Are you a blogger or a prospective blogger, but you’re dreadfully afraid because your blog doesn’t look the part? Maybe your content rocks, but you loathe how your blog looks?
Maybe you’re embarrassed because you’ve been blogging for years and your blog still doesn’t look halfway presentable? Or perhaps you want nothing more than to publish fantastic blog content regularly, but you’re not digging how your blog looks and feels?
If that’s the case, then I understand your blogging trepidation. I know how daunting it is when you don’t like how your blog looks. If you don’t love your blog, then it’s nearly impossible to brainstorm amazing blog content and finding your inspiration seems all but impossible.
That’s exactly why I’m about to share my top 5 favorite methods to enhance your blog, even if you’re not the biggest marketer on the block.
5 Amazing Methods To Primp Your Blog And Make Your Blog Much More Awesome:
- # 1 – Integrate More Video Content In Your Blogs
- # 2 – Create Beautiful Graphics Using My Favorite Free Graphics Tool
- # 3 – Use A WordPress Theme That You Love And That Looks Great On Any Device
- # 4 – Dramatically Improve Your Blog Post Writing Style With This Simple 5-Minute Exercise
- # 5 – Tap Into Over A Million Royalty-Free Graphics By Using My Favorite CC0 Image Provider
After writing over 100,000 (that’s over one hundred thousand) words of content on this blog, I’ve learned a few tricks to make my humble little blog look a little bigger and better.
Let’s dive right into these blogging strategies so you can help tackle any potential fears you have about going “all in” with your blog and committing to creating content regularly.
These are my 5 favorite methods to spruce up your blog without any additional tech skills:
# 1 – Integrate More Video Content In Your Blogs
One of the best ways that I know of to spruce up your existing blog content is to integrate video content. You might be thinking, “But dude, Mike, that’s way too much work, and I’m super shy!”
If that’s your first thought when I say that integrating video into your blog is a genius idea, then I understand your trepidation. Seriously.
I’m the shyest person on the planet. I guarantee you’ve never met anyone shyer than I am. I’ve had email subscribers offer to pay me cold hard cash to get me on the phone and answer some of their questions. Guess what? I’d rather lose out on the cash than pick up the phone and talk to my fellow bloggers, lol.
Despite my fear of social engagements, I’ve still managed to create and produce dozens of digital video courses over the years. I’ve also turned at least a few dozen of my best blog posts into videos.
The best thing about turning your blog posts into video content is that the hard work is already finished. You can create a beautiful PowerPoint presentation and then recite your blog post over a handful of dazzling slides.
You can then use a service like Wistia, YouTube or Vimeo to host your videos right on your blog.
That way, your readers get a much more comprehensive blog post. For your readers who love to read your content? Then your written content is still there for them to enjoy right on your blog. Now they also have the chance to watch (or listen to) your blog post as an added feature, which can also help to build your blog’s brand, personality, and authority.
# 2 – Create Beautiful Graphics Using My Favorite Free Graphics Tool
If you’re a hardcore writer who writes daily like I am, then you probably love to focus on writing and nothing else! However, one of the easiest ways you can spruce up your existing blog content is to create some supporting graphics.
There are a few strategies you can use, in this case. One strategy that comes to mind is that you could create a major “header image” for your blog post and attach that image to the front and center of your blog post. That way, your readers get some fancy eye candy upon landing on your blog, which can enhance the end-user experience.
Another option you have is to create an image for every section of a blog post. So, if you want to go above and beyond, you could create a few pieces of nifty graphics for each section of your blog. Naturally, this will require more time, however, it can enhance the way your blog looks and feels.
Another huge advantage of creating graphics for your blog posts is that you can then share those blog posts on Pinterest. If you’re on Pinterest, please check out my legendary group board entitled Share Your Blog With The World!
If you suck at graphic design like I do (lol), then you needn’t worry. There are a few apps that you can use to help churn out beautiful graphics for your blog.
I’m a huge fan of Canva because they let me design endless amounts of beautiful graphics for free. From what I gather, Canva also has some fantastic paid options that empower your account with lots more graphical features. However, to be honest, I’ve been using the Canva free plan for years.
