Tips for Better Blogging

Starting a new blog in 2015?

January 14, 2015

Every year around this time I get inquiries from people who are hoping to start their first blog in the new year. Which is awesome! I can’t recommend blogging enough. It is such a versatile tool that can open doors to new communities of people, no matter what your interests are.

As a custom web and blog designer, you’d think that I would be all for these new bloggers hiring me straight off the bat. But having been in this field for a while now (and having been a brand new blogger myself) over time I’ve come to understand that for a lot of brand new bloggers, custom design isn’t always the best first step.

You see, over the years I’ve worked with a lot of brand new bloggers. And some of them come to me with a great plan in place, we work together, and their blog looks great from the beginning while they’re building their online presence, and they are able to start monetizing their blogs sooner. That is the best case scenario, and it’s why I don’t rule out working with new bloggers altogether. Sometimes it really does work out!

However, the flip side is that sometimes new bloggers work with me and then they never really get their blog off the ground because it turns out that they didn’t like the act of blogging as much as they thought they would. OR, as they blog their content changes and evolves, and then their beautiful blog design isn’t a great fit for them anymore.

I get a lot of satisfaction out of helping my clients succeed online, so it bums me out when clients aren’t able to use their sites (that we both worked so hard on) to their full potential. So while I could talk to you all day about the value of custom design, I wanted to put this post out there in case you might be thinking that it’s the only way to get started online. It’s not.

I understand that starting with a layout that is too plain or just ugly isn’t a good option either. To be honest, when I first starting blogging in college, my blog barely did anything for two years, partly because I kept it on a free (and totally boring) Blogger template because I assumed that anything else was outside of my budget, which wasn’t really the case.

The cool thing is that there is a middle ground option that will allow you to get your footing as a blogger without having to shell out a lot of money up front. There are tons of great premium WordPress themes out there that give you a beautifully designed blog layout at the fraction of the cost of custom design.

1. Buy Yourself Time

The beauty of premium WordPress themes is that you can often purchase and install them in a matter of hours. That feeling of motivation you’re feeling right now? That is precious, and if you’re anything like me, the clock is ticking. I’m not saying you should do anything hasty, but if you’ve got your blog name and domain (I like NameCheap) picked out, make moves while you’re feeling inspired and set that baby up! You can start blogging right away and you can always hire someone to install something custom later.

2. Learn by Doing

I’m not at all someone who thinks you need to know the code of your site inside and out in order to start a blog. That’s what web designers and developers are for. However, by installing WordPress, installing your new theme (and any plugins you might need) you are arming yourself with some basic WordPress knowledge that will help you when you decide it is the right time to hire a professional.

3. The Proof is in the Pudding

Planning goes a long way, but it’s not the same as actually doing it. You might have big plans about the focus of your blog and how you want to visually express that in your blog’s brand, but how do you know until you’ve actually tried it? It makes sense to invest less at the beginning, and then have a more established content base before you pull the trigger on full branding and blog design.

4. Make it Count… Later

One of the best things about getting a custom blog design is that your site can truly be tailored to your content. The topics you love to write about the most, your most popular posts, what you want people to know about you right off the bat… your site can literally be built around your goals. The thing is, it’s harder to determine those things before any content has been produced. Having already produced some content will help you get more bang for your buck when you decide the time is right to invest in a custom blog design.

Where to start?

I’ve used the Genesis Framework from the very beginning- it’s the platform that I used as I learned to design for WordPress. There’s a great community that supports it and tons of documentation both on the site and produced by others. There are also a ton of great, free plugins that are available by using Genesis, which helps make the world of plugins a lot easier to navigate.

The way Genesis works is there are two parts: the framework (which contains the code for all the features) and then the child theme, which sometimes contains features, but mostly controls the look of your site. This allows you to update the framework (and the features) without messing with the look and layout of your site.

When you purchase a child theme on the Studiopress site, you can buy the framework and the child theme all in one purchase. The beauty of using a Genesis theme is that tons of designers (like myself) design custom child themes for Genesis, so when you’re ready for a custom site, the transition is pretty seamless if you’ve already got Genesis set up on your site.

My Favorite Genesis Child Themes

Foodie Pro
Lifestyle Pro
Runway Pro
Swank
Whitespace Pro

WordPress Theme Designers

Sometimes I think it’s easier to browse by designer. Genesis isn’t the only option out there, but some of these designers do build their themes for Genesis.

Angie Makes
Bluchic
ProPhoto (I especially like the themes by Seaside Creative and Swoone)
Restored 316 Designs
Pretty Darn Cute Design
Viva la Violette

Have you used a WordPress theme before? Do you have any favorite sources that I didn’t mention? Add them in the comments!

