By skyforbes 
If only I had understood how to make your blog look professional when I started blogging. Back in 2010, when Suburban Tourist was in its infancy, I was using Blogger (free), with limited capabilities to create a great-looking blog.
Knowing how to look like a professional blogger with a beginner blog can greatly boost your confidence, blog growth and credibility factor.
Many new bloggers are the same as I was back in 2010. Using every free option available to get started and to grow their blog.
The truth is that it’s much harder to start a professional-looking blog using free options. It’s doable to a certain extent, but you only go so far.
Since 2010, the blog tools and resources to start a blog and create a professional-looking blog have exploded.
From easy solutions to difficult technical problems to templates, digital assets, and other resources, all you really need is time, effort, a bit of an investment and a desire to learn.
In this post, I share my tips for new bloggers on how to look like a professional blogger from the start. I was where you are once too. It can seem overwhelming at first!
You want to showcase yourself as an expert and create a blog brand that people will recognize and want to follow. But it all seems to be SO MUCH WORK and SO DIFFICULT!
Rest assured you’ll get to the point where readers will see you as a well-polished blogging pro.
Create a plan and follow your checklist (I’ve got a handy one for you!), and you’ll get to a point where your blog will be looking professional and attract a following.
Let’s get started!
DISCLOSURE: This post contains affiliate links, meaning if you click on a product or service, and decide to purchase it, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you. All recommended products and services are based on my positive experience with them. For more information, please read my Disclaimer.
Bookmark this post on Pinterest!
READY TO START A BLOG?
Learn step-by-step how to start a self-hosted WordPress blog, and make it profitable!
The Basics: How To Make Your Blog Look Professional
If you’re just starting a blog, you’re in a stage where you’re researching and planning to start a blog.
Reading up on these tips and tricks is a good idea. So what are they?
First of all, as I mentioned, create a blog plan.
Your plan will have action items on your list that span a few weeks.
Even with a beginner blog, it takes time to build something that looks amazing and has great content.
Secondly, budget for some blogging tool expenditures that will take your blog to the next level.
Free blog sites are nice when you’re dabbling in blogging, but if you want to be serious about creating an online presence, you’ve got to invest in your tools and resources.
Thirdly, have some content already created or in the works (if you’re starting a new blog from scratch). Have at least five to 10 blog posts that you can post.
You’re probably nodding your head, writing down these three points… and wondering, when will she get to the details?
Well, just keep on reading and I’ll show you how to look like a professional blogger from the start!
Before you move on to the first point, do you have your niche figured out? By going through this About Me page worksheet, you’ll fine-tune your niche and mission statement, making it easier to determine your blog name, and hence, your Domain name!
1. Use A Domain Name
This is the first step to make your blog look professional right from the start.
Why? Not only does it look professional, especially in the eyes of brands and PR reps that may want to work with you in the future, it also helps you do something very important. Self-hosting!
In the next step, you’re going to go self-hosted, and for that, you need a domain name. Points one and two are interconnected.
Domain names aren’t easy to come up with because they are intricately linked to your blog name. And that’s sometimes VERY HARD to figure out.
You need to consider a few things about your blog name and domain name:
- Does it reflect my blog focus (your niche or general categories for broader-focused blogs)
- Will the name be easy to write out and remember? And in essence, be easily recognizable?
- Will the blog and domain name work with where I may potentially be in 5 to 10 years time? For example, “Single Gal In The City” lifestyle blog won’t work if you find your perfect partner and end up married with babies in five years’ time. You’ll have to go through a rebrand, and that’s quite a bit of work.
- Is the domain available? Is somebody else using it? If so, back to the drawing board.
To purchase a domain name, you can often do so through your self-hosting provider, or you can do it through a service such as Domain.com (the one I’ve used in recent years).
There’s an annual cost to owning your domain name. Usually, it’s approximately $20/year, including privacy services (so your contact info isn’t easily found online).
| READ MORE: How To Start A Blog (And Choose A Blog & Domain Name)
2. Go Self-Hosted
When you go self-hosted from a free blogging site, you make your blog professional in a number of ways.
First of all, there are many more plugins you can use if you’re going the self-hosted WordPress route (WordPress.org, not WordPress.com – that latter is the free version that you want to move away from using). I recommend it as it’s the most robust platform with many thousands of plugins, themes, and tools.
