Why does Blog Design Matter Anyway?

What does it matter what your blog looks like?
Isn’t ‘good design’ a subjective thing anyway?
Isn’t ‘content king’? So why does it matter what it looks like as long as your content is great?

There is that old gem of a saying again: “Content is King!” and I still think it is spot on, but I want to add one little word in there…

“Readable content is king.”

Yes your content is important, very important. But if people can’t read your content, or can’t find it, then it doesn’t matter how great the words are, people won’t stick around to find out.

We readers are lazy beasts, especially when it comes to reading on a screen.

If we have to work hard to read your words, we probably won’t bother.
If we have to search for how to leave a comment, we probably won’t bother.
If we can’t easily find more interesting stuff to read on your blog, we probably won’t bother.

A good blog design is not just about a pretty header and matching social media buttons. A good blog design is about knowing what your blogging goals are and making sure the way your blog is designed works towards those goals, not against them.

Just as there is no one right way to blog, there is also no one right to design a blog. Some design ideals are based on how a blog looks and are subjective, but some design ideals are based on information about how readers use blogs and how blogs work. You need a combination of both if you want your blog design to compliment your great content and help you reach your goals.