At one point we were all a new blogger, struggling to navigate the site we just signed up to and trying to figure out what to even write about. We have all been there, and it really can be a struggle sometimes. Before I was a blogger I’d come across so many beautiful and professional looking sites whilst trying to find one of my favourite cookie recipes. I’d be in awe of the sleek designs and professional imagery I saw. I wondered how much time and effort was put into creating and maintaining a site like that.
We assume that people who have professional looking sites are long standing bloggers and have been in the business for a while, but thats not always true. I have blogging friends who have beautiful looking sites who just posted their first blog a month ago. It’s really all down to the time and effort the individual puts into their website.
Having a professional looking site is really key so that other people [especially brands] see that you’re serious about your site and the content you create. So, in todays post I thought I’d share some tips for new bloggers and established, on how to make your site look professional. Of course these are just little pieces of advice that I have found which have worked for me. These tips are not essential for you to have a professional looking website, but they do help.
PURCHASE A DOMAIN
One of the first things you should do if you are wanting to look professional is purchasing a domain name. Now if you’re unfamiliar with what a domain is, it’s essentially a website address. So before I purchased my domain my site was http://www.olivialucieblake.wordpress.com , and after I purchased my domain its now http://www.olivialucieblake.com. Doing this really changes the whole feel of your site!
Here on WordPress depending what domain you choose they are really quite inexpensive to purchase and the licence lasts a whole year too, which is great. With WordPress plans such as Premium and Business, WordPress includes a free domain whenever you upgrade for a year, which is really handy!
CHOOSE A GOOD THEME
When I was a new blogger I found the theme choice so overwhelming. There were so many to choose from! Having a nice theme really makes a difference in how people perceive you as a blogger. It’s kind of like the cover of a book, with how it draws people in and encourages people to want to read more. So making sure that your blog theme is cohesive and easy to navigate is important.
I’ll mention here too that your blog should be easy to navigate. If its hard to find things on your site its more than likely visitors will click onto your blog and click right off again. If I go onto a website that is overwhelmingly packed with information or doesn’t have enough information on it, I click off. It’s good to have that right balance.
HAVE A PROFESSIONAL LOGO
Ever since I started creating logos for businesses, I have come to realise how important they are. A logo is really the face of your brand and its what sets you apart from other people. Having custom digital content is something I recommend to anyone just starting out as a blogger, especially if you’re wanting your blog to become your business one day.
Branding and logos are really important. Think about some of your favourite brands, and what instantly comes into your mind? Most likely their logos and branding. Take McDonald’s for example, everyone knows the McDonalds logo and thats what symbolises them and makes them stand out from everyone else. It should be no different for you!
POST CONSISTENTLY
Not only is the look and feel of your blog important to give that professional feel but so is the content you produce. I speak often about being consistent with posting new content, but I really want to emphasise the importance of it. Publishing new content on a regular basis helps to boost your traffic and your interaction. Its a great way to showcase your work and really get your name out there.
Remember not to flood your readers with too much content, but having a good balance is essential.
USE STOCK IMAGES
When I first started blogging I always wondered how other bloggers took the time to take such a variety of beautiful stock images. Stock images are the images I use on almost all of my posts. I used to try to take all of my own images but found it was taking up too much of my time so swapped to stock images instead. Just be careful where you get them from as some aren’t copyright/royalty free and its against the law to use peoples images without the relevant permissions.
olivialucieblake.com 
Excellent points! 😊
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Thank you so much!
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Great tips, Olivia. To add on to this, I’d just like to ask your opinion on what you think a good posting schedule looks like for a new blogger. Would love to hear your thoughts as someone who’d managed to get established so quickly in the blogosphere. Thanks in advance!
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I haven’t actually figured out if it’s beneficial or not to post more or less. When I first came back to blogging in July this year I started blogging 5 days a week almost straight away and that worked for me to grow my audience.
I don’t think its very practical for me to do 5/6 days a week for a long period of time. But from the results I’ve seen in my blog it helped alot. Especially speaking on a variety of different topics too! Hopefully that helps!
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Thanks so much for adding these thoughts! They’re super useful. I myself might have to relook my posting schedule, lol.
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I do all of these things but it’s still pretty slow-going for me. I think either I’m missing the “secret sauce” for blogging, or I need time to make it happen.