When you decide on self-hosting your blog, you are met with a number of options for self-hosting.
My recommendation for new bloggers for a quality hosting provider is NameHero – great for a self-hosted blog.
For bloggers willing to invest in blogging long-term and who want top-notch load speeds and customer service, I recommend NameHero.
Aside from customization with WordPress plugins, with a self-hosted blog, you have more access to your blog’s technical aspects. Like being able to look under the hood of a car and improve it.
You also have more options to monetize it with ads and other e-commerce activities (e.g. selling your own product or service on your blog).
So it’s an investment and can be a bit confusing at first, but setting up a self-hosted blog is KEY to making your blog look professional.
| RELATED: Top 10 Beautiful Feminine WordPress Themes For Lifestyle Blogs
3. Add Key, Must-Have Legal Pages
THIS IS A MUST!
If you want to make a beginner blog look professional, you need to treat it like a business. To do so, you need to make sure you’re blogging legally.
If you don’t want to get sued for any content you produce on your blog, protect yourself by including must-have three legal pages: Privacy Policy, Terms & Conditions, and the Disclaimer.
- Privacy Policy lets users know how you collect their data and what you do with it.
- Terms & Conditions let the visitor know what they can do with any of the content you have on your site.
- The Disclaimer explains to the reader how they are to receive the information you provide. It protects you from being sued and liable. This is where you also share a disclosure as to any review posts, etc.
This is very important for not only protecting your blog but also yourself legally.
WHAT I RECOMMEND: Purchase the Legal Bundle – a super-helpful package of customizable templates (for US/Canada, and International bloggers), written by a professional, practicing lawyer and blogger – Amira from A Self Guru.
- It’s SUPER affordable when compared to having your lawyer draft these documents.
- It takes a matter of minutes to customize and copy and paste into your blog pages.
- There’s no more guesswork trying to figure out if you’ve covered your blogging butt enough!
NOTE: Purchase this and create the pages on your blog ASAP. You want to protect your blog with legal pages from the start.
4. A Gorgeous Blog Logo
Here’s a little secret to making a blog look professional from the start without spending too much money… create a GORGEOUS blog logo.
It’s the first thing that people see.
Eyes naturally gravitate to a site name. So you need to focus on creating a blog logo that fits your blog’s focus and looks great.
The good news is that you can create a simple but beautiful blog logo in a matter of minutes, for free or with a small budget.
See this blog logo? It’s a word logo, and it took me less than 5 minutes to make with a lovely font.
I also have a sub-mark logo. The one below is for Suburban Tourist blog’s main logo, for my social media visual assets (e.g., Pinterest pins).
Make your beginner blog look professional by taking the time to make a gorgeous blog logo.
You can also check out these AWESOME, affordable templates on Creative Market that I love.
5. Permalink Structure That Makes Sense
This is something I recommend you do once: make your blog look professional with a short URL permalink structure.
Head to Settings > Permalinks and you’ll see these kinds of settings.
When I migrated to WordPress, I ended up having my category and post name show up in my URL. I should have just chosen Post name to make it look like a”prettier” URL.
NOTE: If you make changes after setting your permalinks structure, make sure you have a redirect plugin to ensure your posts with URLs leading to your site don’t get 404 errors. Yoast SEO Plugin PRO offers this (at a cost), as well as Rank Math (free).
6. Create A Brand Palette For Your Blog
To create a polished, cohesive look that makes your blog look professional, you need to create a brand colour palette. You will use it on your blog’s design, Pinterest, your social media channels, etc.
Think about the colours used by brands. Certain colours convey specific perceptions – this is how brands use colours for their logos, websites, and all marketing pieces.
Find your perfect colour palette by searching Pinterest or by getting inspiration from a site like Design Seeds. Jessica, the woman behind the site, has taken beautiful images with dominant colours and pulled out palettes of hues that work well together.
Don’t forget to add a dark colour and a super light one (I chose black and white – very simple) to be your foundation colours for text. Write down the HEX #’s and keep them in a master notebook or a brand standard’s page.
Print out the colours and have them pinned for quick reference. You will need to use these codes often.
I’ve created a handy printable document that you can use to write down all of your HEX #’s and key information about your brand palette.
| RELATED: How To Find Your Perfect Brand Voice And Brand Personality
Small Fixes For A Professional-Looking Blog
7. Create A Favicon For Your Blog
Now that you have your brand palette figured out, you can start designing the next important thing that will make your blog look professional.
