Blogs and websites are a lot of work, and there is always room for improvement.  I started my blog many years ago, and blogging really is a learning curve.  At one point, my website was hacked and we decided to design a website from scratch, and in doing so, I learned a lot about what I could do to make a better website.  It is good to invest in your website so that it will do well.

Here are some tips for making your website better:

Check font style, size, and color.

Do some googling to find optimal website fonts.  Pick fonts that are clean and easy to read, and don’t use a bunch of different fonts.  Just because you like something unique or ornate, does not make it easy for your blog readers.  While a script font is pretty, it is not a great idea to make your entire website script.

As far as font size, I have read that 16px is best, but again, do your research.

I have been on many websites that are hard to read, based on things like font color and background color.  Make sure that your text has a nice contrast, and that your links are noticeable.  Links should be easy to see, and a different color from the regular text.

Check the load time and be selective about things like ads and pop-ups.

Make sure that your website loads quickly.  If you have a lot of stuff that needs to load, readers will find it frustrating.

I have left many websites because it takes too long for everything to load, or videos pop up and start playing.  You can still have ads, but you want to make a good first impression on your readers.

You also want to make sure that your web host has everything in order. Always make sure you do your research when choosing a host.

Reduce clutter.

Along the same lines as ads and pop-ups, reduce clutter.  Keep your home page simple and easy to navigate.  For example, don’t overload your website with widgets, ads, affiliate images, and so on.

Have an “About” section with your name and bio.

People love to connect to the blogger behind the website, so make sure you have a profile photo and info for readers to check out!  I can’t tell you how many times I click on the “about” section of a blog to find a sentence or two and no photo, so I really have no idea who is running the blog.

Have social media and contact links readily available, as well as a search bar.

You want your readers to be able to share your content, and be able to share it as well!  Make sure that everything is easy to find and linked, such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and so on.  Marketing is important if your website is going to succeed.

Make sure all updates are made, and spring clean.

Check to make sure that you are running the latest version of your blogging platform, and that things like plugins are up to date.

While you are at it, spring clean!  Go through things like plugins and get rid of ones you don’t use.  Take a look at your website and make sure that things are running properly and are up to date.

And don’t forget to back up your blog!

This can be too easy to forget.  Make sure you back up your blog, before and after any big changes.