(Oh So) Beautiful Paper
http://beautifulpaper.typepad.com
I'm a newlywed with a fondness for all things paper.
formspring.me
what is the best way to go about designing a blog? I personally like things very simple and clean looking, but I also want my blog to get noticed… will a clean and simple look prevent my blog from getting noticed?
A clean and simple look will never prevent your blog from getting noticed - and in fact some of my favorite blogs have very simple and minimalist designs. For my own blog design, I also try to keep things relatively simple and clean, with lots of white space so that the reader’s eye doesn’t get overwhelmed, but also with a bit of color, femininity, and whimsy thrown in. I think a blog design should be a reflection of its authors style and personality, so if that’s simple and clean for you, then go for it!
formspring.me
Do you have any books or resources that you can recommend to learn about design, website/blog design, getting your website traffic, etc.? Where did you learn?
I’m afraid I don’t have many resources to recommend. To the extent that I design, I’m really a self-taught hobbyist and haven’t used any books. I’ve picked up most of my tips from Google searches (particularly when it comes to html and CSS code) and just trial and error using programs like Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop. There’s one design blog called Bittbox that is pretty helpful and taught me how to manipulate brushes and create self-repeating patterns in Illustrator, but that’s the only one I can think of at the moment.
In terms of blog traffic, the best recommendation I can give is to reach out to fellow bloggers and do some Google research on how to improve your SEO ranking. Improving your blog traffic usually comes one of three ways: search engines (which is why SEO matters), getting onto the blog rolls or being linked to from other blogs, and guest posts on other blogs. But definitely don’t e-mail an established blogger asking to be put on their blog roll - just e-mail them to let them know who you are and what your blog is about and if your content is good enough then things will flow from there. Building your website traffic will always flow from a combination of good content and building relationships with other people in your community - one doesn’t really work without the other.
formspring.me
what is your best piece of advice for new bloggers out there and how can you get your blog noticed by other bloggers and people in your industry? I recently started a wedding blog…
Great question! My first piece of advice to new bloggers is always to make sure that your voice and personality shines through your blog posts. I’ve seen some new bloggers try to keep themselves out of their blog thinking that it’s best to have a neutral, clean slate for the actual content, but I think blogs need a personality of their own in order to stand out. Without exception, I associate each of my favorite blogs with the personality and taste of their author. Finding your voice can be a difficult process for new bloggers, and all I can say about that is that you’ll know it once you’ve found it and you just have to keep trying until you do.
On getting noticed, I think it’s important to keep in mind that blogging is a community and bloggers are people. Having good content and a pleasing blog design are the foundation of a good blog, but if you want to make connections with other bloggers, the best way to do that is by sending them a personal e-mail to introduce yourself and let them know what your blog is all about. With wedding blogs in particular, since it’s already a pretty saturated environment, having a unique angle and carving out a niche for your blog within the existing wedding blog environment will go a long way in helping you form connections and get noticed by people in the industry. I hope that helps answer your question!
