Yesterday I wrote about how good packaging and formatting raises the value of your site. Today I planned on going through specific ways you can better package your site. However, as I was writing, I realized there was a lot of information to cover. Therefore, I’m breaking the information down into a couple of blog posts. Today we’ll talk about site design.

Don’t Underestimate Design

In the past, I underestimated the importance of site design. I started sites and used free designs. However, as I learned more about branding, link building, and monetization, I realized design plays a big part in any commercially-oriented site. Here are two things to think about in site design.

1. Unique

You may not have the budget to buy a unique design. However, if you’re serious about making it big in the online business arena, you should start saving money to buy a unique design. It greatly affects your branding. If your site looks like other sites, it’s hard to stand out. Many people will perceive that you have an average site rather than a remarkable one.

A good design is a one-time expense that leads to good branding. And good branding leads to long-term profits. Just ask Nike about their swoosh logo.

Recommendations

By the way, if you have a blog, I recommend Unique Blog Designs. They have good looking designs and very cheap prices compared to other reputable designers.

If you want to modify an existing free theme, I recommend Connor Wilson. He modified his Wordpress theme based on the famous Cutline theme. As you can see below, his theme looks nothing like Cutline. He doesn’t have his prices posted, but you can email him for a quote.

2. Maximized for Monetization

Your design should help you make money. Some people advise that you shouldn’t monetize your blog until you have X amount of daily visitors. I think it’s better to monetize from the very beginning. If you monetize in the beginning, your visitors will know what they’re getting into.

Most new sites won’t be able to get direct advertising. So, if you have a new site, use affiliate links and/or AdSense as placeholders until you’re able to attract direct advertisers.

I like what John Chow says about monetization:

…don?t be scare to push the envelope when it comes to blog monetization. The key is to monetize as much as possible while still preserving the user experience. Your traffic will tell you when you reach the tipping point.

Another point about monetization. Go with wider designs. Unless you have reason to believe a big chunk of your audience uses 800 x 600 resolution, you should design for the much more common 1024 x 768 resolution. The wider design gives you more monetization opportunities above the fold. Big players like New York Magazine, CNN, and Forbes are already using 1000px fixed width layouts (source: innoshare).

More to Come

I know there’s a lot more to talk about in blog design. I’ll cover more of those things later when I talk about site architecture, usability, and navigation. These three areas are directly related to blog design. Until then, feel free to subscribe so you won’t miss any of the future posts about improve the packaging your site.