Once you start a blog, the compelling need to personalize it arises. The good news for those on the WordPress platform is the ease it offers for designing the blog. What makes it all the more exciting for WordPress user is the wide selection of settings to tweak and customize the look of the site. Here are the five basic steps to guide you when injecting some design sensibilities in your WordPress blog:
Pick a Layout that Goes Well with the Kind of Blog You Have
Deciding upon a layout goes beyond the appearance of the theme. Webmasters must also consider whether the theme suits the content and kind of blog they intend on writing. It may look pretty in your opinion, but if limits the content you want to include, it might be best to look for other options.
Opt for an Installed Theme
Most beginners in WordPress concentrate so intently on the aesthetics of their design that they waste time developing the design of the blog instead of setting priorities in creating content and attracting visitors. If you have no experience or background in web design, leave it to the experts and simply choose a functional theme that’s easy on the eyes from the WordPress directory.
Make Your Text readable and Easy on the Eyes
Most bloggers forget that fonts are very important. A readable text can make or break a visitor’s stay on your blog. 11px and up are commonly used for the body text, and larger ones around 24px are used for titles. Use decorative fonts sparingly. Again, they might be pretty but might not serve their purpose as a readable alphabet.
Use Clear and Interesting Visuals
If you cannot create stunning header art and the like for your blog, the closest thing you can do is to discover and create striking images to go with your blog entries. With the accessibility of high-end digital cameras in the market, there is simply no excuse for you not to produce quality images that you can showcase on your blog. Once you have the images in place, take your cue from most blogs and add some text and cute notes. Check out other blogs to compare what they use, and take note of the photo editing effects you like that they added to their images.
Use Categories and Tags to Your Advantage
An organized application of categories and tags to entries can help in improving the look of the blog. Use categories for general topics such as “Food,” “Photography” and “Travel,” while applying tags for more specific ones such as “noodles,” “sushi” and “fruits.” You can then use the http://yoururl.com/tag/item or http://yoururl.com/category/item as links for certain parts of the site. If you want a graphical link of the most blogged/favorite categories, you can just use those links alongside the insert image function.
Webmasters without formal training in web design can definitely benefit from these WordPress design tips. Your WordPress blog will surely be on the right track to becoming a stunning space on the Web.