6 Blog Design Tips You Need to Know (and Mistakes to Avoid!)

Last updated on 20 January 2025

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One of my favourite parts of having a blog is literally just looking at it. Which sounds ridiculous when I ‘type it out loud’ but I do love a functioning blog that is also nice to look at it. Over the years I’ve picked up some blog design tips that I try to incorporate into my website, and while there are always things I want to tweak and little changes I want to make here and there as I learn how people interact with it, on the whole, I think it’s pretty good.

You might disagree – maybe you don’t like my blog design and that’s totally okay. 🤣 But the point is that designing your blog well can be a make-or-break endeavour. We want it to look good, but not too fancy-shamncy, we want it to be functional but not too complicated. And it can definitely be a fine line.

We’re going to look at some blog design mistakes you might be making with your blog, and then I’ll offer up some blog design tips that might help you tweak your own blog.

6 Blog Design Mistakes to Avoid

Too much clutter

If you’ve packed every inch of your blog with widgets, ads, or text, readers won’t know where to focus. Use your white space, let your content and supporting things (like footer, side bar etc) breathe.

Overloading with colours

Using every colour of the rainbow might feel fun, but it can make your blog look chaotic and like a kid who just ate a crayon and threw it back up on your site. Stick to a handful of colours.

Crowded menus

Filling your menu bar with too many options confuses readers, and it can end up looking really bad, too. You’ll notice I’ve only got a few menu items, but I have drop-down items. This is going to help readers find content; it’s a logical flow on effect, and they’re not bombarded with all the options upfront. More on this soon.

Funky fonts galore

Fancy fonts might look cool, but if they’re hard to read, they’ll send readers away in frustration and possibly sore eyes. I like to have just one ‘fancy’ font (the swooshy one), and all the others (which there are 2 of) are easy to read and are used for most other things.

Ignoring mobile-friendliness

Most readers browse on their phones, so a blog that isn’t mobile-friendly is missing a huge opportunity. Our blog designs need to be phone-savvy.

6 Blog Design Tips to Keep in Mind

1. Keep it clean and clear

A clean, clutter-free design can really make a difference. When I was younger (ha) and was new to my blog, I definitely had a cluttered blog. I loved filling up the sidebars with cutesy things that didn’t actually serve a purpose.

Don’t do that.

Choose a layout that highlights your content rather than competing with it – we need it to breathe. White space—also known as negative space—is your friend. It creates that breathing room between different elements and makes your blog easier to navigate. Resist the urge to cram in every widget and button you can find because you think it’s cool. It might be cool, but it’s also in the way and serves no purpose.

2. Stick to a colour palette

Choose a few colours (two to four) that align with your brand or the feel that you want your blog to have, and stick with them throughout your site.

For example, perhaps you’re a travel blog and your colours are navy, mint and a pop of pink (making up a colour palette as I type haha). Those are the colours you’ll want to use for things like your headings, buttons, and other elements you might have like arrows or shapes.

3. Make sure your site is easy to navigate

A well-designed blog should make it simple for readers to explore. Your menu bar should be clean and organized, with just a handful of key categories or pages (think: Home, About, Blog, Contact).

Similarly, sidebars and footers are great tools for helping readers find popular posts, recent content, or related topics. Keep them focused and avoid overloading them with unnecessary elements.

4. Choose Reader-Friendly Fonts

Fonts are fun, but readability should always come first. A simple sans-serif or serif font works well for most blogs. Use fancy or script fonts sparingly, perhaps in headers or logos, rather than in your main content.

Remember, your goal is to make it easy for readers to absorb your content. If they have to squint or struggle to read, they’re more likely to leave.

5. Use High-Quality Images

We live in a visual world, and great images can elevate your blog design. Make sure your photos are high-quality and relevant to your content.

Where possible, include personal images—especially if your blog is part of your personal brand. Bonus points if you can invest in professional branding photos! Not only are they fun to shoot, but they also add a polished, cohesive touch to your site.

6. Make It Mobile-Friendly

With most readers browsing on mobile devices, your blog needs to look just as good on a phone as it does on a desktop. Use a responsive theme or template, and always preview your site on different devices to ensure everything looks right.

Pay special attention to font sizes, image scaling, and navigation menus. Mobile-friendly design isn’t optional anymore—it’s essential.

Bonus: Consider Hiring a Pro if you can

If you have the budget, hiring a web designer can save you time and overwhelm, and can ensure your blog is looking top-notch. They’ll have the expertise to bring your blogging vision to life but also be able to recommend styles and functions that you might not have thought about.

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Your blog design matters more than you might think. Even if there are only a handful of people coming it to. A well-designed blog not only looks good for your visitors (and you haha) but will also have people coming back to your blog, knowing that they’ll have a good time clicking about.

What’s your biggest struggle with blog design? Let me know in the comments!