Easy ways to improve your blog

It has been a really long time I've written a post on blogging tips, tricks or advice. I've learnt a lot over the last few years of blogging and I love sharing my knowledge with other bloggers, so I though I'd put together a list of things you could easily do to improve the look of your blog. There are no rules in blogging, and I am no expert, but no matter how much people say the look of the blog doesn't matter, the truth is that it does. You may have good content, but if readers cannot find the information they need from your blog and everything looks messy, they will probably not be back for more.

1. Get a new banner

If you really love blogging, you can do it for years and having the same banner could get boring. You can give your page a new look by getting a new banner which you can either create by yourself or order from etsy.

2. Rewrite your "About me" page

While blogging, life goes on and things change so your 'About me' page might become a bit outdated. It is important to edit it once in a while. If you've got a picture there, change the picture to a more recent one.

3. Declutter your sidebar

With all the widgets we have available, it's easy to get carried away with what we put in our sidebar. Check what you currently have and delete everything you are not using. White space is important on a blog, it gives the feeling of organization.

4. Reevaluate your ads

Ads are one of the ways bloggers make money from their blogs, but if the ads are not bringing in money then they are pretty much useless. So it's better to delete them and create space for new ones.

5. Add the "You might also like" widget

In order to link your content and increase your bounce rate, it is a great idea to add the "You might also like" widget at the end of your posts, this way sharing older content.

6. Show your popular posts

Other than sharing similar posts at the end of your blog posts, you could also share your most popular posts this week or in the last month in your sidebar, and give them more exposure.

7. Make your photos large

In my opinion, there is nothing worse than a review of a product where you can't properly see what is in the image due to the size. Be it the full name of the product, the swatch or anything else. Photos on blogs need to be large, bright and clear.

8. Categorize your content

If your blog is about more than one topic, it is important to categorize the blog in order to make it easier to navigate. This way, if someone wants to see fitness posts, they can easily find it and scroll through all the fitness posts you've written.

9. Make your content shareable

In order to get more exposure, it is important to make your images and posts shareable. This way your readers can send your posts to their friends, share them on social media etc with just one click.

10. Include links to your social media profiles

Blogging goes hand in hand with social media. This is where you share your content, and if people find you interesting then they would like to stay updated on what is happening by following you on your social media profiles. If you do not have social media buttons on your blog, finding you is quite difficult.

11. Include a search bar

In addition to categorizing your content, it is important to have a search bar somewhere on your blog. Search bars make it a lot easier to find content. For example, if I remember you wrote a post on the Nails Inc Gel nail polish but I don't remember if you'd recommend this product or not, I can easily search for "Nails Inc" in your search bar and come up with the post, instead of scrolling through all your posts trying to find it.

12. Remove audio/video players which play automatically

There is nothing more annoying than audio/video players which start automatically the moment you open a blog. If you still have that on your blog, please remove it immediately. 

13. Optimize fonts

Having a pretty blog design isn't everything. It's pretty much pointless if your font is not readable. Make sure the main content is on a contrasting background, the font is basic, easy to read and large enough.

Do you have any other suggestions which should be included?