Tips for Creating a User Friendly Blog

This post is going to prove really controversial for some but remember this is just my point of view. I do have a little experience in good blog design and in designing a blog that is user friendly for readers. Certain things about blog design are great for readers and other things aren't so great for keeping users on your blog. So here are my tips for a user friendly blog.

No Autoplaying Music

This is one of my biggest bugbears and speaking with other bloggers it irritates them too. Autoplaying music can be a hassle when your trying to read a blog secretly at work or when I have the 3 year old asleep next to me. Don't do it.

Show Content Above the Fold

Massive headers are a real pain in the ass. A lot of bloggers opt for them but I really like to see some content without scrolling. Readers are notoriously lazy and you want to lure in readers as soon as they land on your page. Show some content above the fold please.

No CAPTCHA

Captcha really does annoy me and put me off commenting. Sometimes I have to enter it 3 or 4 times before I get the correct one. If you're worried about spam then moderate your comments.

Follow Button vs GFC

Some bloggers on the Blogger platform only have the follow button active and not a GFC box. There is one huge problem with this option. The follow button only shows when you're logged into Blogger. This is a huge problem for non Blogger users especially. Also having the follow button located there means that less people will see it and of course that will result in less followers.

Add a Search Box

Search boxes are vital for helping people to locate what they're looking for. If your blog is very new then you really don't need one. But if you have more than a couple of hundred  posts then a search box is essential. You'd be suprised how many blogs don't have one.

Add an Email Subscription Box

The more options you give readers the better. You need to remember not every reader is a blogger. So RSS, GFC or Bloglovin' may be something they know nothing about. Blogger and Wordpress all give easy options for adding an email subscription box.

Dark Backgrounds and Grey Text

I am not a fan of dark backgrounds in general but when coupled with grey text it makes the content almost unreadable. Avoid dark backgrounds and grey text whenever possible.

Unclutter Your Sidebar

Only add widgets that are necessary. A lot of bloggers choose to add tonnes of images, badges etc to their sidebar. The more widgets in the sidebar, the longer the site takes to load. There are of course things that are necessary like social media icons, archive list, search button, subscription options, ads etc. But overloading your sidebars is never a good idea. Not only does it affect load times but it also makes a blog look cluttered.

Yes I am quite particular when it comes to design and I won't apologise for it. This is of course my personal preference and based on my experience. it is purely a post to give all bloggers something to think about.

Read More

Show Post Excerpts on Homepage with Thumbnails - Blogger

This blog is all about giving you the tools and options to design your blog to look however you want it. So today I'm going to show you how to show post excerpts on your front page instead of full posts. This method will show an excerpt with a post thumbnail and a 'continue reading' link.

So first of all navigate to Dashboard>Template>Edit HTML>Proceed.

Tick the 'expand widgets' box. Search for the </head> tag and place the following code above it.

<script type='text/javascript'>var thumbnail_mode = "no-float" ;
summary_noimg = 300;
summary_img = 350;
img_thumb_height = 200;
img_thumb_width = 300;
</script>
<script type='text/javascript'>
//<![CDATA[
function removeHtmlTag(strx,chop){
if(strx.indexOf("<")!=-1)
{
var s = strx.split("<");
for(var i=0;i<s.length;i++){
if(s[i].indexOf(">")!=-1){
s[i] = s[i].substring(s[i].indexOf(">")+1,s[i].length);
}
}
strx = s.join("");
}
chop = (chop < strx.length-1) ? chop : strx.length-2;
while(strx.charAt(chop-1)!=' ' && strx.indexOf(' ',chop)!=-1) chop++;
strx = strx.substring(0,chop-1);
return strx+'...';
}

function createSummaryAndThumb(pID){
var div = document.getElementById(pID);
var imgtag = "";
var img = div.getElementsByTagName("img");
var summ = summary_noimg;
if(img.length>=1) {
imgtag = '<span style="float:left; padding:0px 10px 5px 0px;"><img src="'+img[0].src+'" width="'+img_thumb_width+'px" height="'+img_thumb_height+'px"/></span>';
summ = summary_img;
}

var summary = imgtag + '<div>' + removeHtmlTag(div.innerHTML,summ) + '</div>';
div.innerHTML = summary;
}

//]]>
</script>

 

Now search for the following line of code.

