Saving Money on Improving Your Blog Design by Reading Skellies 'The Simple Web'

This post is my interpretation of Skellies ebook, The Simple web. Click this link to learn more.

People oft try to cram as much information into the sidebars as possible. They assume the reader will only stay on the main page thus try to add as much ‘extras’ to improve the stickiness of their blog. This often renders the sidebar too cluttered and prematurely sends keen readers elsewhere.

These mistakes can cost you thousands – read on to understand why.

Skellie wrote a book called the Simple Web early in her blogging career. She currently charges $150 for a usability report. Judging by her about page she is very much in demand. Her free e-book can give you the skills to give your own blog its own usability makeover.

Skellie organized the four elements of the Simple Web into four categories:

• gripping
• resonating
• interacting
• talking

I have reorganized her e-book into simple steps that a blogger can take. This is not intended to be a replacement for the e-book – Ihighly recommend you read it! However, I aim to provide examples and further steps you can take to ensure your site is awesome. The original model is simplified down to the 10 actions you can immediately take to ensure your site is unforgettable.

Make your layout Memorable

Your layout doesn’t have to cost a bundle to be memorable – its what you do with it that sets it apart.

You don’t need a bunch of fancy graphics and complicated features to have a stunning site. This can help for some, but isn’t essential.

If you focus on making your layout clean and value packed, that will be enough. The user will be able to find all the content they need immediately. Readers will respect you greatly for this.

Work Images into Your articles

Skellie is correct in that images attract readers. I can stumble dozens, if not hundreds of pages in a sitting. The one common thread between my stumbles is interesting images.

Skellie did a great post about finding great flickr images on her website. This method can save you hundreds yearly on stock photos.

Simplify down to the elements that will grip readers,

Outside of the content, you have two main areas to grip readers:

• Header
• Sidebar

These elements should be used to draw readers within your site.

Upon reading an article, the readers eye often goes to the place right next to it: the sidebar.

The sidebar is a place that is often too cluttered. If you have something other than a personal blog, the following items shouldn’t be in your sidebar.

• A friendfeed widget
• Links to various social media profiles
• Widgets for recent posts and commenters

If someones intrigued by your content they will naturally want to explore your site. If they want to know about you personally, they will check out your about page. They will explore your social media profiles and find your other work.

You should concentrate on elements that draw users deeper into your content. Reading a number of well written articles makes me considerably more interested in a blogger than what the latest commenter says.

Your header should focus on drawing readers really deep: to see what its about, to get a complete overview of all the content that is offered and to contact you if necessary.

The sidebar should be used to capture their attention, whether it be attracting them to one of your more popular posts or getting a subscriber to content.

Create collections with your most popular list in mind.

If your just starting out a new blog, this is a great way to get new content.

You have a fair idea about the users you want to target in your niche. You know what type of information you want to convey. Just write to your target audience while aiming for the post to be spectacular.

I prefer a slightly different method. Keep your ‘most popular’ list in mind however focus on a series of articles, rather than just the one. So, when a reader clicks to find out how to slash thousands of dollars from there food bill they discover a summary of many in depth articles. This can drive visitors to multiple pages instead of just the one..

Write for the new visitor

Imagine what you would want on a page if you were a first time visitor. You want to know exactly what the site offers. I try to focus on the new visitor through navigation rather than writing. This is different for each blog.

This doesn’t always apply to articles. You can always summarize previous posts on a topic, aimed at beginners, before discussing a complicated topic.

Write for your targeted audience

Don’t try and cater to everyone – the lack of focus may alienate a lot of readers. The majority of blogs in my reader are focused on a very concentrated topic.

I have my blog aimed at a target audience however also apply to a broader one. The blog is aimed at young women, looking to improve their finances. However I also have a very in depth articles section focused on a myriad of concepts related to finances. These posts are organized as series.

This way I appeal to my target audience, yet also other audiences interested in finance.

Write an about page that promises value

If readers go to your about page, it means they have chosen to find out more about your blog or yourself. This is a useful place to get them entranced!

Primarily, you should focus on how this site should help them. It would be prudent to mention how subscribing can aid them. You should mention sister sites you have and blog branded social media profiles.

When it comes to the personal elements of about pages, I believe in brevity. However you can overcome this by creating relevant pages on aspects of your journey and link to them in your about page. This is a useful way of drawing readers deep into your blog.

Move the feed icon to the top of your sidebar

Its very important that your subscription button is above the fold. However, you may also want to entice the reader to sign up via email or join your email newsletter. You need to ensure this area is maximized without any extraneous words or elements.

A tip to maximize this area is to link to relevant posts/pages regarding the benefits of subscription. If your in some niches, it may be useful having a page dedicated to the explanation of subscription types.

Add a subscribe message to the bottom of your articles

If your reader makes it to the bottom of your article, they will immediately see this call to action. This could be a useful area to mention incentives of RSS or newsletter subscription.

Invest Time in creating useful content

In the long run, what do you think will get more traffic? A small post covering a timely topic or an indepth post covering a topic that will be relevant in the years to come. I’m always going back to Skellies previous posts regarding usability. I still go back to Steve Pavlinas article about making income online, despite originally reading it months ago.

This is linked to Yaro Staraks method of creating pillar content. If you write a post or tutorial that is insanely useful, others will want to link to it and submit it to various social media sites.

If you read Skellies e book and follow these 10 steps, your blog will quickly become one of the better in your niche.