You know that little MB in pink that you see in the tabs of your browser for this site? That’s a Favicon. It makes it much easier to identify a site.
Here’s my pink ST favicon for my Suburban Tourist blog at the top:
A favicon makes it easy to identify your site when I’ve opened it on my browser and moved away from that page. When I want to return to it, I’ll glance at that favicon and know that that one is yours.
It’s very easy to create one. You can try a Favicon Generator (free) and make it in a matter of minutes.
To upload it, your blog theme should have a section where you can add it.
8. Use A Well-Designed Blog Theme
If you have a food blog, a food blog theme is very important (it will have recipe features that are a must!).
If you have a lifestyle blog theme, it will have all the necessary plugins and features, and perhaps even design elements that work well with that kind of blog.
And if you have a business-focused theme, there are a number of them out there for consultants, freelancers, and other professionals.
A well-designed WordPress blog theme makes your blog look professional. Free or very inexpensive themes limit what you can do to showcase your work and easily customize your blog to fit your “blog brand.”
For quality WordPress themes, there are many great options in:
- Kadence – light and with many template options
- This theme is a Kadence-based theme from Restored316 – fast, beautifully stylish and perfect for business owners and bloggers alike. There are more options for these gorgeous, simple and premium themes.
- Feminine business and blog themes with Bluchic – they’re easy to customize (with great instructions on how to use Elementor) and they look gorgeous.
- StudioMommy – fantastic Kadence-based themes for beginner lifestyle bloggers with great layouts. Easy to set up, and the price point is excellent.
9. Keep It Uncluttered With Lots Of Balanced Space
You can make a blog look good by practicing the art of minimalism and embracing balance.
What does this mean? Often called “white space”, this is where you give lots of space around text and blog elements, creating a light, airy look.
Many new bloggers, and those who are desperately seeking income from their blog without thinking about the site visitor experience, will make these mistakes:
- Using way too many ads (through an ad network)
- Making their paragraphs very long: one-sentence paragraphs are OK online
- Not adding spaces between images and text
- Writing long sentences for content that can be a bulleted list (like this one)
Fine attention to details such as these elevates your blog from a “newbie blog” to one that makes a beginner blog look professional.
| RELATED: The Best Coaching Tools And Software To Make Your Business Professional
10. Choose A Headshot Photo & Write A Brief Bio
Look to the right. What do you see near the top? My smiling face with a brief bio.
One of the first things to do to make your blog look professional is to tell readers about the person behind it. YOU!
Think about when you visit a site that doesn’t have a smiling face showing on the sidebar with a brief blurb telling you exactly what you can expect.
You don’t have to have a professional headshot photo taken (although these are a must for any business-related blog).
A well-shot and well-edited smartphone photo will do just fine.
Look presentable and SMILE with your teeth showing. This creates a warm, inviting image.
For the brief bio, keep it to a maximum of two short paragraphs.
Tell the reader who you are (e.g., an expert in turkey recipes… or yodelling… whatever!). Next, tell them what kind of content to expect to find on your blog.
If your blog theme allows for a “Read More” button that links to your About Me Page (the next thing on your list!).
| RELATED: Why Personal Branding Is Important For Blogging Success
11. The About Me Page, Work With Me Page and Contact Me Page
Want to know how to create a professional blog that’s ready for business? Craft these three pages well:
- Your About Me page
- A Work With Me page (if you’re seeking brand collaborations or other business)
- Contact page
These pages will take some time to craft well, but you can make it a one-day exercise.
Make sure your Work With Me Page and Contact pages have contact forms that actually work. Test them regularly!
Creating An About Me Page
When creating your About Me page, remember that this page is to help your reader understand two things:
- What is this blog about, and can it help me?
- Who is the person who created it – are they a credible niche expert?
Read my full breakdown of how to create an About Me page and get my workbook to develop your messaging and flow for your About page.
| RELATED: Why Your First Blog Post Shouldn’t Be About You
Creating A Work With Me Page
The Work With Me Page should be focused on the key target audience of brands, PR professionals and digital marketers who want to work with bloggers like you!
It may also be other bloggers seeking collaborations as well.
What should you include?
- Ways to collaborate with other bloggers (guest posts)
- How brands can work with you, e.g., sponsored posts, social media, etc.
