Website tips that can help your blog

Before there were blogs, the internet consisted of websites. Many of today's current bloggers started out as website designers. As a matter of fact, it is not uncommon for some website designers to be bloggers. They know the positive aspects of free hosting and how to run a site effectively.
Here are some Website develop tips that can be carried over to bloggers.

• The first thing to catch a visitor's eye- the identifying mark to tell them where their browser has landed them. When someone lands on your site, they need to know within the first 2 seconds where they are. Make them wait and wonder or have to look for an answer and you'll lose them. The easiest way to do this is with a header that tells the general theme of the blog content.
  

• Your content should be layed out so that it is easily scannable. Think of the content in terms of blocks. The sidebar block, the post block etc.
  
  
• Within the post block, information should be scannable to the eye so that readers can pick up on post topics and why it is of interest to them. Use bolds, subheaders, bullets, etc accomplishes this.
  
  
• Big time webdesign trick- keep your fonts simple. Mostly because if a computer doesn't have your font it will substitute another one anyway. Also, abstract fonts can hinder reading ability, authority of the site, and give a cluttered appearance.
  
  
• Too may "click here's" to get your desired information can push a visitor away. Note that this is different from linking as linking goes to legitimate sites.
  
  
• Yes animation, such as Flash, can be impressive to some but, keep in mind that it can be annoying and slow things down. Know when and where to use it.
  
  
• Don't make anything go upon landing on the page. That means, if you must have music or a video, allow the visitor the option to do it them self.
  
  
• Reduce the clutter. Think white space. Yes, we know your blog is popular but, we don't need to see a bunch of badges, banners, ads etc. Consider the use of an 'about us' page to put awards and badges if you have a lot to share.
  
  
• Keep navigation simple and easy. Group post logically using labels that you can provide links for. Use simple navigation buttons. More sophisticated ones may not work in all browsers or can have problems running occasionally.
  
  
• Avoid Flash and other intros. I hate being stalled by these and many others do too.
  
  
• It's a good idea to see how your site looks and runs in different browsers and on different computers. Test your site often to make sure it all works and looks good.
  
  
• Lastly, spell check and proofread.