By the way, if you are in the market for custom design, get in touch! Even if I’m not the best fit for your project, I’m always happy to share some names from my referral list.

P.S. If you’re starting a new blog and you need web hosting, I recommend checking out RFE Hosting and Bluehost.

Note: there are a few affiliate links in this post, as I found myself referring people to these sites all the time. I truly recommend these services and products, and have personal experience using them. Thank you for your support!

5 CSS Tricks for Creating Hierarchy

November 20, 2014

Picking fonts for your site can be really challenging. Luckily, there are tons of round-ups out there (and even more here!), but depending on your logo and brand, sometimes coming up with a combination that adds to the look of your site rather than just making it seem cluttered can prove to be more difficult than you might think.

Lately? I’m really liking the idea of picking one web font to use throughout a site. Just one. Doing this helps you create a look that is clean and cohesive. Talk about minimal, right?

But I’m also a big believer in hierarchy. Using headings is a great tool within blog posts, or even just as a way to help readers scan your blog and recognize post titles, widget titles, and body text.

Today I want to share 5 CSS tricks I use to create hierarchy in text without changing web fonts. But the cool thing about these tricks is that you can use them to change web fonts to put your own unique spin on them whether you’re using more than one web font or not.

5 CSS tricks for creating hierarchy in text on your site || katelynbrooke.com

Text-Transform

How does the font look in all uppercase? What about lowercase? Uppercase tends to be more traditional and powerful looking, whereas lower case headings can be more casual and soft. Both are great options!

Italics

Depending on the web font you’re using, sometimes the italicized version looks like a separate font in its own right. Italics are a great alternative to script fonts in that they are often less trendy and more legible, but still provide a fancier, more polished look.

Font-Weight

Try pairing the same font in varying font weights. You can use a bold weight for the headings and a thin one for the body text, or you can use a normal (like 400) for the body text and something ultra thin for the headings.

Letter-Spacing

This is one of my favorites! Adding just 1px of letter spacing to a font really changes the look. I usually reserve 2px for headings or buttons, but play around with it!

Color

This one is a no-brainer. You can totally use color to call out headings or add hierarchy to the text on your site. For a subtle monochromatic look, use 0to255.com to find web colors that are lighter or darker version of existing colors in your brand.

A word of caution: just because I’m listing all of these doesn’t mean you should use all of these on your site at once. Use them intentionally and sparingly, as you can easily make a cluttered look by combining all these even if you aren’t changing fonts.

I’m sharing this post as part of the Design Your Own (lovely) Blog Tour! I’m the last stop, but Marianne wrote an awesome post yesterday entitled 5 Common Design Mistakes Bloggers Make that you shouldn’t miss! This blog tour is a movement aimed at helping women to create lives they love by giving them confidence when it comes to their own blog designs. There were so many great posts, you can get the rest of the links here!

3 Tools for Mastering the To-Do List

November 4, 2014

All the focus in the world won’t help you if you don’t know what you’re supposed to be focused on, right? That’s where the old to-do list comes in.

When I first started my blog / business, I had lists on scraps of paper everywhere. It was nuts. There was little method to my madness- if I made a list, who knew if I’d ever find it again.

Since then, my to-do list has gone through a few distinct iterations- each good for different needs. I thought it would be fun to look back on different set ups I used and share why I went to the method I use now.

Stage 1: Teux Deux

This site / app was all the rage when I signed up in 2012, and it was the first step towards getting all of my tasks in one place.

The app is super simple, featuring a single list for each day. The interface is really beautifully designed, and you can get the app for your phone to be able to see everything in one place. It’s great if you don’t need to categorize you to-do items.

Why I moved on:

As my business grew and I started to take on more client projects, I needed a way to list out the steps for the different projects and keep them separated, yet all in the same place.

Stage 2: Todoist

I moved to this system because the features were much more in depth. It’s really pretty awesome- you can set up different projects, set due dates, and there’s all sorts of color-coding options. It’s pretty to look at and there’s an app that syncs with all of your devices. What’s not to like? (My friend Lisa introduced me to this app- she describes it really well on her blog!)

Why I moved on:

Honestly, this tool was really hard to give up. It just happened that I incorporated two other tools into my system for other reasons, making this one obsolete for me.

Stage 3: Basecamp and The Day Designer

I’ve settled into a routine for almost a year now with my current set up, and I’m really happy with it. I got Basecamp because my email was busting at the seams and the idea of a platform that could contain all of my client communication really appealed to me. I know that now there are a ton of different platforms out there that do the same thing and are probably even designed better or are less expensive. But at the time, I just needed a solution, and this is the one I kept hearing about over and over and I have to say that it has delivered for me.

