8 Tips for Designing Your Personal Blog and Sharing Your Story Online

Your first foray into blogging may have started as nothing more than online journals or virtual diaries that you opened up to the world, but these days, there are deeper reasons why people start a blog. For most modern bloggers, their blogs are a way to express their ideas and tell their stories to a global audience in the hopes of finding like-minded readers who may enjoy the content and return for more. Meanwhile, influencers and celebrities use blogs to further enhance their personal brand and promote their sponsors’ businesses.

Whatever the reason you have for starting a blog, you can increase its chances of success by following these essential tips.

1. Find the Right Niche

Your journey begins with the selection of the right blog niche. Consider topics that genuinely interest you and match your expertise. Then, think about your potential readers and their needs. Where they intersect is a great place to start finding this ideal niche. For a more precise approach, you can conduct niche research to understand market demand, competition, and potential growth areas.

Cooking enthusiasts, for example, can consider starting a food or cooking blog where they share recipes and cooking tips. However, with the market already saturated with a lot of cooking blogs, you can further specialize and write exclusively about a specific type of cuisine.

Meanwhile, moms can write about their experiences taking care of their families. But to stand out among the many mom blogs that are already established online, you can focus on what makes you different from other moms. Do you own a business? If so, start a mompreneur blog that talks about the challenges and rewards of this kind of life. Do you home-school your kids? If the answer is yes, perhaps you can start a blog about homeschooling experiences. 

Whatever niche you discover, it has to be something you’re passionate about and will make your blogging experience more enjoyable and sustainable.

2. Select a User-Friendly Blog Platform

The blogging platform you choose significantly impacts your experience as a blogger. Popular free platforms like WordPress, Blogger, and Wix offer user-friendly interfaces and a range of customization options. Evaluate the pros and cons of each platform. In particular, consider factors like ease of use, flexibility, and the ability to grow your blog over time. Furthermore, make sure your chosen platform aligns with your blogging goals.

In the Philippines, WordPress is the clear winner, with 98.3 percent of bloggers using the platform according to WordPress usage statistics. This is followed by Blogger with 1.22 percent and Tumblr with a mere 0.24 percent.

With WordPress’s customizable templates and easy WYSIWYG (what you see is what you get) editor, you can certainly make your own blog by yourself. However, if you want your website to look professional with full functionality, you probably need help from any one of the professional agencies that offer some of the best web design services Philippines has to offer. Hiring a professional team to do the job for you will set you up for future success without needing to study the intricacies of web design.

3. Develop Your Unique Brand

Building a unique brand is crucial for personal bloggers. Your brand should reflect your personality and resonate with your readers. To build your brand, start with the name of the blog. It should encapsulate what your niche is and what’s at the core of your blog. Next, you can work on your logo. For a more professional result, you can ask a professional graphic designer to design the logo for you, especially if you don’t have a background in graphics design. Then, you have to nail the tone and voice of your writing and apply them to all your future blog posts. Remember, a well-defined brand helps readers connect with your content and identify with your message.

4. Design an Intuitive Layout

A clean and intuitive blog layout is essential. It should make navigation easy for your readers. As such, choose readable fonts and an aesthetically pleasing color scheme. More importantly, ensure that your blog is mobile-responsive, as many readers access blogs on smartphones and tablets. In fact, according to Statista, 54.4 percent of worldwide website traffic comes from mobile devices. With the portability of smartphones, readers are more inclined to use them for browsing and reading than their laptops or computers.

5. Create a Content Calendar

Consistency is the key to successful blogging. A content calendar helps you plan and schedule your posts in advance, which ensures a steady flow of content for your readers. Consider significant cultural events and holidays, and plan content accordingly. Moreover, keep a well-organized content calendar to streamline your blogging efforts and keep readers engaged.

To create your content calendar, you can use something as simple as a Google Worksheet or a specialized app like ClickUp and Sprout Social to manage your content workload.

 6. Include Clear Images and Engaging Graphics

Visuals play a vital role in blog design. Clear images and engaging graphics enhance the overall appeal of your blog. When using images, ensure they are high-quality and relevant to your content. It’s also important to optimize images for fast loading—and provide alt text for accessibility. Finally, consider using tools and resources to create eye-catching graphics that complement your stories.

Experts recommend a 3:2 aspect ratio or 1200px by 630px blog images to ensure the image remains clear while not being too large that it would slow down the page download. Meanwhile, for graphics such as infographics and posters, you can use easy-to-use apps such as Canva or Adobe Express to craft your design.

7. Write Compelling and Relatable Content

The heart of your personal blog lies in the content you create. Write compelling and relatable stories that connect with your readers on a personal level. What’s more, share your experiences, anecdotes, and insights in a way that resonates with your target audience.

To maintain authenticity, write honestly and with good intentions. For example, if you’re writing a food review, you don’t have to always like what you’re eating. You can respectfully deliver constructive criticisms. When writing about your life, there’s no reason why you should sugarcoat negative experiences such as travel mishaps or health issues. In fact, these enrich your blog articles and make you even more relatable and engaging.

8. Optimize Your Content for Search Engines

Search engine optimization (SEO) is vital for increasing your blog’s discoverability. Basic SEO principles like keyword research, on-page optimization, and local SEO are essential for bloggers. Think about what your readers might search for, and incorporate relevant keywords into your content. Consider local SEO strategies to reach a more specific audience.

One of the key components you have to get right in SEO is the keyword. Using Google Keyword Planner and other keyword tools like Ahrefs, discover keywords that people are actually using for searching.

There are a lot of elements that go into designing your personal blog. It’s a creative process that will continue to evolve as your blog gains an audience. Through these tips, you can start pursuing your goal of having a successful blog. With consistency and dedication, you can grow your audience and even earn from just posting your thoughts.