General

Regular readers will know that from time to time I like to give my blogs a bit of a transformation. Even small changes can make a big difference.  If those changes are enough to increase traffic and to encourage readers to stay on the blog longer, it’s a win as far as I am concerned.

So here are the 5 changes that I’d suggest considering for your blog, which will refresh the branding of your blog.

Photo by Brooke Cagle on unsplash

Design an attractive header

Having a header image is a good way to start.  This could be your logo, or something that illustrates what your blog is about.On my family lifestyle blog I started out with a fairly generic image that I got off a free images site.  Then I changed my image to a hand drawn one that I commissioned from a fellow blogger.  That picture depicted me and my son walking to school and I felt it needed updating again when he got a bit older.  I have had three header images for that blog in ten years.  I will probably look to change it again in a year or two.

Change your theme and your fonts

This is a really important part of my blog’s look. Many web hosting sites have a wide range of free themes available at the click of a button, and the majority of them are absolutely fine, but, the trouble with free themes is the fact that there will be a lot of other blogs also using that theme, this makes it more difficult for you to make your brand stand out from the crowd.  If you have the budget to do so, I suggest looking around for a paid theme . The best ones will look great and will give you opportunities to easily customise your look.  As there will be fewer sites with the same theme, you are more likely to stand out.

Adding a carefully chosen font can give your site a real individual look.  Check out a handwritten script font website to make your words make more of an impact.

Add your most popular posts to a carousel

My theme has a carousel feature and recent posts are featured in carousel at the top of the page.  Your readers will have the chance to explore more of your content after they have finished reading the article they came to your site for.  The carousel is a prominent feature that viewers see when they land on my blog, and I hope that the content that will interest them.

Create categories to aid content navigation

To allow your readers to navigate your blog easily, divide your content into categories. You can assign each blog post a category before it goes live. The categories will most likely also form your menu too! For example, I have categories for Reviews, Food etc, and it means that anyone wanting to read about those topics can very easily navigate to the right section.

Use strong imagery

Finally imagery is key as it creates interest. Images keep a viewer locked into a blog post, they inspire, they help you connect with your reader. Make sure that each and every one of your blog posts uses imagery.

So those are 5 ways you can refresh and update your blog’s branding.

I think when I was growing up, I thought that dating was something only teenagers and young adults did.  I never really thought about love and relationships later in life. Divorce was a rarity in my 1970’s childhood and I only had a few friends with separated parents as I grew older.  Now that I’ve made it to my fifties though, the world of love and relationships seems like a different place.  Many people need to start on a new relationship later in life and it’s so much more common to be looking around for a new companion later in life.

Back in my teens and twenties, I found new boyfriends by meeting people in the pub or through friends.  It was usually much easier to tell if someone was already taken: there was usually someone around who knew.  Then as I got older the workplace was another potential source of relationships and again it was easy enough to know who was available.  It’s very difficult though now, I find.  If I meet someone through work, or at a pub, it’s difficult to know if they are married or not.  Not all married men wear a ring and those in long term, unmarried relationships won’t wear one anyway.  It’s tricky.  That’s where a good dating site comes into its own – be sure to pick out some good photos for your profile.

There is a need for a little wariness as there are people around who want to cheat on their other halves by using dating apps and pretending they are single.  There are others who won’t want a longer term relationship and will want to play the field.  It’s easier than ever to check up on someone online these days though. It’s amazing the information you can glean on social media.  If they aren’t into that, you can fall back on old fashioned techniques like seeing if they want to introduce you to friends or family or whether they are reluctant to do so.  Online dating doesn’t have to be difficult and it’s best to approach it with an open mind.

There’s much to celebrate too as there are plenty of things that are easier than dating when you are younger.  If you are dating later in life, having children is less likely to be an issue.  Most will have been there and done that, or will have decided or accepted that it’s not something that’s going to happen to them.  You both will very likely have some baggage, but anyone realistic will expect someone their age to have some baggage, so it’s unlikely to be a problem unless it’s something you haven’t come to terms with.

Hopefully everyone is past the game playing stage, if they ever did that.  If they aren’t, life has taught the rest of us to recognise that quickly and you can cut out some of that nonsense early on.  I find it easier to realise when someone is on the same wave length as me now I’m older.  I do find it easier to know if a relationship is going to develop at a much earlier stage.  I draw on my previous experience of relationships; my knowledge of people; and my self awareness.

When you are climbing back onto the dating ladder after a relationship breakdown, these days you are probably considering online dating.  Of course, it’s still possible to meet someone through friends, or a hobby, etc., but it’s often tricky to know who is single or open to the idea of a new romantic relationship.  Online dating means that at least the other people are interested in meeting someone new, although there are a number of other hurdles to navigate your way around.

There are plenty of free dating sites uk out there, but they will all want you to provide a picture as part of your online dating profile.   So what are the most important things to do when picking out a suitable photo to use? You don’t just want a picture that makes you look like a model, it’s more important to have one that gets across your personality and your true self.

Make sure your picture looks like you

You don’t want to start a date badly by having a picture that doesn’t look like you.  It’s best to avoid older photos, maybe make five years old your cut off point, or if you have dramatically changed your look more recently than that, exclude photos of the old you (unless you are the kind of person who changes their look very regularly). An image that reflects how you really look and captures something of your personality is more likely to result in you achieving your Match Me Happy goals.

Make sure your picture is a good quality one

Don’t put up a picture that is blurry or badly cropped.  If you can’t get the photo to look how you want by careful, tasteful cropping, it’s probably not the one for you.  Photos where you are too far away aren’t good.  It’s not a good idea to go photoshop crazy as that will just look false and if you do use a professional photographer, be sure to look at examples of previous work so you can get a feel for how their portrait shots tend to look.

Use more than one picture

It is a good idea to have a few pictures in your profile.  By including more images, it will be easier to get across your personality and your interests. More than one picture shows you have put some effort into your online dating profile and that you are serious about finding a new relationship.  Make sure as a minimum that you include one headshot looking at the camera and one full body picture.  Once you have these in your porfolio, you can branch out a little.  Maybe consider having a combination of face, full-body, action, dressed up, dressed down, serious, and fun shots. The point is to give potential matches a peek into your personality, background, and interests.  Generally it’s better to avoid a group shot: you don’t want a potential date to be keen on you because they want to meet one of your friends.  Also, it can be difficult to pick out a person in a group shot and it could cause confusion.

It’s worth investing a little time and thought in the selection of your profile pictures, to help you find a good match for you.  Good luck with your dating.