Why Does Your Blog Layout Matter?

Why do so many stress about their blog layout and design? Why does it really matter what your blog looks like—or how it’s designed?

Well for one, people are very visual in nature. Without giving it much thought, the vast majority of your readers are going to instantly make judgements about your blog the second they land on it.

If your blog layout looks unprofessional, outdated, confusing, or unappealing—there’s a good chance they’re going to question your credibility (or simply leave).

Here are three crucial reasons why you should care about your blog layout and overall site design.

• High Bounce Rate: A high bounce rate is when readers come to your blog and leave very quickly. They don’t spend any real time on your blog, and they don’t click any of your internal links. While a high bounce rate is not solely dependent on your blog layout, it’s definitely a factor. Have you ever come across a blog post that looked like it was from the early 90s? Did you trust the content? Have you opened a blog post only to discover the text was almost impossible to read and there was an overwhelming amount of ads and popups? What do you do with these sites? Chances are, you press the back button and try to find a better source. You may even wonder why Google ranked that site well in the first place. This is why your blog layout matters. You want your blog to be welcoming to your visitors.
• Low Rate of Return Readers: Let’s say someone clicks a link to your blog post. Your article has good content and answers their questions. However, they felt that your blog was poorly designed and difficult to actually consume information on. They probably won’t be returning to your blog in the future. That’s a problem, because you want returning visitors. People who come back to your blog will begin to feel a loyalty to you and your content. This loyal group of followers is more likely to promote your blog content to their networks—and sign up for your email newsletter. This is the most engaged group of people that you can hope to have as a blogger.
• Trouble Navigating Your Blog: Your blog layout should be easy to navigate. Your visitors won’t spend a lot of time decoding your website, just to find out who you are or what your site is all about. They should be able to easily locate important links and develop a basic understanding of what your blog has to offer with very little effort.

Now that we’ve defined three compelling reasons why you should create a very thoughtful blog layout, let’s dive in and break down which blog layout elements are most important.