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I don’t even think there’s a “secret sauce”, if there was I’d happily share it if I knew what it was 🤣. I think its hard work and determination that gets you to your goals, blogging or not!
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Yeah 🙂 I’m working hard so hopefully with time I’ll get there
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Great advice. I found it difficult to start on this blogging journey at first. I found the important learning tool for me was to read other people’s blogs. I got a feel of what they were doing. It helped me become better at doing it myself.
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I would 100% agree with this. Theres no handbook with blogging and also no rule book. Everything I know now I have learnt from trial and error and from others. There are so many people on this platform for you to learn from!
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Awesome tips as always. I think getting it right from the beginning really does impact the success of your blog!
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I would agree too. Getting yourself established from the get go is really important.
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True points that I relate with. I experienced good growth after I implemented the mentioned points.
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So glad that you did! Evidence that they work!
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It’s really informative, Olivia!!
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So glad you think so!
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Thank you for sharing your experience. I just started blogging recently, so any advice of what to do is much appreciated.
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I hope this post helped 🤗
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It definitely did 😇
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Really good points here. I agree that making your website/blog look impressive and you have an easy layout to navigate is important, and is something I am constantly working on! xx
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Thank you! Yes, it’s one of the most important things in my opinion if you want to be taken seriously as a blogger and if you want future brands to work with you! x
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As a new blogger, I having been spending time checking out other blogs for ideas. Not so much writing style or content but more on the lines of layout and features that they include. For instance, I noticed that many bloggers who get lots of comments simply ask a question at the end of their post. I’ve been making a note of what I notice and I’m working on incorporating some of the ideas into my posts and website.
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Such a great idea! Always seek inspiration from those around you.
I just told a blogger friend to do that yesterday. Its a great way to start a conversation and gives readers a sort of starting point! ☺️
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Great pointers. You are right about themes acting as book cover —essentially lets the reader know what is your page about.
I really enjoyed reading this✨🧡 x
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Yes for sure! They really are!
Thanks for reading! X
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Very insightful and helpful points. Thanks for sharing the post Olivia! 👍
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Thanks so much for reading!
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Awesome tips! As a new blogger this has been super helpful!
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Aw yay i’m so glad!
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Great suggestions Olivia!! I agree, taking photos is rather time consuming. When I discovered Pic Monkey and Canva, it changed the game for me.
~Brittany
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Yes! It was so time consuming! Best thing I did was finding free stock images!
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Amazing post! Thank you
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Thanks so much!
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Using stock images saves you a lot of quality time. you can invest that time into sharing your content.
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Yes for sure!
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I definitely agree on the stock images. As of now, im not forcing myself to post as often, topics come slow to me, so I’d like to write a well thought-out post. Your blog and the others I follow on WordPress has really helped me out.
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Yes Stock images have been a life saver for me!
I think thats the best thing to do. At your own pace 💕
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Crazy how much there is to learn, so these are really helpful! Thank you!
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For real! Especially when you just started. It can be so overwhelming!
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Great points and advice, I’ve been thinking about bettering my blog and website and all these points help. I’ve already applied some of them to my website and i have seen a difference. Bless you for sharing
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Thank you! I hope I can help in you achieving that!
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Thanks for this. Some useful stuff here.
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Lovely, post thnx to share this lovely post
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Thanks for reading!
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Thank you so much for sharing this 💓 I have been suffering without these information 😃… Your post was like a tender arms as a mother who take care of her children… You really care other bloggers… That’s great 💯
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Thank you for sharing your experience and helping newbies like myself 😊
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Love this post! I am new to blogging and you are such a great help. Just found you and followed right away!
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Aw so glad you enjoyed the post🤍
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Great advice!
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Thanks!!
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Thanks for the tips! I have just found your blog and it is simply beautiful !
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Would you say once a week posting is too little?
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It’s totally up to you! If you have the capacity to post more than once a week I would recommend it if you’re a new blogger and you want to grow! But its not essential!
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Cheers for this 🙂 I’m posting once a week as I don’t want to be struggling for ideas down the line
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Your post is really helpful, especially since I’m a new blogger. Thank you so much for sharing this! xx
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I am a new blogger. Thankyou for sharing these tips.
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Great tips – thanks for sharing!
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I am just starting to blog again! Thank you for the tips!
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Yay welcome back! 🙂
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👏👏 I started my site last week. 😃
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