I cringe at what my blog looked like when I started it nearly 2 years ago, I paid no attention to the appearance of my blog - I was 100% about the content (looking back, that wasn't good either). When you've found your feet, maybe after 6 months it's time to start thinking about a redesign. From my point of view, both as a blog owner and a blog reader, when deciding whether I want to follow a blog and read it long term, I look for 2 things. First I look for great and engaging content and a nice writing style. The second thing I look at is its appearance. I cannot stress enough how important blog design is and it doesn't have to cost you an arm and a leg.

1. There are loads of amazing free blog templates out there. When I first started looking into a redesign I took to google and I used a few from makeitcg.com and then tweaked the HTML to make it personal to me. Now I use Pipdig where templates aren't too pricey at all. I only recently decided to spend money on a template. You do not have to buy a template to have an amazing looking blog though.
3. Photography. Taking great photographs will help make your blog look amazing. You don't need to go out and buy a DSLR to achieve this. Phone cameras are amazing these days - I sometimes shoot outfit posts on my iPhone. The best advice I can give is to use natural light as far as you can. Another important element of photography is editing - I use pic monkey to edit my pictures. I am able to adjust the photo elements as well as create collages or design things. I made the banner for this blog on pic monkey.
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