How important is the design of a blog?
When do you visit a blog, how much importance do you give to the blog design?
As in if a blog is ill designed, does it turn you away? or does a good designed blog make you want to subscribe?
I would say that it is important for two reasons:
1. To keep the visitor from closing the window after one glance.
2. To keep the reader interested enough to actually start reading at least one post.
Beyond the two points above, the content takes over.
Though I have just barely started blogging, I spend a lot of time on the internet. I find the the best designs are the ones which do not distract a viewer from the content and also are appealing (yet simple) enough to make a visitor into a reader.
Finally if there is no reciprocation from a particular blogger despite our repeated voting and comment, than it is no no visit for me, i stop visiting the blog however good it is Lolz. After all you are part of promotion and if you are let down, give and take should be motto
I suppose initial attraction does matter. However, if I get hooked on to the content, then all the design problems would seem secondry. Also, I like to aggregate feeds from the blogs I like and read them on google reader .... so, that's just me :)
Initial attraction doesn't matter much for a very few people but for many others, they need to be chained to our site until they get to know how good a site is. After that, we can unchain them. At that point, design does not matter.
Very good topic Aditya!
Yes, blog design does matter a lot to me. After all, that's the first thing that we see on hitting a web page. Its just like the first impression, if I am having difficulties in navigation and stuff like reading fonts etc, I may or may not read the matter and just choose to leave the page!
On the other hand, If i do happen to read the matter and I like it, then the blog design, irrespective of whether its good or bad, does become a secondary thing!
For a good designed blog, the chances of me reading the matter multiplies manifold but the decision of subscription is based on the matter only.
A blog that has a good design definitely attracts me but more than that I would like to have some other things: speed and easy readability (sufficient font size and colours that do not strain the eys) I can read a blog that has nothing but a white background and blcak coloured text on it if it has the above mentioned qualities. That is the best design, according to me.
This article and my comments below the article covers all you need to know. http://www.incrediblogger.net/blogging/significance-visual-appearance-blog/
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