Home -> Law Blog Directory -> Legal Marketing & PR Blogs -> Blawg for Profit

Legal Marketing & PR

: Blawg for Profit

How To Make A Better First Impression With Your Blog Without An Expensive, Custom Blog Design

The advice in this post isn’t new advice, not new at all. In fact, you’ve probably read the following many times before: When a new visitor hits your site, you have just a few seconds before they form their first impressions of you and your business. That’s all you get.

But what does that really mean?

Can your blog design say *that* much about you? Do those first few seconds really matter that much? Surely the fact that your content is amazing, your reputation second-to-none and your experience unsurpassed counts for something? Of course but that’s only if your audience gets far enough into your site to “get” that.

Consider it in another setting … Imagine taking your other half to a fancy restaurant. You both know it’s a fancy restaurant as soon as you walk up to it because the sign is understated and elegant, the decor when you walk in is plush and maitre d’ just has that sort of air about him. You can tell all of this before you even sit down and look at the steep price of food on the well-designed menu. Your expectations are set right from the start.

Consider on the other hand, if you walked up to a supposedly fancy restaurant and the sign was hanging off its hinge, the decor looked a little worn-round-the-edges and they handed you plastic-coated menus, when you sat down. Even if the food was amazing, wouldn’t the whole experience have been just a little dampened by your first impressions and the fact they didn’t meet your expectations?

A well-designed blog instantly sets the tone for your site – it states your intentions and it tells people you take yourself and your business seriously.

Look at the leaders in your niche – do they have standard, cookie cutter designs? The chances are they don’t and that they’ve invested in a decent, custom design for their site. The true leaders in your niche appreciate the importance of making the right impression and it’s something they invest in. It’s one important aspect that sets them apart from other bloggers in their niche.

As a designer but also a general reader of blogs, here’s my own internal hierarchy of “seriousness” and “professionalism” – also known as how I judge a blog by its cover:

• Default theme – amateur, just playing around
• Minor tweaks to a default theme – still playing around, getting the hang of things
• Custom header with a default theme – on the right track but still not “serious”
• Custom header with some other custom graphics to jazz up the default theme – definitely more serious
• Fully customised site with custom header & graphics – serious, successful, in it for the long haul

The sticking point for many bloggers however is cost; especially new bloggers. It’s tough to invest in a custom design for your site when it’s not helped you make any more money yet and you’re just getting started.

Fortunately, with a few smart tricks, you can improve the first impression your blog makes without having to invest in a full custom design. Here are three main areas that can make the world of difference:

The Header

The header very often sets the tone for the rest of your site so this is one of the first places to focus your investment, however modest. Even if you have to do the rest of the site yourself, getting a custom header can guide you when it comes to doing that and help you apply a consistent appearance throughout your site.

The Layout

A good web designer considers not only the look & visual elements of your site but also the layout and hierarchy of how to present your content. If you’re doing this yourself, take a tip from the leaders in your niche and study their site designs and layouts to figure out what they’ve put, where they’re put it and why.

This is a great way to benefit from the expertise and knowledge of professionals without having to actually pay them because you can see the work they’ve done for others in plain view. It’s important to remember however, that your goals for your site may be different from others, so keep this in mind when you’re researching what others do in your industry.

Custom Graphics & Buttons

Another lower cost but very effective way to give your site a bit of polish, is to get some custom graphics created for important elements of your site that you’d like to stand out. This could include sign up buttons, social media buttons, and product graphic buttons.

Giving your site a makeover doesn’t have to involve a major overhaul and professional re-design but the biggest investment you can make, is to do your research, give it some thought and then invest whatever cash you do have to spend, wisely.

Exclusive for subscribers! Download Blogging Tips To Help You Blog

Copyright © 2010 Blog For Profit. This Feed is for personal non-commercial use only. If you are not reading this material in your news aggregator, the site you are looking at is guilty of copyright infringement. Please contact us so we can take legal action immediately.

Published by: Grant Griffiths

Related posts:

1. Blog design matters
2. Blog Design ? Does Matter!!!
3. Blog Design and Marketing – Should you have your blog done by a professional?

Full post as published by Blawg for Profit on December 17, 2010 (boomark / email).