Blogs are simple websites where designs are more subtle with much of the focus going to the content. Blogs should be organized, graphically simple and designed for maximum usability. When a visitor arrives, they should instantly understand the topic and be able to quickly find their way around your site.

1. Purpose: Make your purpose clear. Choose a blog title and perhaps a subtitle in your blog header that makes it clear who you are and what you are writing about.
2. Audience: Consider your audience when designing your blog. A highly technical audience will be focused on the technical content and much less on design. Here a more plain and simple design would be best.
3. Platform: Choose which blogging platform you want to use. Blogger and Wordpress.com are free and easy to set-up. Wordpress.org gives the best results if you host it on your website. Wordpress.org can be highly customized.
4. Layout: Place key information “above the fold” so it is immediately visible. This would include navigation, search functions, any calls to action, info about you and your latest blog posting.
5. Simple is best: There are many possible options, widgets, categories and more. Add too many and you end up with clutter that detracts from your content which is the meat of your blog.
6. Top header: Avoid large header graphics that would push your content down the page. Your top header should include the name of your blog and perhaps a photo of you.
7. White background: Use white backgrounds behind your text for easy reading. White fonts on colored backgrounds may look trendy, but are very difficult to read.
8. Search: Add a search box above the fold. People navigate around blogs in different ways. Some click on links, others browse categories and others will search using keywords.
9. About the author: Include a brief page about who you are, your credentials and why you are writing the blog. . Your readers will want to know who you are to build creditability and trust.
10. Author picture: Include your photo as part of your personal branding. Blogs are usually written by individuals and this helps build your blog as a recognizable and trusted source of information.
11. Blog footers: When a visitor get’s to the bottom of a page, make it easy to navigate from the bottom of the page with navigation links. The about us and contact links are most often used.
12. Categories: Have clear and understandable categories. Readers will search categories to find related blog postings. Adding a category cloud widget allows readers to pinpoint your main topics at a glance.
13. Blogroll: Providing a blogroll of related industry links will encourage people to bookmark your site. The blogging community is great at reciprocating with links. Your blogroll and regular commenting on other blogs builds a relationship with the blogging community.
14. Browser check: Check your blog in different browsers. Every browser displays your blog with differences. It is always a good idea to look at your blog in different browsers to make sure that it looks the way you want it to.
15. Comments: Turn commenting on. It is OK to moderate to prevent Spam comments, but interaction with your readers is what makes a blog effective.

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