Words, words, words. You get tired of seeing blogs that are nothing but words. Maybe you're even tired of writing that kind of blog. But what can you do to make your blog more visually appealing, especially if you're new to the blogging world and lack photography skills?
First and foremost, the font colour and typeface you use goes a long way in creating a visually appealing site. Give a thought to readability. Type that's reversed out (white on a colored background) may be trendy, but it's hard on the eyes. Dark grey type on a light grey background presents a problem with contrast that, say, dark blue type on the same background doesn't.
And don't be too quick to dismiss good old black on white. It's a perennial classic for a reason. Consider these two options -- which one has better readability?
Then there's the "look and feel" that comes from your chosen theme. The same post can present differently depending upon the theme you use.
I work in WordPress, and I give both my blogs a new theme from time to time. WordPress has a range of blog "themes," some free and others not. The themes offer different features, such as the ability to add your own photo to the header, placement of menus, varying color palettes, and more. Other blogging software, such as Blogger, also allow you to change the theme.
Try out a couple before you decide, thinking about the tone of your blog. Is it humorous or serious? Confessional or professional? Homey or formal? For instance, while the theme below works with a whimsical site, it isn't the best option for a serious topic.
On the other hand, there are plenty of simple themes that work with a wide range of topics.
Make sure the theme you choose works with the overall tone you're trying to convey. My general-purpose blog used to have a large photo of a skull with a hamster wheel inside it, but I realized that it was distractingly large and undercut my occasional serious posts about education and other issues.
Whereas my blog about living with bipolar disorder needed something abstract rather than literal, and not dark and depressing. I chose a theme with a swirl of colors as the header.
The best way to add visual appeal to a blog, though, is with images – photos or illustrations. I was inspired to explore this option when I wrote a guest post for a friend's blog. He added a photo – two brains wearing boxing gloves – that complemented the title ("Brain vs. Brain") and the content.
"Where did you find that?" I asked. He told me about stock photo and illustration services. I had worked with these during my magazine publishing days, but had never thought of them for my blogs!
Stock photos and illustrations are created by photographers and artists and basically offered to consumers to dress up their publications. It's like having a photographer or illustrator's work for rent. I explored several options and settled on Fotolia, a service that offers monthly (and other) subscriptions. For less than two dollars apiece I can get ten visuals per month – enough for my two once-a-week blogs at a bargain price.
But there are plenty of free options for bloggers. First and foremost, take your own pictures. They don't need to be art -- they just need to illustrate the words in your post. So grab your phone and snap a picture.
If you have a photographer or illustrator among your friends and family, you may be able to use their creations instead. My husband is a talented amateur photographer, and I have used his photos several times – for example, a still life of books, toys, and dolls for a piece about the wonder of imaginative children's literature, and a photo of a disintegrating dandelion for a post on failing schools.
You can also search for photos and illustrations offered on Flickr under a Creative Commons license, or search the Creative Commons site. Just put in your keywords and the results will show images that you can use on your site with proper attribution.
Images are important because they can break up text-heavy posts into manageable bites. Consider the examples below and tell me which one looks more inviting to read?
So what are you waiting for? Go look at your blog with a critical eye and think about ways you can make it more visually-appealing, inviting more people to read.
Janet Coburn is a freelance writer, editor, and blogger at bipolarjan.wordpress.com and janetcobur.wordpress.com.
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3 Ways to Make Your Blog More Visually-Appealing
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