- Links to past sponsored work
- A contact me form.
The Contact Me Page
One of the easiest ways to make a beginner blog look professional is to have a working contact page.
Keep this short and sweet with links back to your About Me page and Work with Me Page if somebody needs more information.
Make sure your form works: check it regularly.
12. High-Quality Stock Photos Make A Blog Look Good
How to make your blog look good? Use quality photos!
Unless you’re an amazing photographer, chances are you’ll be seeking out stock photos.
To stand out from the multitude of competitor bloggers who’ll be using the same free stock photos, go the paid stock photo route.
This is a high-quality stock photo (purchased) from Styled Stock Society:
Quality stock photos make a beginner blog look professional. Not to mention, Pinterest LOVES fresh images and pins. This is another key reason why you want to invest in a paid stock photo membership.
Many of the stock photo sites offer quarterly and annual memberships. If you can afford only a few months’ worth of membership, go for it.
Here are my favourites:
13. Use A Consistent Blog Post Layout
A consistent blog layout and format make a blog look good. Here’s how to do this:
- A well-written introduction with context and a hook to keep your readers reading on.
- A middle section with all your juicy tips and ideas fleshed out with amazing information! Consider making a list, as it’s easier to follow.
- A blog conclusion or summary to wrap it all up with a Call-To-Action. This last thing could be a question, a request to pin a Pinterest pin image, or a form to sign up for your newsletter.
- Headings throughout your post – H2 for key headings and H3 and H4 for those that fall under those H2 topic headings.
- A table of contents if your post is long, so readers can jump to the information they’re seeking.
- A few images to illustrate your points and make your site visually appealing.
Do this EVERY TIME! It becomes a standard, and it makes your content look AMAZING.
| RELATED: 7 Ways To End A Blog Post With An Engaging Call-To-Action
14. Be A Professional Blogger With An Email Subscriber List
With my first blog, I made the mistake of starting my email list YEARS after launching it. My recommendation is to start building an email list at the 3-month mark of your new blog.
A newsletter list is a smart addition to making your blog look professional. Some of the reasons to start and grow your email list are:
- It offers an additional way for you to reach out to your interested readers directly… right into their email inbox
- It’s another way you can share branded content with your readers (and get paid to do so!)
- Shows that you are focused on building a community
- It’s a source of blog traffic.
There are many options for list building and newsletters, but here are two that I recommend:
- MailerLite (up to 1,000 contacts on your list, 12,000 sends per month – LOVE IT, and currently using this!)
- Kit – free plans with limitations. Also, free up to 1000, but not as many free options as Mailerlite.
Always remember to have a series of “Welcome emails” to introduce yourself and your blog. Give fresh info, behind-the-scenes secrets, and other tips that your readers will love.
Let your personality shine through! It’s a great way to build your personal brand.
| Related: How To Grow Your Blog Email List Smartly With Attractive Lead Magnets
15. Implement A Promotion Strategy
You’ve made your beginner blog look professional, but can readers share your blog posts? Make it easy by including social sharing buttons on your blog posts. Check that they work correctly.
For every blog post you publish, promote it by sending out your Pinterest pins and posts to Facebook and X (Twitter) and any other relevant social media channels.
There are many ways to promote your blog posts and drive huge traffic.
If you have a lifestyle blog, focus on Pinterest as it’s a HUGE driver of blog traffic.
Learn how to set up your Pinterest Business Account and get started today!
How To Make A Blog Look Good: A Recap
So let’s review – here are the tips for how to make your blog look professional:
- Have a domain name
- Go self-hosted
- Add legal pages
- Create a gorgeous blog logo
- Update your permalink structure
- Select a brand colour palette and use it consistently
- Create a favicon
- Choose a well-designed blog theme that works for your niche
- Keep your blog uncluttered with lots of white space
- Create a profile photo and brief bio for your sidebar
- Add the About Me page, Work With Me page and Contact Me page
- Use high-quality stock photos
- Create and use a consistent blog post layout
- Build your email list
- Use a smart promotion strategy that includes social sharing buttons on your site
There’s much more for you to learn and update as you go along, but these are the key things that make a blog look professional.
As I mentioned, it takes time. Don’t burn out!
Have fun creating a beautiful blog you’ll be proud to promote and share with others.
QUESTION: What do you think it takes to be a professional blogger? What would you do to make a beginner blog look professional?
