A successful blogger is always asking the question, How does this serve my readers?
To many of us design is the fun and “creative” part of building our blog, talking and tweaking design can take up more time than writing content–if we let it. A checklist can help keep my creativity at uptimum levels and keep my focus on how my choices will ensure my readers enjoy their stay well enough to return again and again.
Blog Design Checklist.
- 1. Title and Subtitle: Are they here? Are they clear? Could any reader understand what they mean? Turn off the blinkers, the sliders and slinkers. They distract me when I’m trying to read your post.
- 2. Bio: Can I find it? Does it tell enough about you that I feel a connection with the person behind the screen? Did you give me a way to contact you, if I have a genuine reason to? Is there a photo, or at least a visual, there to represent you?
- 3. Fonts/Text: Are they readable? Are there too many? too few? Are they in readable colors? Is there moving, blinking, twinkling text to distract me and annoy me? When it comes to color, size, and number less is always more.
- 4. Comments/Permalinks/Trackbacks/Email: I expect to find these after the post? Please don’t get creative and make me look all over to find them.
- 5. Navigation: Can I find my way around in a glance? Can I find your Classic Posts? Do your links really work? Is it easy to get back to the home page? I don’t like feeling lost.
- 6. Sound/Gadgets/Plug-ins: Do they really need to be there? Are you sure they won’t irritate me? When in doubt, take them out.
- 7. Technical Issues: Does the blog load fast in my browser? Does it load accurately? You may hate IE but most folks still use it. If you pretend they don’t exist. You can be sure for you they won’t.
- 8. Images: Are they clean, clear and crisp? Are the files compressed so they load quickly? Fuzzy pictures hurt my eyes.
- 9. Organization: Does the page feel in proportion? Do things seem where they belong? Is there enough white space and a lack of clutter? I like a little room to breathe.
- 10. Marketing: Is the presentation of subscriptions, ads, and other marketing integrated into the design? Do ads become too interruptive? Are there pop-ups or pop-unders? Ads that make themselves too annoying will drive me from your blog forever. No pop-ups or pop-unders–they break your trust with me.
Use this checklist to remind yourself not to let too much design creativity take the “fun” out of reading your blog. Then get started. Have fun tweaking.
–ME “Liz” Strauss
And don’t forget the other checklists in the set:
Blog Review Checklist
Editing for Quality and a Content Editorââ¬â¢s Checklist
Checklist for Linking to Quality Blogs
A Bloggerââ¬â¢s Personal Narrative Checklist
Checklist for Starting a Directory Listing
“How does this serve my readers?”
This is what my business is all about and I appreciate you saying it at loud. Some people just think on design to get into todays design galleries. The truth is design need to serve people. Easy to read, easy to use, and easy to interact.
I think point 4, Comments/Permalinks/Trackbacks/Email, its one of the top of my checklist. If the user can’t make a comment, or take a link, or even send an email; the user won’t be able to interact properly with the website. I made this mistake before, so it’s a must-check-now for everyone I think!
The most important thing on the checklist; today it’s easy to fix or improve any of those aspects, so don’t be scare to touch your template and make some music from it 😉
I’m getting addict to your posts Liz!
Hugs!
Javier Cabrera
(No! I’m not bother if you call me Jav 😉 I think I might change my nickname to Jav!
Hi Jav! (It’s a term of endearment.)
When I was in publishing I was always saying does this serve us or our customers? It’s the same thing here. It’s got to serve our readers or what’s the point–just like you said.
You’ll be proud to note that I thought of you when I put #4 in. I also when to a friend’s newly designed blog day before yesterday and wanted desperately to leave a comment. I searched and searched the new Word Press template and couldn’t find a place to commment. I finally sent an email. He said the comments were up by the header and that he thought it was “bass ackwards too.” Go figure. Another designer who never learned that Form Follows Function is the rule.
You’re addicted to my posts and I’m addicted to your comments. Seems fair to me.
Hugs back,
Liz
#7 is a big one for me. As a designer of blogs – the technology standpoint is always in the forefront of my mind. Years ago – it was ok to design for JUST IE because almost 100% of the visitors to websites were IE users.
Today? Firefox is building in popularity, as are the amount of Mac (Safari) users out there. Must always keep in mind that you’re designing the site for your readers – not just for you. If your readers can’t navigate it – forget it.
Thanks for this!
HI Lisa,
You’re welcome. I’m delighted you find it useful.
I was looking at Word Press Templates today and came across one that basically had a reprimand on it, saying that if you’re looking this in IE you should change because . . . Now there’s a way tell your users to change for you. Right.
I don’t think so. Arrogance is the word I’m thinking of. 🙂
Liz
Ha – I have seen that before..my thought is that as a designer, whether a professional designer or just a hobbyist on your own site – – keep your readers in mind. If a site tells me to change my browser? You can bet I won’t be re-visiting that site again anytime soon lol
I have also seen listed in the terms of service on other professional designers sites something like “Let your designer know which browser you want us to design for – because of the various browsers, we can’t guarentee it will render in all of them”
The word lazy does come to mind. It’s all about access — if your site isn’t giving access to the visitors . . then don’t expect the traffic.
Hey Lisa,
I’m with you. A site starts making rules for me. I ruling them out. Imagine if a car company said because of the various roads, we canâââ‰â¢t guarentee it will work on all of them. . Those designers are saying that either they are lazy or they are underskilled.
Amen to everything you say.
Do you think your mother knew my mother?
Liz