In the previous post, we focused on two general – but major – aspects of blogging that you need to work on in order to optimize your blog for your readers. Indeed, layout and content work hand in hand and should be designed with your readers in mind.
There are, however, many other aspects of blogging which you can pay attention to in order to make your blog better with your readers in mind. They may fall under either of the topics mentioned in the last post.
Easy navigation is a must for any blog that aims to be successful. This has something to do with both content and layout. Blogging is all about presenting content from a more realistic point of view AND it is about finding all the relevant content with minimal effort. That is why you should design your blog with the idea that you will be making it easy for your reader to find relevant posts, links to your archives, and even external links to your sources.
Some practical ideas:
-make sure the HOME button or link is easy to find; the header would be a good location for this.
-your archives should be easy to find as well; upper right or left column would be ideal. The idea is for the readers NOT to have to scroll down to find these links.
-other relevant links such as the About page should also be in a conspicuous location.
-sources or supplementary information to your posts should have links within the posts themselves. This way, the reader just has to click on the anchor text.
Originally posted on May 4, 2008 @ 2:35 pm