5 Ways to Keep with the New Trend of Simplicity for Your Blog

December 28, 2014 Blogging Guide

Many blog developers are moving design ideas to become more simplistic in nature. Not only will this help keep the content of your site from seeming cluttered, but it’s an optimization technique for mobile devices. As smartphones and tablets become more prevalent in the world, easy to navigate and simple designs are growing in number.

In what ways can you keep your site functional while offering more of an easier to use platform?

Reduce Imagery

Although you may love your large and flashy graphics, it could be too much for smaller mobile devices. Try to keep your graphics to a sensible size while eliminating those that really don’t have a purpose. You’ll still want an image or two within your blog posts, but gigantic header images or intricate backgrounds can deter from the content. Viewing your pages on a six-inch screen shouldn’t entail a great deal of zooming in and out for your visitors.

Less Scrolling

Reducing the overall size of your site may take a bit of work, but will be beneficial in the long run. According to Washington Deluxe, a single area can deliver the content with very minimal scrolling. This allows your footer to be displayed as well allowing for further links and information that may not be seen otherwise. The less people have to scroll through the pages, the better your site will function for those on smartphones and desktop computers alike.

Declutter the Sidebars

Many bloggers will add too much material into the sidebar making it look like the side of a race car. These sponsors, banners and tidbits of information could be distracting to your visitors reducing his or her retention rate. Material needs to be easily found, and gumming up the sidebar may be a distraction. Try to maintain the mantra, “Less is more.”

More Subcategories, Less Categories

Subcategories allow you to focus your topics without including a long list of primary categories. When you enable collapsible menus, you can streamline the sidebar’s links by offering a few primary topics that lead into a deeper hierarchical structure. As virtually all content is able to follow a logical flow structure, you simply need to sit down and figure out what posts go into which category. The fewer links you have on the side, the more streamlined the blog pages become.

Flash and Java

Although Flash and Java can provide some amazing features, both of these platforms have the capacity to slow your blog down. If it takes too long to load your pages, visitors will abandon the site for another. This is especially true for mobile devices as these codes do not function the same way according to various brands. It can also hurt your page rank in various search engines. Try to keep Flash and Java to a basic minimum in order to promote a more user-friendly experience. According to Patricio Robles of eConsultancy.com, Flash and Java are two of the most common things that slow down the site.

Blog Simplicity

Too many beginning bloggers feel the need to saturate the website with imagery and affiliate banners check over here. While ad revenue may be important to your lifestyle, reducing the clutter may be more prolific than you imagined. Scrutinize your site carefully and discover ways you can reduce the clutter for an enhanced experience.