Travel blogs are probably one of the most popular types of blogs out there and there are a lot of professional travel bloggers dedicated to their work. And if you want to start a travel blog of your own, you must face the facts – you will be competing with a lot of people.
But don’t let this discourage you, if you feel like this is something that you would like doing, you only have to put in the effort and the results will come. Plus, you can find your niche in the travel blog universe just like Lifewith4Boys.com did. Today we will share some advice on how to design your blog and make it look special. After all, it needs to stand out and dazzle people.
The basic principles are pretty similar to any other blog. Still, there are certain things that need to be adjusted for your niche. So, let’s see what the first step towards designing a good travel blog is.
1. Come up with a fun and memorable logo
A logo is the face of your blog. Through it, you can build a name for yourself and make people remember you. A good logo is memorable and fun, representing your blog truthfully, so make sure that it reflects what your blog is about.
For example, your new travel logo could have a plane on it, the globe, a boat, a silhouette of a traveller etc. The important thing is that your logo relates to what your blog is about and sparks interest. Make sure that your logo is simple, clear and understandable, and most importantly, scalable. This means that you can put it in any size anywhere and it will still look good. Changing colors for different placements is also a good idea.
Boost your design IQ with and learn how to tell a great design from a mediocre one.
2. Make sure you have enough space for large images
Although all blogs rely on visual elements to engage visitors, travel blogs probably need the most images, next to fashion blogs. This means that you will add a lot of images and that they need to be larger. To do this, you must choose a good theme for your blog where most of the things will be based on images.
To find evocative images for your blog, see DesignCrowd’s round up of the top 30 free stock image websites.
Additionally, all your blog posts will have a lot more images compared to blog posts on a business blog. Consider this when setting up your own blog and make sure that all of the images you plan on inserting are visible, clear and eye-catching. People will not want to scroll around to see full images and this will greatly reduce their experience.
3. Optimize it to fit mobile screens
We are living in the mobile age. This means that a lot of your visitors will be browsing your website through mobile devices. In fact, chances are that the majority of them will be. This means that you need to optimize your blog for mobile users.
Creating a mobile-friendly design was a buzzword at first, but with Google’s latest updates it is simply a must, especially because a travel blog has lot of images and mobile users need to see them as clearly as everybody else. When a user lands on your site, everything needs to be in the right place – you cannot allow images to go over each other or the screen to look completely broken.
See DesignCrowd’s tips on how to create the best UI/UX for your website.
4. Be consistent with visuals and font styles
All of the visuals on your travel blog need to match each other. Remember that your travel blog needs to provide a certain experience. It should be a place where visitors can go into a different world and learn about its unique cultures and its magical places. By using quality visuals, you can achieve this and brand your blog more effectively.
I order for a brand to be convincing, however, its visuals need to be consistent. The style, themes, colors and fonts all need to be complementary to deliver a strong impression on your visitors. These things can make visitors stick around for a longer amount of time and give your blog a chance to spark an emotional response.
5. The homepage should be all about article previews and categories
Your homepage is the lobby of your blog and it needs to guide visitors to all the rooms you have. If you have gotten someone come to your blog, the next step is to get them interested even further and make them explore more. This is where your homepage comes into play.
Still deciding which platform to choose for your blog, read our guide to building a wordpress site that converts potential clients to customers.
It needs to be structured clearly and logically for visitors to find their way around and learn about what your blog has to offer. Add a lot of exciting previews that can entice them to read a story or view images and add clear categories so that people can easily find what interests them. Having proper navigation on your homepage can make a big difference in whether or not someone stays or leaves.
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Written by Anja Skrba on Wednesday, May 16, 2018
Anja Skrba is a content manager at First Site Guide, and she has been in the world of online business and content marketing for over 5 years. You can follow her on Twitter.