Dear Lifehacker, I want to start a blog and I think I know what I want to write about. What’s the best way to make it look professional without spending a year’s salary? Thanks, Aspiring Blogger
Blog picture from Shutterstock
Dear AB,
It’s never been easier to create a professional looking blog with limited funds and know-how than it is now. This is something we’ve covered extensively in the past. Here are some recent articles that should help to steer you on the right path:
- Five Best Blogging Platforms
- How To Easily Create A Custom WordPress Theme
- Ask LH: Which Blogging Platform Should I Use?
- The Best Platforms For Building Web Sites
If you want fast, fuss-free results, use a pre-packaged service and a pre-existing template — as Tumblr proves, content trumps fancy design. There are plenty of templates out there that will suit your needs perfectly; just go for something that’s clean, minimalist and attractive. Once you’ve settled on a look it’s just a matter of arranging the layout in a manner that pleases you (the whole process is so simple that a child could practically do it).
If you require an innovative look using original designs, you could try using a services like Freelancer. This will allow you to cater the look of the blog to your specific needs and the cost can be quite affordable.
If any amateur web designers have some blog-building tips of their own, let AB now in the comments section below.
Cheers
Lifehacker
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Comments
3 responses to “Ask LH: How Can I Make My Blog Look Professional?”
instagram filters on all the photos.
For simple drag-and-drop design and ascetics try a managed hosting platform like http://www.squarespace.com/
First rule of blogging = Every post needs a photo.
Get the perfect pic everytime easily and quickly from somewhere like http://www.shutterstock.com/ Avoid the temptation to just right-click-copy-paste yours from Google Images
Those two things will cost you <$30 / month for professional looking site. Unless you’re living in South Sudan or Guatemala, that’s about $79,640 less that a years salary.
However the real quality of your blog will be the quality and interestingness of your content. Content is King.
Make sure all the content is quality content. Grammar and spelling it vital. Keep the template minimalistic until (and if) you hire a professional to do a really impressive job with the layout.