Creating moments of delight is critical when it comes to effective branding. It also happens to be one of my absolute favorite things to do as a creative, and I’d like to think of it as an Uno Dos Trae signature. But, if I’ve realized anything over my years owning a creative business, it’s that moments of delight don’t stop with one quick detail. Really, it’s all about ensuring that your customer experience is bright and thoughtful each and every step of the way. And an easy way to do this? Amping up your blog design on your blog listing page of your website.
Your blog listing page is your blog’s main page. It’s the page that the reader is redirected to when they click on “Blog” and can access all of your blog posts and articles listed in one place. Normally, people default to a standard list-type or grid view format without giving it a second thought. But the thing is, adding even the littlest creative detail here can be a huge deal to your customers. Taking the time to thoughtfully build out the pieces of your business that your clients touch is a surefire way to show them that you care, that you’re the one they should trust, and that you don’t leave any stone unturned. By mixing in some creativity to your blog design, you can inspire more readers, increase your content’s shareability factor, and build in a deeper layer of trust with your audience. Let’s talk about how to do it.
Why you should strive for a more creative blog design layout
As business owners, blogging has become a big part of what we do, right? Specifically, it’s become a big piece of growing your mailing list (inbound lead generation) and growing site traffic (your search ranking efforts). But at the same time, I’ve been there when it comes to being frustrated with blog content, okay? I get that it can be hard to push out content, it can seem like a pointless task, and it’s one of those things that can add to your plate without much return (if you’re not doing it right.) But, with a creative blog design layout filled to the brim with engaging, thoughtfully written blogs? That, my friend, is a quick way to engage your customers, cross-promote your other content (videos, newsletters, downloadables, oh my!), and start building big-time trust.
5 creative blog design examples that work
I’m a sucker for a beautifully designed webpage (duh), and if you’re looking to breathe some life into your blog listing page, these 5 design layouts are excellent, simple switches you can start making today:
1. A clear call to action right away
A good blog should always provide some kind of value for its readers, whether that be entertaining, inspirational, or educational content. But if you want your blog content to be effective, you have to take a step back and assess what your greater business goals and what is that next step you want your audience to take to get them closer to helping you achieve those goals? Whether that’s signing up for an email list or clicking “purchase,” make your desired client intention obvious from the get-go by featuring a strong CTA either above the fold or right under the hero section on your blog page.
GoLive HQ does such a great job at this. Instead of positioning their index of blog posts immediately after the hero section, they give their audience an opportunity to download their signature lead magnet in an effort to grow their email list instead.
2. Make it editorial
One of my favorite visual design strategies when it comes to organizing content is to think about your blog listing page like a mini-magazine. Even the most business-y or niched-down of blogs can find away to organize their value and different categories in a way that makes their brand experience come to life. After all, the last thing your reader wants to do is feel like they have to actively search and endlessly click around for what they’re looking for. By building in multiple content sections with a magazine-like feel, you’ll make them feel like you’re reading their minds by having everything in front of them, all while adding beauty + function to your site.
Jenna Kutcher does this really well, especially how she meshes together so many things and gets her content to co-exist in harmony and support her bigger brand narrative—a main hero cover, categories, must-reads, CTA, featured blog post, post index, author bio, top, categories, her podcast, a shop, etc.
3. A good, old-fashioned blog sidebar
It might seem simple, but there’s some serious power in a well-designed blog sidebar layout. It’s a great way to be creative about what you’re featuring without distracting your reader. So don’t just stop at featuring a quick “About Me” blip and one well-performing blog. Consider featuring one of your signature lead magnets, your social feeds, blog categories, the current product you are promoting, and some posts you’re particularly proud of.
Big Cat Creative kills it with the sidebar layout, from showing categories to linking up a free training.
4. Make your blog a resource library
Who ever said your blog had to be made up of only typical blog posts? They were wrong, I promise. Create resource-based content, and turn your blog into a user-friendly hub for your clients and customers to find resources that will actually help them. You can categorize your blog content in a way that your reader finds intuitive, not only helping them immensely but also showing them how knowledgeable you and your team are when it comes to their problems.
Thirty Eight Visuals uses their blog as a resource library and it works really well (and is a great resource in general for our Squarespace users out there!).
5. Lay out your blog in categories
If you’re a multi-passionate entrepreneur, multi-hyphenate, or are running a blog with varied interests, consider sectioning out your blog page in clearly laid out categories to appeal to all of your sub-demos of your target customers—and then some. This way, you can integrate everything from lifestyle to motherhood to business all in the same design and under the same umbrella without it feeling forced. Make your categories visually clear and you’ll condition your readers to know what to look for and expect, while instantly setting yourself apart from everyone else in your niche!
Lindsey Roman‘s blog design layout features her categories in an organized and clear way, bringing all of her target demos together.
3 quick wins to elevate your blog page today
Now that you’re all inspired like I know ya are, it’s time to start considering quick tweaks that you AND your customers will love. Building out a new design and layout for any website page might feel like it could take forever, but there are also some quick wins that you can implement on your site today that will get the job done. With some guidance from the 5 creative blog layouts I shared above, consider snagging one (or all!) of these quick wins today:
- Re-categorize your blogs with some intention and creativity past the basic “lifestyle” and “business” categories you might have now. Get super-specific, and you’ll be able to see how your categories can inform your design later.
- Make sure your blog design layout features a killer CTA in a highly visible section of the page to get your audience to take action. If you’re not sure what to feature here, entice your audience with a new lead magnet or even a simple tout to sign up for your email list.
- Download our Website Revival Guide, and start thinking about how to elevate your own blog page AND your site as a whole.
So there you have it! And again, I know running a consistent blog can seem like yet another part of running a creative business (pro tip: stop dating your blogs!). But, by adding in a little zing and some creativity to your own blog page, you can add in moments of delight to your customer experience, to your website navigation, and to your own blog mindset. If any of these resonate with you or if there are other inspirational blog design layouts that you’d like to share on here, drop in your thoughts in the comments below.
