Links & Rules Of Use
The vast majority of blogs feature a section or two that contains nothing but links. They may be links to the bloggers’ other blogs or to related sites; they may even be links to every syndicated columnist online - such a scheme makes up a good portion of the Drudge Report, Matt Drudge’s headline news portal. If you feature links, you’ll be following the grand tradition of successful bloggers and doing your readers a service. We’ll talk later about using your links as an assets to increase traffic, but for now we’ll just talk about how they are laid out, and in layout, there are two rules to follow: use your links purposely and organize them effectively.
Everything on your page should contribute to your page, and your links are no exception. They should be organized in a manner that helps your readers navigate them, whether alphabetically or by subject. They should also each contribute something to your blog’s content. Aunt Mabel’s cat blog may be really nice – and you may really love your aunt - but the readers of your open-source software blog will not be terribly interested in it. Your links are an asset: distribute them in a way that maximizes your blog’s value, and organize them in a way that ensures your readers can find what they want.
Kenneth R Sword Jr
Next: Designing a Page That Compliments Your Content Pt.5 (Blog Layout)
|