Guide to Designing Your Ideal Blog for Your Business

Designing an effective blog is essential for driving traffic, engaging visitors, and increasing conversions. After selecting the right blogging platform, it's time to focus on creating a blog design that attracts attention and keeps readers coming back. Here’s how to design the perfect blog for your business.

1. Make Your Blog Visual​

In today's digital age, visuals play a critical role in attracting attention. Great visuals will make your blog posts stand out and draw in more visitors. Gone are the days of plain text blogs; now, companies are creating visually rich blog layouts to captivate their audience. Take time to select the right images for each post to create an appealing and engaging blog.

Example: Uberflip’s blog page features large visual tiles representing top posts, as well as a large visual tile for the featured post. This approach encourages curiosity and engagement, similar to popular B2C blogs like Mashable or TechCrunch. For B2B blogs, adopting a similar visual trend can significantly boost user engagement.

2. Have Clear Conversion Goals​

Clear conversion goals are essential for guiding visitors to take action on your blog. These goals could involve signing up for your newsletter, filling out a form, or exploring other sections of your website. A blog with clearly defined conversion points will help you generate leads and drive business growth.

Example: Marketo’s blog includes multiple conversion opportunities, such as a subscription pop-up, a shadow box prompting visitors to sign up for email updates, and a related resources section at the bottom of each post. These features guide readers toward further actions, increasing lead generation.

3. Make Sure You Have Multiple Paths to Social​

Your blog should include several options for visitors to connect with you on social media and share your content. This is vital for building your online presence and encouraging engagement with your audience.

Example: The Content Marketing Institute’s blog prominently features social media follow buttons and sharing options for each post. They allow users to follow them on various platforms, including Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and more. Additionally, sharing buttons on individual blog posts make it easy for readers to share content across their own networks.

4. Offer Pre-Populated Tweets​

Making it easy for readers to share your content on social media can help increase your blog’s visibility. By offering pre-populated tweets, you remove the guesswork and make sharing effortless for your audience.

Example: Marketo includes pre-populated tweets for each blog post. Readers simply click to share without having to craft their own message, making it more likely that they will share your content.

5. Provide a Mobile-Optimized Experience​

In today’s mobile-first world, your blog must be mobile-optimized. Many users will access your blog from various devices, so ensure that it adapts to different screen sizes for a seamless user experience.

Example: Captora’s blog is designed to display seamlessly on both desktop and mobile devices. On mobile, the blog is condensed to fit the smaller screen, making it easy for users to navigate and read without needing to zoom or adjust the screen.

6. Add Personality with Author Bios​

Including author bios adds a personal touch to your blog and helps readers connect with the people behind the content. Featuring an author bio not only humanizes your blog but also gives recognition to the individual contributors, which can help build their personal brand.

Example: Marketo’s blog includes detailed author bios with headshots, brief descriptions, and links to their social media profiles. This approach adds credibility and personality to each post, while also encouraging readers to follow authors on platforms like Twitter or LinkedIn.

Conclusion​

Your blog design plays a critical role in its success. By incorporating visual elements, clear conversion goals, social sharing options, and mobile optimization, you can create a blog that attracts visitors, drives engagement, and converts leads. Take the time to implement these design elements and choose the ones that best suit your business.