5 Ways to Sex Up Your Blog

With so many ugly blogs out there, I have to wonder if we are all just a little too lazy or maybe we really don't want to get people interested in our content? It doesn't take much to sex up your blog a bit and make it much more attractive to an audience. I have created a list of five ways to improve your blog that will help bring in more traffic, and keep your visitors coming back for more.

1. Images

Yes, I know we have all heard this before. Images not only draw the eye to your post, but when tied into your content, they can say more than anything you have written. Interesting or provocative images alone can get you a fair number of visitors, and subsequently, a fair bit of social promotion. Using the right images at the right time can mean the difference between being average and amazing.

There is a line of course, and it is one that I have seen far too many bloggers cross: too many wrong images. Please stop putting images in posts, just to have images in posts! Yes, I know it can really help having images in posts, but random graphics you pulled off a Google Image search don't impress me. They don't make me want to look at your content. In fact, the wrong image drives me away from your blog, your content, and thus your advertising efforts.

2. Typography

When you are planning out your blog, you will want to think long and hard about fonts, font sizes, line height, and other elements of typography.

This is an area that I have a deficiency in and as such I really can't tell you which fonts are good, but I can tell you that using some random font found on a free font site might not be the best thing to use for the seconds in your sidebar.

Also, remember that the font you choose might not come standard on all operating systems, so just because your site looks cool with the font you downloaded, and coded into your CSS, it doesn't mean anyone else can see it that way unless they have downloaded and installed that exact same font. Don't ever expect me to install a font to see it your way.

It is commonly known, but still sometimes disputed, that san-serif fonts (the ones without the fancy extras) are easier to read on computer screens. That means your choices are basically, Arial, Trebuchet, or Verdana. I am more of a Verdana guy myself.

With your headers, and graphics, it falls on you to decide what you want to use, but again, if you want me, and many others to come back, professionalism and readability should be your two main focuses. You can add variety though, just limit it to between one and three font faces. More fonts than that, and you look silly, which unfortunately for me, is not the same as sexy.

3. Design

With a million different design inspiration sites, there is no reason why your blog has to look like something from the early 90's.

You want to attract readers with sexy curves, big headlines, and strong colors. Your design should be pleasing to the eye, and don't just think that because you think it looks good, that it actually looks good. There are almost always small things that can be tweaked to improve the flow of your design. Even big name bloggers are constantly changing their designs and if you hit on something new, different, or beautiful, the community will award you with links from design galleries, and thus huge waves of traffic.

I have always been a fan of redheads, and oddly enough, I have always been a fan of designs that have pulled off using red as its primary color in such a way that it doesn't burn my eyes looking at it.

Giving your blog a design makeover can make it go from interesting to inspirational.

Reducing or changing your advertising can also quickly help your design stand out and look more professional. I know this might seem counterintuitive to making money online, but you can work on making banners and advertising that fits your design and position it in a few key places. This may help improve the income your blog generates.

4. Features

Having a content area, sidebar, header, footer, and navigation area are all things we expect a blog to have, and so adding features to your blog can differentiate you from the crowd. Three popular additions to blogs that I have been noticing more and more which interest me include: threaded comments, AJAX comments (instant comments), and lightbox.

If these are all old news to you, then find or create a new feature that isn't as prevalent. If you've never heard of these, hopefully they will open your eyes to the features you can add to your blog.

Don't go overboard though, as too many widgets, gadgets and other things can make your site look horrible. Simply put, if you have more than three or four sidebar gadgets beyond what is standard on your blog platform, then it is time to scale back. Reducing features can be just as powerful as adding them depending on how your blog looks and functions.

You also have to make sure you are adding features that will help your readers, and make their experience better. If you add things that fight against your readers, eventually they will all leave out of frustration.

5. Personality

This isn't the easiest way to sex up your blog, but it can be the best. Write with passion, power, and charisma. Write as though you are in front of a thousand people and that they are going to ruin your life unless you please them.

If your writing is lifeless, then no matter what else you put on your blog, it too will be lifeless. You have to have personality, and power to your writing. Draw your readers into your world, even if that world is C# coding. People can get raw information from anywhere, but if you give them personality, they have something to connect to.

Conclusion

Think about your use of images, typography, design, features and personality and you could easily increase both your first time, and return visitors. So go sex up your blog, and enjoy the increases in traffic that are sure to follow.