This post was most recently updated on August 1st, 2016
Dress Your Blog For Success, hidden keyword is impress.
Yes, yes, yes.
You want people to be happy when they find you.
You want them to say
- “this is what I was looking for”
- “this is what I needed to hear”
- “this is exactly the information I needed”
- “this is a fun place to be”
- “this is where I can find solutions to my problems”
- “I love this blog… now let me see what it’s about”
You see, bloggers often focus on…
Hello. My Blog Is About This.
Boring.
People want information, of course.
But they also want something alive.
It doesn’t have to be fun and bubbly, but it has to be something inviting and something that people feel connected to.
You want them to feel like they’re not wasting their time and they’d better hurry up and click on to something better or more appealing.
Hidden keyword: impress.
Dress Your Blog For Success
I love shopping.
Especially clothes shopping.
I go into the department stores and look at all the new “wow” styles.
Then I run to the thrift shop to see the old styles… some of them are really “wow.”
I’ll even shop online for things that I just can’t seem to locate in the stores… but that’s such a nuisance because I can’t try them on and you know… you try on 50 things that look great on the hanger, and cash out only one, haha.
If you really want a “different” look, or something special, though, you don’t really need any of the glitzy styles.
I think the most popular clothing item for women is still the “little black dress.”
How could that be?
Everyone’s seen the little black dress, it’s nothing new.
Hold on, though.
If you accessorize, a cute little bag or bold piece of jewelry, you’ve suddenly transformed that same old little black dress that everyone’s seen already, into YOU.
Your personality comes through, not from the dress itself, but by what you do with it.
Your bag.
Your heels.
Your makeup.
Your jewelry.
And most of all… your personality.
That very same little black dress that every woman in the world has worn, is suddenly unique to YOU.
Hey, bloggers, there’s a lesson here.
Special: Learn To Blog… (My Video Inside)
( Same lesson for you guys, too, by the way. Sorry for the girl talk. Sidenote: I guess I could have used a football story instead of the little black dress… well, use your imagination, here 🙂 because I don’t know football stories).
Here’s the lesson.
Your blog has to “look” like a place that people want to be.
It has to really welcome your visitors with a visual appeal that tells them to pull up a chair and hang out for a while.
That means, it has to have some life, some charm, some personality.
The substance is important too, of course, but nobody’s going to even get that far if they find the welcome mat embedded in the design, look and feel of your blog.
Make A First Impression That Will “Impress”
So, how do you impress people through the design of your blog?
I’m not going to answer that.
You have to.
I mean, if you put on your new little black dress and ask me who to impress, I’d have to say… whoever you want.
So know who you’re trying to impress first.
Then decide which blog “accessories” will do the job.
If you have a blog about money and finance, it will be far different than if you have one about fashion.
In either case, you must first consider who you want to impress and what it is that actually will impress them.
Then you can decide what color scheme fits, what sort of images or header to use, where to put your category list, or your opt-in form.
Will you chase people down with a circus of pop-ups, or a single exit pop?
All these things will reflect who it is you want to impress.
Let me give you two examples, here.
Take Action
Blog designs certainly seem to be trending toward this model.
Your visitor is greeted at the door and told where to go, what to do, and when to do it (translate… “now”).
These are the Step 1, Step 2, Step 3 designs that I’m sure you’ve seen all over the place.
The assumption is that your blog visitor is a prospective customer or client.
If you’re using this model, you don’t want them to leave your blog without either buying something or signing up for something.
So what impression does this convey?
To me, it looks desperate and self-serving.
You can see I’m not a big fan 🙂
When I visit a blog that has a big splash page that says “Sign Up For My List” and at the bottom there’s a teeny weenie little hyperlink anchored to text that says “visit my blog”, you don’t really care if I visit your blog or not.
You just want me on your email list.
As a “visitor” I’m tempted to think,
“hmmmm… you want me on your email list… this is for your benefit not mine.”
So I’d be a bit uncomfortable even clicking the little “blog” link because I’d expect more of the same.
My first impression… this blog is designed to benefit the blogger, and probably at my expense.
Click away.
Special: Learn To Blog… (My Video Inside)
Pull Up A Chair
This kind of blog is designed to give a different impression.
Obviously.
And that impression needs to be very obvious, right out of the gate.
If you’re going to use this kind of design then you aren’t going to pester people to buy something or join your email list until you’ve given them a walk-through.
Let them see who you are.
Your About Me page should be clearly available.
Your postings should be up front and easily accessible, not hidden behind a bunch of “action” gateways.
After all, you are in the business of blogging to help people.
You want to give them value and you do.
Ideally, you help them solve a problem that you know they have.
You are clear on that because you know exactly who your readers are and what their challenges are.
You see, now you’re speaking their language, and impressing on them that you really care about them.
After you’ve established a bit of rapport through giving some value, THEN you could ask them to sign up for your email list to “continue” the valuable relationship that’s already in motion.
You could even ask them to buy something at this point… as long as it’s something that will help them solve the problem you’ve been helping them with (so-called “native adverts”).
So let’s talk about your blog.
Does it have the look and feel that reflects accurately on you, and on what you’re all about?
Have you contemplated any changes or modications that might make your voice, your brand – more authentic?
Please tell me your thoughts in the comments below, and share this article on your social sites.
-Donna
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