Whether you're starting your own company or already a part of a large corporation, having a blog is a great way to generate interest in your brand and establish your expertise and credibility.
When you decide to start a blog, it's very important that your blog looks and feels professional, as this is the best way to establish your expertise and generate a dedicated following. Here are a few ways to ensure that you create a professional looking blog.
1. Know what you want to discuss.
Before you even think about the aesthetics of your blog, it's very important that you sit down and think about what type of content you're going to produce. You'll want to choose topics that are relatable to your field of expertise, but you'll also want to generate content that will interest your readers. If you don't have these topics in mind, you'll have a hard time trying to determine what type of theme to create or what type of layout and navigation you'll need.
2. Choose the right theme.
You have two options when it comes to picking the theme of your blog: choose a ready-made template designed by your blog hosting platform, or have a designer create your own customized design. Most newbie bloggers opt to go with a ready-made template, and with all the options available, you'll easily be able to find one that fits with your company and topic.
3. Don't get too busy.
The easiest way to make your blog look unprofessional is to add a variety of styles, colors and designs without any consistency. When you do this, it looks like a teenager created your blog. Instead, you want to make sure that you stick with a very simple design with very simple colors. If possible, you'll want to use the colors that are associated with your brand. This will give your brand some consistency and will help your audience start to recognize you. You'll also want to make sure that if you're using photos, you keep your background color very light and traditional. This will allow your photos to stand out without clashing with your blog's design.
4. Let them know who's talking.
You need to make sure that your readers know a little bit about the author of the blog. If you're the only writer, then you may want to add an About Me section to the blog so that your readers can learn why they should read your blog and what experience and expertise you possess. If there will be multiple writers, then you'll want to add a small bio at the end of each post to give your readers insight about the writers. Plus, along with showing expertise, this gives your blog a personal touch, and your readers are more willing to listen to advice from a specific person than a brick and mortar business.
5. Choose the right font.
Most people don't realize how important the font choice actually is, but it plays a major role in the professionalism of your blog. Make sure that you choose a font that is easy to read. Stay away from fonts that are too large, too small or in cursive, as it will deter your readers. You should also make sure that you're choosing a font color that is easy to read. Standard black is always your best option, as brighter colors can be hard on the eyes.
Steven Peters lives in Denver with his wife and three sons. He makes a living by setting up different businesses’ blogs using corporate looking wordpress themes.
