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How to make your blog look better

UserPost

7:13 pm
February 23, 2012


After College Money

Pennsylvania

Member

posts 33

Hi everyone,

I would like to improve the way my blog looks.  Do you have any suggestions to my blog?  How did you guys learn to make your blog look better?  Did you use any special tools?

Also, has anyone hired a web designer?  How much do they cost and is it worth it?  I have a programming background and can probably learn how to code a site correctly but it will take some serious time and effort. 

8:23 pm
February 23, 2012


sooverthis

Kentucky

Moderator

posts 1041

For me, the key was finding a theme that was easy to customize. A lot of people recommend premium themes like Thesis, but there was more coding than I was willing to deal with. I use Weaver II Pro, which is a paid theme, but I started on the free version. I now use it on all my sites.

You might also look at Woo Themes and other sites that have themes with a more "custom" feel to them. Sometimes there are great themes there, though you risk having the same theme as a lot of other people.

I would definitely recommend considering a professional logo. That helps to give you an identity that people recognize, and it will make other design choices come easier.

 

 

 

8:25 pm
February 23, 2012


Shilpan

Member

posts 126

Learn as much about WordPress. It's fun. Only time you need graphics designer is for your custom logo. 

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9:04 pm
February 23, 2012


Daisy

Member

posts 271

Personally, I think you could continue to use the theme you have up now but get a logo and a header going. I like the simplistic layout of your theme.

Daisy @ When Life Gives You Lemons, Add Vodka
http://add-vodka.com
Twitter: Add_vodka 
Email:
addvodka@gmail.com 

3:13 am
February 24, 2012


jaicatalano

New York

Member

posts 846

Over time it's going to get better. Keep building on your content and then start thinking of how your voice on the internet should look. I would also consider changing your color as the green color is a bit dull for its content. 

 

Shilpan said:

Learn as much about WordPress. It's fun. Only time you need graphics designer is for your custom logo. 

6:26 am
February 24, 2012


This That And The MBA

Member

posts 240

The grey about and home were barely visible on my browser here at work.  Could be they are ancient and need to update but you may want to darken it or change the color. I like the above suggestion about the green color as well.  Other than that it looks good.  Keep plugging away!

-Christopher-

Email: thisthatandthemba@gmail.com

Website: http://thisthatandthemba.com

Come check me out and let me know what you think of my site!!!

7:12 am
February 24, 2012


Frugal Confessions

Houston, TX

Member

posts 1622

Hello! I am from PA as well (though currently living in Houston).

 

I think the first thing to do is to get a great logo–the blog looks bare. Also, to save space "above the fold" you don't need to explain what the reader will receive by subscribing to your blog–just keep the title "Subscribe by Email".

 

Also, when I visited, the "Ad Choices" block of ad was awkwardly placed to the center-right of the page.

 

Just a few thoughts!

Amanda L Grossman

Frugal Confessions

Frugal Confessions @ the Houston Chronicle

email: frugalconfessions@hotmail.com

8:59 am
February 24, 2012


Michelle (Making Sense of Cents)

Member

posts 400

I like your theme. Like Daisy said, I would get a nice logo though.

9:02 am
February 24, 2012


Modest Money

Member

posts 256

Personally I prefer to outsource my design work.  At the very least you can pay for a decent logo.  In my case I got a designer friend to do the whole design and it turned out much better than I would've been able to put together myself.  Plus I didn't have to waste my time trying to figure out something that isn't really my specialty.

Check out my finance blog: Modest Money 

Alexa ranking from 22M to under 70k in 3 months

 

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9:53 am
February 24, 2012


Eric – PersonalProfitability.com

Portland, OR

Member

posts 2120

I did it all myself using Thesis (see more at narrowbridge.net/resources). Suba helped me a bit with some CSS, but I did all of the updates and work myself.

2:30 pm
February 24, 2012


After College Money

Pennsylvania

Member

posts 33

Thanks for the tips everyone.  I'm going to work on my design this weekend and see if I can make it look a little better.  I plan on keeping my design minimal (so I have a smaller chance of messing something up Wink )

-I plan on moving the ads around so they are no longer in the way
-I would like to get a professional logo.  I have artistic friends who might be able to help me or I could hire someone.  How have you hired a logo designer?  I heard about a website where designers compete for your contract and you pay for the one you like the best (say, $200 to the logo you like the best)  Does anyone know this website?

-Even though I am going to keep it simple, I still want it to look good and professional.  I will let you know when I update it!

Btw, my current set-up took me about an hour of moving stuff around in the Wordpress Twenty Eleven theme. 

11:19 am
February 28, 2012


MainstreamMom

Member

posts 65

If you're anything like me, having a professional design is very important. I had mine done by a designer, BUT I spent way too much and went through several designers before I ended up with exactly what I wanted. Before you go that route, I would get a nice little notebook and start jotting down some websites you admire. Starting with the logo, layout, color scheme, fonts and so on. Make sure you have a pretty solid idea of what you want your site to look like before you waste a ton of time and money.

Smile My two cents.

-Andrea

Andrea Pokorny

Executive Editor & Founder

andrea@MainstreamMom.com

MainstreamMom

Creating Financial Security.

Lets Connect! Facebook | Twitter

11:52 am
February 28, 2012


jana

Member

posts 160

Like the others, I suggest getting a logo/header for your site. That will give it a more personal feel and will make your site more unique. I believe the site you're looking for is 99designs.com. I also suggest that you play around with different colors (you can go to kuler.adobe.com and get a feel for some good color palettes if you don't know where to start). I'm also not a fan of the green. 

 

A couple of questions: Why do you have subscribe by email twice? You can go with either the icon or the text box; there's no need for both. When I read your posts, specifically the most recent one above the fold, the ad seems to cover up some of the text. Can you reposition those? 

 

Other than that, I think you're on the right track. 

Visit my blog: Daily Money Shot

I'm finally on Twitter!

Find me on Facebook

5:27 pm
February 28, 2012


Kevin @ Avant

Chicago, IL

Member

posts 192

Themeforest.com 

http://www.springcoin.com/blog

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9:16 am
February 29, 2012


AverageJoe

Member

posts 259

sooverdebt said:

"I would definitely recommend considering a professional logo. That helps to give you an identity that people recognize, and it will make other design choices come easier."

 

I'll second this thought. My biggest takeaway from the old book Guerilla Marketing was that although small businesses can't afford much, your logo and signage is your identity with your public. If it looks shoddy, they'll think the same of the site.


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