Blogging is one of the earliest, and one of the most long-standing ways of sharing content. A popular first idea for a website, a blog website is where users can generate their own content - whether visual or long-form, to express themselves, and even elevate their credibility as a professional. More and more thought leaders and experts are creating a blog website or a podcast to connect with their niche audiences to share their unique takes on the issues and events relevant to their field, in the hopes of establishing themselves as a credible authority, and for some, use it as a resume website to help themselves stand out.
One of the most important aspects of setting up your own blog website is deciding on the look and feel of the website design. Choosing from Strikingly’s growing collection of blog website templates can seem very intimidating because of the variety of options available for you, but you can browse how other people have made the templates their own for their personal websites - we will be giving you a couple of examples to start with below.
Your website doesn’t have to just be a standalone blog website either - some users start out with a free blog website and have developed their website to serve other purposes. Blog websites do not have to be static, rather your blog can just be a part of a bigger website if you need it to also include your portfolio or be an extension of your online business. Whatever the case, there is a blog website template for you to use and make your own.
Your choice will mainly depend on a few things including the colors and content architecture you want your website to have, the kind of content you will serve and the features you may want to add to your blog website later on. Here are a few layout considerations when selecting blog website templates.
- Professional vs. personal
The type of content you’re building influences your choice of a blog website template design. For instance, boxed width templates - or those with visible frames on the sides of the page - are great for professional websites because of their traditional design. Meanwhile, if you’re building a blog to showcase your creative inclinations, go for a more modern full-width layout instead.
For blogs, scrollability is important. You want visitors to scroll down to the lower fold of your website to ensure that all your featured posts are seen. To accomplish this, consider blog website templates that allow you to contain strong visuals to attract visitors like captivating landing pages or website backgrounds. Some blogs use the upper fold to highlight a featured post. They contain a simple left corner logo placement, top navigation and then a huge full-width hero image that contains the featured article for that period. This can be your most recent post, or the most popular one.
Another pro tip: use the website banner to contain an invite to opt in to your newsletter mailing list. It’s a good way to let people know that you have a lot more content for their consumption. When done right, this CTA can also encourage your readers to scroll down the rest of your site.
- Streamlined menu
For blog websites, it’s important to have a more streamlined menu that features article categories so readers can immediately see certain types of articles. Keeping things simple with the main menu uncluttered is key to a pleasant looking blog design, not to mention making it easy to navigate your content. While your content is important, keep the user experience in mind when organizing and categorizing your blog posts so it’s easy to read and use.
- Sliders do not always work
If you’re running a business website that offers a variety of services, slideshow banners on the upper fold might work to your advantage. It may not work just as well for blog websites, however. Some people mistakenly see sliders as a way to highlight several different article posts on the website but many experts find that only a few people ever really click through these sliders to get to the articles. There is a higher risk of users getting banner blindness - articles are not seen as effectively because the slideshow is too fast or it’s not loading well enough. You also have to be cautious about huge image file sizes which can affect website loading times. You can read more about image hosting to better understand how you can minimize this issue.
- Less is more
Some bloggers argue that stuffing the upper fold of the homepage with as many articles as possible can help with engagement. On the one hand with more articles on the upper fold, people will stay there and click through the posts and may not see the need to scroll down to the lower half of the site. On the other hand, this layout leads readers to assume that the ones on the upper half of the site are the best articles you have leading them to leave your page entirely if they don’t find anything interesting on that section. Still, while the best advice remains to be less is more, make your blog website content accessible without scrimping on accessibility.
- Color scheme
Choosing your blog website’s color scheme is also important in creating an attractive website. Having a good idea of the content you intend to build can say a lot about your choice. For instance, if you’re leaning towards the creative side and will be hosting a lot of colorful imagery, you might want to keep your blog website template colors on the neutral side. You can read more about the importance of choosing your website color to help you convey your brand and business’s focus.
With these guidelines in mind, check out the following blog websites as jumping off points to inspire your own. Take notes of the kind of content they provide and how they chose to market them on their blog website.
Samir Goel - Entrepreneur, Consultant, and Public Speaker
Image taken from Strikingly User’s website
Samir is a social entrepreneur, writer, and connector committed to bridging the public and private sectors by bringing together diverse communities to eliminate the access gap. He Co-Founded Esusu, a platform designed to empower users to better save, access capital, and build credit through community savings and has since spoken openly about personal and business development, business strategy, communications and so many integral skills. In his blog, he provided insights and key learnings in all of his specialties, hoping his insight can help inspire others into helping bridging the gap in their communities too.
Chloe Hwang, Tech Blogger and Fundraiser
Image taken from Strikingly User’s website
Founder of the TheNewNonprofit.co, Chloe blogs about the nexus of nonprofits, technology and social entrepreneurship. Given that her industry requires a lot of credibility and expertise in logistics, people-skills and project management, she opens her site with her resume and walks you through her experiences working with various fundraising initiatives.
Michael Seibel, Co-founder and CEO of both Justin.tv (now Twitch)
Image taken from Strikingly User’s website
A recognized authority on advice on starting a startup and a personal investor and advisor on various companies and funds, his blog primarily outlines advice through essays and videos that you can find right on his blog website.
Angela Corrado, Serious Business Lady from Against the Grain
Image taken from Strikingly User’s website
A PA by profession, Angela writes for the blog, Against the Grain, that hopes to publish blog posts with educational substance, making you rethink your current thoughts and opinions of the world while making you smile, laugh, and share moments with your friend. It was once a business website of a marketing agency of the same name that worked with agriculturalists, artisans and other similar small businesses as a platform to network and share their knowledge and expertise.
Ashmith, Freelance Website Designer and Online Ad Specialist
Image taken from Strikingly User’s website
While primarily a resume website, Ashmith works in a profession that’s highly technical and doesn’t hold back on providing value by sharing his personal thoughts, opinions, and notes for web design, SEO and PPC. His space comprehensively covers his work experiences, services, and as expected of a designer, as also organized his blog by category and topic - with reverse chronology as the default.
Julianne Feir, Artist and Advocate
Image taken from Strikingly User’s website
The youngest example on this list, Julianne Feir is an Art Education Major at Minnesota State University Moorhead, passionate about the arts and strives to excel in both the field of art education and professional work. Her website talks heavily about her advocacy, and she blogs about the importance of art appreciation and art education as an overlooked field of study in holistic human development.
From the examples above, the ideas for a blog website are endless - no matter your niche and expertise. When you can establish yourself in your field with your blog website, it becomes a platform for what you have to say, and an asset to your brand and business worth investing in. Make your presence and expertise known by making your blog website with Strikingly today!
