Design plays a key role in making visitors stay on a website or blog. An eye-catching aesthetic can be instrumental in increasing traffic and in communicating the core idea of a blog/website. When designing a blog many bloggers fail to distinguish it from a web page design and Web Design is unable to generate public interest.
Websites are designed for specific companies with the help of web design agencies and are established to market the company brand. Hence a website design reflects the company aesthetic.
Blogs however offer a more personal and current view of things. The design is tailored to the target population and is relevant to the times. It helps people connect and relate to the blog.
Ways a Blog Design Differs from a Website
If you are designing a blog, beware of the fine line that differentiates it from a website. Here we list down key ways a blog design can differ from a regular website
- Content organization
- Frequency of posts
- Comments section
- Creative freedom vs brand identity
- Icons and Color Scheme
- Readability
- Navigation
- Social Sharing
- Visual Content
- Header/ Footer
- Footer Design
- advertisements
- Subscription areas
- The content above the fold
- Personal Touch
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Content Organization
A Blog is in reality a website in which the contents are arranged in reverse chronological order. The content is referred to as posts and fresh content is uploaded daily.
Websites however contain static pages that are not updated very regularly. These include Home Page, About Page, Contact Page, Gallery, etc. Websites are good to have an online presence for companies and to provide information to potential customers.
In blogs, content is organized through categories and tags such as recent posts, most popular, similar content, etc. while websites use pages to organize content.
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Post Frequency
Blogs are dynamic sources of information and new content is uploaded daily. It is an informal and interactive space with regularly updated content. Most blogs have fresh content posted on a daily basis.
Websites however have professional and brand-oriented content that does not require frequent updates. They have contact and feedback forms and are essentially not interactive.
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Comments Section
The Comments section is the life of a blog. A blog that generates people’s interests and pushes them to comment on the posts is on the road to success. Blogs are now designing the comments section to contain avatars and speech bubbles to pique people’s interest and move them to comment on the posts, generating more blog traffic.
Websites generally do not have a comments section and the only method of interaction is through a feedback form or email.
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Creative Freedom vs Brand Identity
When designing a blog the owner has complete freedom to decide an aesthetic, use his choice of themes, colors, images, and font styles, etc. The goal is to create a personal connection with the audience and be authentic when designing the blog to display his/her personal style.
In contrast, a website has to be professional and corporate. The design focuses on brand identity and building a positive image for the company. The theme, color schemes, font, etc should impress loyalty, professionalism, and reliability upon the client.
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Icons and Color Scheme
Blogs usually use bright and fresh colors to attract audiences. They also help in branding the blog and creating a recognizable theme for it. Many blogs use navigation icons for a fun and functional addition to the blog.
Websites have to follow the color scheme of the brand and cannot deviate from that. The outlook has to be professional and help ingrain trust in the client.
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Readability
Readability is one of the most important aspects of Blog design. A blog is based on written content and reading is essential to its success. Blogs use language that is current and trendy to target the intended reader and keep them engaged. Tips for improving readability include:
- The large font size of 12-14
- High contrast in text color and background
- Evenly spaced paragraphs
- Headings and subheadings
- Short Paragraphs
- Bold Text
- Lists
Websites however focus more on providing information and organizing the content as such. They have low font size and less spacing between paragraphs. Websites use professional language and official terminology to ingrain trust amongst the customers.
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Navigation
Navigation is a key aspect of blog design. The content is divided into categories and a sidebar shows similar content to visitors. Sidebars are essential navigational tools of a blog and are an opportunity to show creativity. A sidebar should be eye-catching, easy to use, increase page views and show popular and viewer-specific content. A good sidebar may contain:
- Most Popular posts
- Recently posted articles
- Advertisements
- Links to specific Categories
- Link to RSS feed
- Recent positive comments
- Promotion of products/services
- Links to the blog archive
Websites however have a menu or tabs on the home page, leading the visitor to specific pages on the site.
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Social Sharing
Blogs benefit a great deal from social media. An active social media presence can be the best marketing strategy for a blog. A blog design requires social buttons to be embedded into the design with every post, making it seamless for readers to share the content on their social media pages.
A website usually has social media buttons on its home page, leading to the company’s social media pages.
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Visual Content
Visual Content is essential for a blog, images, charts, graphs, etc. greatly increase traffic and help in engaging users. Many blogs use a number of high-quality images to attract readers. Infographics are also a visual tool that helps pique the interest of the average user. Banner images also help generate interest.
Websites in general use only official product videos or company catalogs etc. Pictures of a company’s team members or processes may be added. Essentially apart from the products, not many images are added to a website.
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Header Design
Headers and Footers are essential parts of a blog design. Headers serve as primary navigational tools leading visitors to static pages like About, Contact, etc. They display the menu of the blog and help in exploration. Headers can also be used to display advertisements, and as a space to show creativity to attract visitors.
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Footer Design
Footers also serve as an extension of the sidebar and can serve as a space for social media integration, homepage links, subscriptions, etc. They serve as a creative space to experiment with blog design and make it unique. Popular posts and recent comments can also show up in the footer.
Websites also feature headers and footers but these are simple navigational tools to provide access to the web pages. You would not see much creativity in these spaces on a website.
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Subscription Areas
Email subscriptions help blogs generate revenue. It is thus essential that visitors are encouraged to subscribe to email and RSS feeds. These icons are generally located on the sidebar’s top section. Clearly, visible subscription options will encourage people to sign up.
Websites, in general, have less attention on email subscriptions. Their subscription notification usually comes as a pop-up when you land on the webpage.
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Advertisements
Blogs need advertisements to generate revenue, these ads should be placed such that it increases revenue but does not compromise the look of the blog. Sidebar and headers and footers are standard sections for ad placement.
Websites, in general, do not require advertisements other than those from the company itself. They help promote any special discounts or offers made by the company.
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The content above the fold:
Blogs have to be relevant and updated. It is thus essential; to have good content on the front page to catch the visitor’s eye. It should capture their attention without them having to scroll below.
The website does not generally work on capturing attention as the visitor is there for the intended purpose of collecting information from the website.
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Personal Touch
Blogs were originally named ‘web logs’, they were personal accounts of people much like writing an online journal. The personal touch is what makes a blog stand out from the rest. This can be achieved through a unique theme or a distinct writing style. Blogs also mention content writer names to enable visitors to connect and form an association with the writers.
Websites require objectivity and branding hence there is no personal touch involved. There is hardly ever any mention of writers on web pages as it is the brand/company that is the focus of the website.
Conclusion:
Blogs and Websites are two peas in a pod, however, the goals of each are remarkably different. Websites help connect the company with the people and offer company information. Blogs however are more of a personal connection with the visitor, keeping them updated on the latest trends in the market.
Make sure the design of your blog or website is in line with the aims and objectives you wish to achieve. Web design Agencies like Maxxpace Solutions can help make use of the distinguishing features mentioned above to make their blog stand out from the crowd, generate traffic, increase sales and grow their client base.