<data:post.body/>

Replace it with the code below:

<b:if cond='data:blog.pageType == &quot;static_page&quot;'><br/>
<data:post.body/>
<b:else/>

<b:if cond='data:blog.pageType != "item"'>

<div expr:id='"summary" + data:post.id'><data:post.body/></div>
<script type='text/javascript'>createSummaryAndThumb("summary<data:post.id/>");
</script> <span class='rmlink' style='float:right;padding-top:20px;'><a expr:href='data:post.url'> continue reading "<data:post.title/>"</a></span>

</b:if>
<b:if cond='data:blog.pageType == "item"'><data:post.body/></b:if>
</b:if>

You'll see that I have bolded the words 'continue reading' you can change those words to read on or to whatever you like.

Hit save.

That is all there is to it :)

Read More

10 Simple to Implement Ways to Increase RSS Subscribers

As bloggers we all get a little bit excited when we discover that we have new subscribers. Whether it be via Bloglovin, RSS or GFC. If someone subscribes it means they value your content and they want to be kept updated. It is a huge ego boost and it demonstrates that your content is compelling. But there are ways of increasing the chance that someone will subscribe and in this post I will show you how.

1. Display an RSS Feed Icon

Having an easy to find RSS icon on your blog increases the chance that someone will subscribe. Make sure it is above the fold (the content people see before they scroll down the page) and that it appears on every page of your blog.

 

2. Offer Email Subscriptions

Bloggers may know what an RSS feed is but what about all the non bloggers who visit your blog. An email subscription box is vital to capture those potential readers. Even those who don't use RSS readers will in most instances use email.

 

3. Add a Subscribe Box to the Bottom of Every Post

You'll notice that at the end of every post. I have a call to action box encouraging people to subscribe. This means that if they didn't notice the sidebar they'll still have the option to subscribe.

 

4. Publish Frequently

Updating your blog regularly with great content is vital in encouraging subscriptions. why would people want to subscribe to a blog that hardly ever updates.

 

5. Write Useful and Unique Content

People love to read content that offers them something. This blog has grown very quickly mostly due to the fact that people can learn alot from it. Useful content also gets shared more often so it is a double win situation.

 

6. Use Your Feed Link When Commenting

Instead of leaving your url when commenting try leaving your feed address instead. Then when someone clicks on the link they'll be taken directly to your feed address. They'll still see your fine content but in 1 simple step they'll be able to subscribe.

 

7. Use Full Feeds Instead of Partial Ones

Make sure that your feed settings are set to full feed rather than partial ones. A lot of readers prefer them as it makes it easier to read your content. people are inherrently lazy and they may not want to have to visit your blog to read the content.

 

8. Email First Time Commenters

Another great tip is to email subscribers. When someone comments they leave an email address so why not email them and encourage them to subscribe to your feed. Thank them for their comment and suggest they subscribe to stay updated.

 

9. Submit Your Feed to Feed Directories

this can be a great way of boosting the amount of feed subscribers you have. To find feed directories just google it, there are loads of them out there and some are topic specific.

 

10. Offer Something Free for Subscribers

Why not produce an Ebook and offer it for free for subscribers. Or host a giveaway that is exclusively for feed subscribers.

 

There are loads of more ways to boost your subscriber list but these are some tips to get you started!

 

 

 

Read More

7 Tips for Increasing Your Google PageRank

 

I recently wrote a post on Google PageRank, what it is and why it is important. If you haven't already read it click here. I've had many questions regarding it and many of you asked how you can improve your PageRank. So today I'm going to give you some easy to implement tips on improving your ranking.

1. Post in Forums

Forums are a great source of backlinks (links to your website). Most forums allow you to add a signature to all your posts. In this signature just add a link to your website. But a word of caution - don't post in any old forum make it relevant to the content of your blog. Each of these posts is a backlink. Don't just post any old thing though make it a quality post.

 

2. Produce Quality Content

This may be obvious but I will say it anyway. High quality content is your best friend when obtaining links to your site. The better your content the more people will link to you. This kind of goes without saying.

 

3. Comment

Comments are backlinks. No spamming though or commenting just for a link. Make your comments valuable and related to the content. if you use Blogger DO NOT comment using your google login details, instead use the name/url option. Otherwise it will be a link to your Blogger profile and not to your site.

 

4. Submit Your Blog to Search Directories

These are a great way to get free links to your blog. They also help with improving your ranking on search engines and thus help you secure more traffic. Find a list of search engine directories here.

 

5. Submit Your Blog to Blog Directories

Add your blog to blog directories like Wikio and Blog Catalog. These are all quality backlinks to your blog.

 

6. Exchange Links with Other Blogs

Place another blogger's link on your blog and ask them to do the same for you. Make sure they blog about a similar topic though. Don't overdo it though as Google can penalize this type of link exchange.

