When was the last time you changed your blog’s design? Web design is a dynamic, ever-changing market that continues to evolve with each passing year. Just because a design practice is popular today doesn’t necessarily mean that it will be tomorrow. As blogger, you must be aware of the nuances of web design, including which practices work and which ones don’t.
Your Blog Doesn’t Pass Google’s Mobile-Friendly Test
One tall-tale sign that your blog needs a new design is failing Google’s mobile-friendly test. Found at https://www.google.com/webmasters/tools/mobile-friendly/, this tool lives up to its namesake by revealing whether or not a website (or blog) is compatible on mobile devices. Being that more people now access the Internet on mobile devices than PCs, failure to create a mobile-friendly blog is a serious mistake that will cost you traffic and ultimately sales.
Your Blog’s Not Ranking High in Search Results
If you are struggling to achieve a top search ranking for your blog’s target keyword, you may want to change the design. While nothing holds greater influence over a site’s ranking than content, web design may also impact where it ranks. Blogs that feature Flash intros, for instance, may have trouble ranking, simply because the search engines are unable to read Flash. Switching from Flash to a text-based intro for your blog will almost certainly have a positive impact on its search rankings, allowing both visitors and search engines to access it more easily. Flash websites were once a popular trend, but now users are tired of them and prefer to get straight to the content.
Your Blog Takes Forever to Load
How long does it take the average user to load your blog? When you’re busy researching new post topics, responding to reader comments, and doing the countless number of other tasks that go into managing a blog, it’s easy to overlook load times. But load times can have a significant impact on your site’s performance, deterring users from visiting and engaging on the site. Amazon conducted a study in which it found that for every 100ms a visitor was forced to wait, sales decreased by 1%. Being that Amazon is the world’s largest online retailer, that 1% translates into millions of dollars in lost revenue, attesting to the importance of maintaining a speedy blog.
Not sure about your blog’s speed? You can measure your blog’s load times by using the tool at http://tools.pingdom.com/fpt/.
Your Blog Has Broken Elements
Last but not least, if your blog has broken elements then it’s probably time for a new design. I recommend performing a usability test on your blog at least once a month, checking all of the navigation links, buttons, input forms, and other elements to ensure they are working as intended. Allowing these issues to persist will deter visitors from accessing your blog.
Have anything else that you would like to add to this post? Let us know in the comments section below!
I find that a simple design is usually best. Flashy is great, but functional is more important.
I agree that the focus should be on functionality. I frequently check my blog to ensure it’s fully functional and quick to load.
Thanks for the resources. I was unaware of Google’s mobile test and pingdom. Will be trying these out.