When creating a blog,
it is very important that you create a home page that is visually appealing and
easy to navigate. With a well organized home page, your readers will easily be
able to see everything that you have to offer with less stress. To help keep
things simple, here are 3 elements to add to your blog's front page:
1. Signup form.
If you want to build
an email list, you need to clearly provide a signup form on your front page.
Some people choose to show the signup form itself directly on the front page
while others choose to provide a link instead. Depending on your blog theme and
personal preferences, you will need to discover what method will work best for
you.
When creating a signup
form, it may help to offer a freebie to give away to those that sign up. Many
people do not like giving away their email addresses because of spam or
excessive sales pitches. Yet, with the right freebie, you may be able to tempt
them. However, always ensure that you have an “unsubscribe” option and avoid
being too aggressive with your email marketing campaign.
2. Links to
archives.
To ensure that all of
your content is easy to access, you should organize them and use links to
attract readers. Many blogs have columns on either side of the home page that
displays content based on category or date. Having such an element for your
home page as well will help people better view all of the available content
that is relevant to them.
However, if you really
want to make your content the center of attention on your front page, you can
be more bold and display it in the following formats:
- Full posts. Full posts are handy to have on your front page because readers do not have to leave your page to read more. The full posts format typically work best only when used for short blog posts. However, it should be noted that full posts used on your front page and featured elsewhere on your blog may also be seen as duplicate content by search engines.
- Post excerpts. Post excerpts make great teasers for your readers. When using post excerpts, you just have to include a link to the main article. They help create a shorter front page and make scanning much easier, and are excellent for avoiding duplicate content trouble.
- Magazine style. Magazine style content makes your front page look like a typical news website that may work in your favor. The content also tends to be much more organized.
3. Images.
Images are excellent
for capturing readers' attention and giving your brand a unique look. However,
it is important that your images are relevant to your blog and that they are
not too plentiful. If you use too many images and graphics, you can potentially
overwhelm your followers and drive them away.
With these 3 elements
to add to your blog's front page,
you will make your blog more user friendly.
Edward Olson makes his living blogging. To
help others do the same, he shares his best tips for how to build a great blog
on work-at-home-mom websites, and solopreneur blogs. Visit the Purchased my Internet in Fort Mill link to learn about fast
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