# 3 – Use A WordPress Theme That You Love And That Looks Great On Any Device
One of the biggest blogging mistakes I ever made, was choosing a blog theme that I didn’t enjoy. If you don’t love the way that your blog feels, then it’s nearly impossible to focus on creating beautiful text that your readers enjoy diving into and enjoying.
That’s exactly why I place special emphasis on finding a premium blogging theme that you love. If you’re using WordPress, which I recommend, then you have nearly infinite options when it comes to discovering an elegant theme that you and your readers will cherish equally.
If you’re not sure where to start, I recommend StudioPress (the Genesis Framework) to my friends and colleagues.
I’m such a big fan of StudioPress, that I purchased their theme bundle and as a result, I have access to all of their themes. The only problem with using StudioPress is that they have many themes to choose from. I’ve probably switched between 5-10 StudioPress themes over the years. It’s straightforward to get lost in a flight of fancy when brainstorming all of the themes that StudioPress has, seriously!
If your budget isn’t the biggest in the world, don’t fret. Most StudioPress themes won’t cost much more than $100. If that meager sum is beyond your budget still, then there are plenty of free themes that you can experiment with.
StudioPress also runs specials and deals now and then, so keep your eyes open for any discounts or special promotions that they launch now and then.
Regardless of which theme you ultimately decide upon, try your best to spend some time browsing and experimenting with themes to find one that you love.
# 4 – Dramatically Improve Your Blog Post Writing Style With This Simple 5-Minute Exercise
You can have the fanciest theme on the planet. But, if your content looks like it’s a chore to read, then nobody will ever read a single word that you have to say!
One of the most important writing lessons I’ve learned after writing well over one-hundred-thousand words of content is to keep my content short!
I remember when I used to work in the IT world, my colleagues would make fun of me because my writing was way too “verbose.” My colleagues from the IT world aren’t the only ones who’ve mentioned that I tend to ramble and I need to focus on getting to the point!
That’s exactly why I advise all of my friends to write in ridiculously short sentences. I also advise you to write in ridiculously short paragraphs.
Not only should your sentences and paragraphs stay ridiculously short, but I also advise you to break your paragraphs up with large h2 and h3 headings. That way, your content is super pithy and elementary to read. Most importantly, your content will also LOOK like it’s effortless to read, which is critical indeed.
# 5 – Tap Into Over A Million Royalty-Free Graphics By Using My Favorite CC0 Image Provider
One of the fastest ways to enhance the way your blog looks is by using stock graphics. The problematic nature of most stock graphic resources is that the images are dull, drab, and boring.
Even worse is that some premium graphics services have egregiously confusing licenses. You need to hire a team of lawyers to understand how you may and may not utilize the graphics that you’ve paid good cash out of pocket to use.
That’s why I love PixaBay, and I scream from the top of my lungs at every rooftop how much I love their service. Okay, so I don’t scream from rooftops. But, they’re seriously a fantastic service and I’d wager that they’ve saved me many thousands of dollars in image licensing fees.
PixaBay is one of my favorite resources on the planet for beautiful graphics. Every single course that I’ve ever produced includes a brilliantly decorative array of graphics by PixaBay.
Why is PixaBay so amazing? Because they offer well over 1,600,000 (that’s over ONE MILLION SIX HUNDRED THOUSAND!) beautiful images for absolutely zero cost. Furthermore, PixaBay grants you a CC0 (creative commons zero) license.
The CC0 license is the most lenient license allowable by law. The even better part is that the license is ridiculously obvious to understand. No confusing contracts or lawyers required. In other words, you may use PixaBay images for commercial use without paying a single penny and without giving any attribution.
Conclusion
I want to let you know that I’ve spent countless hours writing content on this here blog!
After all of the effort that I’ve put forth, these are the five top tips I have for anyone wishing to spruce their blog to the dickens without any additional tech skills or marketing resources.
One final tip is to try to excite yourself to write. There’s nothing that can ever replace your passion to write and to create.
That’s why I love the tips mentioned in this blog post. Not only can they help to make your blog look badass, but they also help contribute to your preciously valuable inspiration and motivation to write – which as you know, is everything for a writer.
Wishing you the utmost best.
Cordially yours…
Mike “Primped And Pimped” DeVincent
MrComputerScience.com