Aesthetics are important. We can’t forget that when creating content. Here are five tips to make your blog visually appealing.
The way people consume media has changed. Many of us today get our news via “alerts.” We check our Twitter feeds, our Facebooks, Snapchats and other social media platforms for the word on the street and for special interests.
When people come to a website that is poorly formatted, their eyes tend to glaze over and they move on. If you are a small business owner, or a freelancer you’ll want to make your blog visually appealing to increase engagement with your digital brand.
1. Break up text into bite-sized paragraphs
Try to keep paragraphs to about two sentences when blogging. This was something I had to learn when first starting out.
When you fill a blog post with three- to five-sentence paragraphs, after a while the reader just sees a solid block of text. This is when their eyes glaze over and they either fall asleep or move on to the next search result on Google.
Be concise in your writing. Figure out what you want to say, then say it in as few words as you can.
2. Add pictures to illustrate your message
A picture is worth a thousand words. Studies show that when people hear a piece of information, when asked three days later they might remember only 10% of what was said. However, when the information presented is paired with an associated picture, about 70% of what was said will be remembered three days later.
It is not enough to add pictures, though you should add many. To make your blog visually appealing and memorable, the pictures should match reflect your topic and message.
3. Get attention with video
A video is worth 1,000 pictures. Millennials between the ages of 14 and 25 spend more time streaming online video content than watching television, according to a 2015 report by Deloitte.
People have shorter attention spans these days. Videos are less of a time commitment than reading through blocky text.
They also look good, even when not playing, and are a great way to make your blog visually appealing, especially when they have a bold text overlay like in the example above.
SEE ALSO: How to Create Useful How-To Video Content: Essential Toolbox
4. Make use of color
There’s a reason McDonald’s advertises in yellow and red color schemes. They are warm colors, which studies have shown to stir up feelings of passion and excitement within viewers.
And while you may not be the next Ray Kroc, we can all take a page out of McDonald’s playbook and optimize the right colors for our blog posts and ultimately our digital brands.
5. Make quality the standard
Are pictures and videos dark or blurry?Is the subject in focus? How about your text anchor- is it easily digestible or blocky? Do pictures follow the rule of thirds?
You must train your own aesthetic eye and put yourself in the place of the content consumer to distinguish between great work, good work and of course, bad work.
You are the creative director of your own content. You are the only one who can make your blog visually appealing.
SEE ALSO: How to Take Awesome Pictures with Your Phone
In Conclusion:
There are a countless number of tips out there for improving the aesthetics of one’s blog. I try to speak from personal experience in my posts, and that means giving you — the reader — what I have found to be most important.
Namely, being concise in your text, including pictures and videos, using color wisely, and ensuring the quality of the design elements you select.
Is your blog visually appealing? If so, please share any tips you might have in the comments below so we can continue learning together.