 

7. Guest Posts

When you guest post for other bloggers, they usually add your blog's link to the end of the post. This provides you with a backlink to your blog. it is a double win situation as it also introduces your blog to people who maybe wouldn't find your blog otherwise.

 

So there you have it, those are my 7 tips for boosting your Google PageRank which in turn will provide you with a greater share of search engine traffic.

 

 

Read More

What is Google PageRank and Why is it Important for Blogs?

It is funny how my conversations on Twitter often inspire my post topics here on Girl Does Geek. After a conversation today i realised that not everyone is such a geek as me. Some are confused by what google pagerank is and how it affects their own blog. To put it simple Google pagerank is a value that Google uses to determine the value of a website. It is determined by the external pages that link to that site. Google has realised that the number of sites linking to it can be a good indicator to how valuable the content is. but it isn't as simple as a number of links. The PageRank of the site that links to it is also important. For example if a site links to your blog and it has a page rank of 1 it is considered less valuable than a site linking to you with a pagerank of 10. Google PR is measured from 1 to 10 with 1 being the least value and 10 being the most.

But why is this number important? Google uses pagerank when determining how high your site ranks in search results. It isn't the only information it takes into consideration but it is a pretty important one.

How can you check your PageRank?

Just visit PR Checker to find out your own PageRank.

But Firefox also has loads of add ons which will display this info on any page you visit. I believe chrome does too. Like so:



So there you have it. That is what Google Pagerank is. I've tried to put it as simply as possible but if you have any questions leave a comment!

Read More

5 Blogs Every Blogger Should Read

As blogs have grown so have the amount of blogs aimed at Bloggers. Such blogs can be a great resource and they can help you grow and improve your blog. So I've compiled a list of my favorite ones (not including my own of course). Check them out for some really useful blog related tips.

1. Problogger



This one needs no introduction but I'll give it one anyway. Problogger is a blog run by Australian Darren Rowse and it is full of excellent hints and tips to help you grow your blog. Of particular interest is Probloggers's 31 Days to a Better Blog.

 

2. Copyblogger

Copyblogger is headed up by Brian Clark of Copyblogger Media and it is a must read for tips on promoting and optimising your content to ensure that the maximum number of viewers read your content. He is a content marketing expert and this comes across on the copyblogger site.

 

3. Brian Gardner



A particular favorite of mine. Brian is the founder of wordpress framework design comapny Studiopress (which I use for this blog). He offers helpful blogging tips as well as a whole host of wordpress/studiopress design tutorials. He really engages with his readers both via Twitter and the comments section of his blog.

 

4. Quicksprout

Neil Patel's blog Quicksprout is a blog I visit almost daily. His knowledge and insight into SEO & Social Media is almost unrivalled. I know quite a bit about SEO but I always learn something new when reading his blog.

 

5. Search Engine Journal

SEJ is aimed at companies but is equally useful for bloggers. It is more than just a site covering SEO though with hints and tips on how to best present your content as well as advice on using social media to grow your readership. A must read!

So there you have it. This list is by no means exhaustive but the 5 mentioned are definitely a great resource for all bloggers whether your a tech one like me, a fashion blogger, a beauty blogger or a mummy one. Their tips are universal no matter what your blog focuses on.

Go check them out!

Read More

How to Add Your Latest Instagram Photos to Your Blogger Sidebar

I love Instagram! I've only just started using it but i'm hooked on it (my username is fayemarieblogs in case you were wondering). Wordpress has dozens of plugins for adding your latest photos to your sidebar but the same can't be said of Blogger. So I went on a hunt for a way for Blogger users to add their latest photos to their sidebar and hooray I found one.

Snap Widget generates the code for you and you just add it as a HTML widget on your Blogger layout page.

Go to Snap Widget

Fill in your details like below:

It will generate a snippet of code, you just need to copy the code and paste it into a HTML widget in Blogger.

 

You'll then be left with your instagram photos displayed in your sidebar.

 



The beauty of this site is that it lets you choose your background and select how many pics show both horizontally and diagonally.

feel free to leave your Instagram username in the comments section. I need more people to follow!

Read More

Social Media Icon Set for Fashion Bloggers

I've got a new social media icon set for you and this one is especially for fashion bloggers with the addition of Lookbook and Formspring. It is available as a zipped file so don't forget to extract the contents!

 



 

Click on the link on the next page to download!

