When it comes to blog design, most new bloggers only aim to being unique. While having a unique design is certainly advantages to differentiate your blog with the others, there are some basic tips and mistakes you should avoid. Follow these 6 tips and mistakes to make the most out of your design today.

1. Make your purpose clear – Your blog banner should have a title and subtitle that make it clear who you are and what you write about. First-time visitors to your blog will leave in a hurry if they can’t quickly determine what you’re about.

2. Avoid complex URL structures – A simple, keyword-based URL structure will not only improve your search engine rankings, but it will also make it easier for the reader to identify the content of your pages before visiting them.

3. Make sure your website is cross-browser compatible – Not all browsers are created equal, and not all of them interpret CSS and other languages on the same way. Like it or not, you will need to make your website compatible with the most used browsers on the market, else you will lose readers over the long term.

4. Add visual interest with photos – Humans are visually stimulated, and let’s face it: reading is much more fun when supplemented with pretty pictures. Even if you don’t fancy yourself a photographer, it is a good idea to include images now and then in your blog posts to help up the “good-looking” factor.

5. Get a custom banner – If you are running a small business, or want to promote an existing logo or graphic identity, you’ll want to create your own banner to match your brand.

6. Make sure to include anchor text on links – I confess I used to do that mistake until some time ago. It is easier to tell people to “click here”. But this is not efficient. Make sure to include a relevant anchor text on your links. It will ensure that the reader knows where he is going to if he clicks the link, and it will also create SEO benefits for the external site where the link is pointing.

A blog’s design is not only important for SEO purposes, but also providing good user experience to your readers. Make sure to follow these tips for a better design blog.

Nik Imran is the author of IMakeABlog, a blog that provides guide on how to make a blog, your step-by-step guide to setup blog.

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