to define how web pages will look. HTML is used to tell your web browser what content to display on your web (or blog) pages while CSS defines the presentation of those HTML elements (how they'll look, including colors, sizes, placement, etc.).

What are Style Sheets?:

A style sheet is made up of various rules that you modify to make your web pages look the way you want them to. A complete website is made up of a group of style sheets that work like a waterfall does where one cascades to the next. In other words, rules from one page follow to the next in a type of hierarchy of rules the visual presentation will follow.

Do I Need to Learn CSS to Start a Blog?:

The short answer is no. However, if you want to be able to customize your blog without paying a blog designer, then learning CSS can be an invaluable tool.

Where Can I Learn CSS?:

You can learn CSS through online tutorials and books. You can follow the link to find 10 popular resources to learn CSS. 

HTML Overview for Bloggers

What Is HTML?:

HTML stands for HyperText Markup Language. HTML is the basic programming language used to write pages on the World Wide Web. Basically, HTML tells your web browser how to display text, images, links, sounds and more on your screen.

What Are HTML Tags?:

HTML relies on tags to produce commands and customize elements on a web page. Tags are basically instructions telling the browser when to start displaying a specific item or enhancement (such as bold or italics) and when to stop that enhancement. For example, to display a word in bold, the HTML code with the appropriate tags would look like this:

I <b>love</b> blogs.

That sentence would display on your browser as follows:

I love blogs.

What Are Some Basic HTML Tags Used in Blogs?:

The most basic HTML tags used in blogs include:

• Bold: <b>and</b>
• Italics: <i>and</i>
• Underline: <u>and</u>
• Text size: <font size=2>and</font>
• Text color: <font color=blue>and</font>
• Paragraph: <p>and</p>
• Line Break: <br>

Do I Need to Learn HTML to Start a Blog?:

The short answer is no. Luckily, there are a variety of blogging software options available online (many are free) where people with no HTML knowledge can easily start a blog. Those blogging platforms include Wordpress, Blogger, TypePad, Moveable Type, MySpace and more. Each provides a WYSIWIG (What You See Is What You Get) interface, so you can modify and customize your blog without the use of HTML. Of course, vast customization will require the use of HTML and other web design tools. However, learning HTML can help you save time, money and more. Follow the link to learn why bloggers should learn HTML.

Where Can I Learn HTML?:

You can learn HTML through online tutorials and books. You can follow the link to find 10 popular resources to learn HTML.

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