I use Basecamp for all my client communication and all my client project to-do items. I use the private to-do lists and the calendar to organize all my client work. I know where work lives, and it doesn’t get entangled with my personal stuff or any other business / blogging related tasks. Basecamp also has awesome iPad and iPhone apps now, which makes accessing work on the go super easy- way better than it used to be when my client communication was buried in my inbox.

For everything else, I use my Day Designer. I love how there’s a long to-do list to dump all the tasks into, and then a place to pick the top 3 things that need to be accomplished that day. Since all the individual work tasks are on Basecamp, all I do is list the client names that need to be addressed that day, and check them off when all the tasks are complete. I recently wrote about how I even use my Day Designer to track my time. But my favorite thing about it? For me, there’s something invaluable about putting pencil to paper. It makes a huge difference.

Okay, fine- I guess that was really 4 tools. So now you know how I balance work, personal, and blogging to-dos, and the pull from synced electronic systems with pencil & paper. What system do you use for your to-do lists?

P.S. Want to go behind the scenes of how I run my business and learn more about how I manage my client projects? Sign up for In Retrospect, this is the last week to register!

(And finally, just so we’re all on the same page- I was in no way compensated to write this, all my opinions are straight from my personal experience.)

4 mistakes I was making on my about page (and how to fix them!)

October 7, 2014

Let’s face it: writing your about page is hard. I mean, who really enjoys writing about themselves? It can be kind of uncomfortable. Ever since I’ve had a blog, I’ve hated writing my about page. When I had multiple blogs and a business website, usually the blog pages came more easily to me- I felt free to be more casual and just talk about me and my life.

But the business page? It sucked. It was dry and oh so very boring. I don’t need to tell you, just look for yourself:

Ouch, right? When I combined my sites and did some redesigning earlier this year, I gave my about page a much needed makeover. Now that it’s been ~~a few~~ several months, I went back and isolated 4 things that were really wrong with it before, that I tried* to address in the newer version.

*I want to preface this by saying that I wrote this post and then looked at my about page… and wanted to do the whole thing over again. The old about page wins again! So try not to hold me to these standards, because there’s always room for improvement.

Here are the things I was doing wrong:

The story was boring.

Everyone has a story. Where you’re from, when you born, what you studied in school, etc., etc… and for most of us, our story is pretty ordinary. Mine certainly is. The trick is finding a way to tell your story that doesn’t bore your audience to tears. Think about this part as a writing sample. Your voice needs to pour out of your story. It should be written in the same style as your blog, or your social media, or whatever it is that you’re putting out there.

A word of caution: if you are a solopreneur, please don’t write in the third person. I think people do it because they think it sounds more legit, but it actually just sounds more impersonal.

I didn’t pivot.

A few weeks ago I had a lightbulb moment when I was discussing about pages with a client. Your about page is where you need to share all the things that set you apart from the other people in your industry. Your occupation, what you are, be it web designer, photographer, or blogger, that is the fixed point. People probably know that part before they even click on your about page.

So you need to pivot. You don’t need to talk about that fixed point, you need to talk about all those things the reader doesn’t already know about you.

Another way of thinking about it is what do you and your ideal client / reader have in common? Talk about that. If it’s someone who is hiring you, you probably don’t have your skill in common. In my case, I like working with creative women- interior designers, event planners, and the like. Instead of talking about how much I love to code, I need to talk about how much I appreciate well-decorated spaces and how stationery and fresh cut flowers make my heart go pitter-patter (see what I mean? Why don’t have that in there?!)

There was no hierarchy.

I’m not one of those bloggers who thinks that all blog posts need headlines, bolded words, and three different colors of text to make them more “scannable.” Sometimes you just gotta write. But on an about page? For your business? People need something to grab them.

I didn’t play to my strengths.

I’m a web designer. What was I doing with a page full of text? If you’re a writer, write. If you’re a visual person, make it visual. The good news with about pages is that it can be whatever you want it to be, and more creative is generally better! Be different.

Want more tips on your about page? When I was working on my page, I thought these posts from In Spaces Between, Copyblogger, Amanda Genther, Blogging with Amy, Allyssa Barnes, were really helpful!

I don’t know about you, but I truly enjoy reading a good about page! Here are a few of my favorites for you to check out:

Emma Dime
Eva Black
Jess Lively
Jordan Brantley
Lara Casey
Organized Creatives

What is your biggest struggle with your about page?