Social Media Icons GDG

Read More

5 Easy Ways for the Non CSS Savvy to Improve Their Blog Design

I'm obsessed with blog design. You know it, I know it. A good design is vitally important. How many popular bloggers do you know who use the blogger default theme with no customisation, personally I can't name one. How your blog looks directly influences how popular it is. Now I realise that not everyone has the CSS skills that I possess but there are simple changes that you can make to substantially improve how your blog looks. I'll outline some of them in the post. Let's get down to it.

1. Streamline Your Sidebars

Really and truly the only information you need in your sidebar is your photo and about me blurb(although you could just have an about me page instead), following options, social media links, archive and categories. Any more than this is just unnecessary. Streamlining them makes your blog look more aesthetically pleasing and greatly improves page load time. One sidebar is adequate I really don't get the attraction in 3 column layouts. Many will disagree with me on the sidebar issue but it is my opinion from a design point of view.

2. A Custom Header

I do a lot of blog reading and one thing that crops up again and again is people using Blogger's default header. They are not attractive and having one demonstrates a lack of effort. Even the non tech savvy are capable of creating a header in picnik or a similar site. It really is as simple as choosing a nice font and writing your blog's name in a colour that compliments your colour scheme. it isn't a huge task and it really does make all the difference to your design.

3. Using a Custom Font

Adding a custom font used to be an arduous task only to be performed by the tech savvy but all that has changed. In Blogger's recent upgrade they added the ability to add Google Web Fonts via their template designer. So now adding a new font is a cinch. It is equally easy for Wordpress users too via the plugin Fontific. A unique looking font used on post titles and sidebar titles can really make all the difference. Just ensure that the font is easily readable. Some fonts really are a nightmare to read.

4. Complimentary Colour Scheme

Make sure to select colours that compliment each other and don't clash. Those legends over at Studiopress have created a ton of colour palettes that can show you which colours go together. Don't overdo it with bright colours though. A fuchsia pink post area with bright yellow header area is so not a good look and frankly it would hurt my eyes.

5. Customise Your Titles

You could add a background colour, or a border or whatever effect you like. You could even add an icon to the start of the titles. These two tutorials will demonstrate how to do this.

Add Image to Post Title in Blogger

Add Background Colour to Titles

Read More

8 Simple Ways to Keep People on Your Blog Longer

I recently wrote a post on how to increase your blog traffic but how do you keep all these new visitors on your blog for longer? I'm going to provide you with 9 easy steps to ensure visitors stay on your site for longer and reading all of your wonderful content.

1. Great Design

One of the most important aspects (after content) of your blog is its design. A visually attractive design will help you keep visitors on your blog longer. A design that is harsh on the eyes is likely to lead to them leaving in a hurry. Make sure your following and subscription options are clearly labelled. Avoid cluttered sidebars as it can lead to slower page load times and can detract from your content.

2. Clear and Concise Content

People tend to scan read posts. It's true! So keep your posts concise and to the point. Don't over inflate posts with over information unrelated to the post's topic. Keep it clear. If a post is fairly long break up text with line breaks, bullet points and of course images. Remember people have short attention spans.

3. Link to Other Posts


If you have other posts related to a particular post, link to it within the post. Google loves you linking to internal posts so it is great for SEO but more importantly it will keep people on your blog. If the reader is interested in your post's topic they are more than likely to be interested in other posts on the same topic. I would highly suggest adding a related posts plugin like Link Within as it will list relevant posts for you.

4. Know Your Audience

Before you write anything it is vital to know who your target audience is. I know plenty of people say they are blogging for themselves but clearly that isn't true or you wouldn't be reading this post. Create content that your target audience will enjoy and engage with.

5. Make it Easy for Users to Find Particular Content

On this blog I cover design, tech & tutorials. Different visitors come here for different topics. So the topic archives are clearly labelled in my sidebar and it is made eye catching by the addition of images. This means users can easily locate content on a particular topic.

6. Post Often

Regular content will keep readers coming back again and again. Irregular or sporadic posting means that people may not return, why would they waste their time visiting a blog that never updates?

7. Passion

Passion for your subject is the lifeblood of any blog. Passion comes across in your writing and draws readers in and passion is infectious. But lack of passion is obvious too so only blog about subjects that you have a genuine passion for.

8. Check Your Stats

Stats are important not only for you to see how well your blog is performing but also to find out what brings people to your blog and to find out which posts are proving to be most popular. If you know what content works it will help with choosing blog topics.

So there you have it, those are my 8 tips for keeping people on your blog for longer.

If you found it useful please share and comment!

Read More