How To Create A Stunning Blog Like Boomerpdx

Write something worth screaming about, or???

Most bloggers get spam messages. Most bloggers delete them.

Ugg boots and ‘cheap’ NFL jersey’s? You know if you need them.

Every now and then you get a request that rings true.

It’s straight forward and feels like it’s coming from on honest place, not a machine spewing spam notices on every url on the web.

How did this blog design happen? So glad you asked.

• What usually happens

You have a business or product and need a web presence. Instead of a sales page with contact info, you want your customers to know more about YOU.

It’s sort of like the steak houses that sell the same meat. What they’re really selling is the sizzle, the atmosphere, the ambiance.

If you feel better after dinner in one place than you do in another, which one do you go back too?

After you google your topic and look at the pages and blogs associated with it, you decide you’ll join the crowd. It’s a big moment, don’t kid yourself. Blogging can feel like a run around the block naked. When you do it right.

You want a blog so you contact a web designer, maybe one listed on the bottom of pages you’ve seen and enjoyed. And they’ll be happy to roll out their pitch along with their pricing schedule.

All very up and up. You want to improve your business with a blog, and they’re in the business of building websites. A perfect match?

Maybe.

You say you’re not very web savvy, you’re tech impaired, or you don’t have time. All good reasons to contact a web designer.

Chances are your choice of designer is a CSS artist with a portfolio of beautiful pages they built. They might have a friend who manages the pages so you can call them when you want an update.

What you get instead is a new best friend who enjoys the email exchanges more than doing the changes you ask for. That’s part of the designer/manager business, getting things right the first time. That takes a lot of communication back and forth. What sounds like a simple request to you is a challenge to them because they want you to be happy and say good things.

You’ve got peace of mind, but there’s a nagging echo. Does it have to be so difficult? Is this something I ought to do? Learn to do?

If you’re asking that question, the answer is yes. You can do it.

• What happens next

Thank your designer. Say good things about them. Then explain that you’re ‘going a different direction.’ (Always a favorite saying.)

Next, click over to Copyblogger.com and rummage around in the closet. Brian Clark is readable, entertaining, and hits the nail on the blogger head more than he misses. If he and his team do miss, they show you the bruises.

From Duct Tape Marketing:

“The site’s tagline is Internet Marketing for Smart People is a nod to Clark’s mastery of Internet Marketing devoid of the snake oil used to sell so much to, well, not so smart people looking to get rich quick.”

If you’re not building a snake oil blog, copyblogger will work. What the heck, it’ll work if you are building a snake oil blog. But you’re not.

After you’re pumped up on blog power, you’ll want to get started.

Jump over to Studiopress.com and read about the Genesis Framework. While you’re there, look at the themes for sale. Copyblogger, a site in the top 1% of traffic draws, runs on Genesis. So does boomperpdx.

Compare the themes to the sites you’ve seen on your topic. You’ll find one that is better than what you’ve seen. It’s a personal thing. Don’t we all ask silent questions when we’re on a web page? Like, “Why do they make it so hard to get anywhere?” and, “If this was my page, I’d do it differently.”

Well, this is your chance to trump the competition. Find a theme you like with the custom options you want. Look at the header size, the sidebars, the menu options, and the separation between topic areas.

Boomerpdx uses a theme called News. It’s got a small header and a main page that works like a newspaper with the big story above the fold. It’s old school nostalgia in a digital format aimed at a paper reading demographic of baby boomers.

The middle section is a double row with the bottom an altered reflection of the top.

The idea is getting as much on the page without clutter. Easy navigation, visual delight, and a ‘join boomerpdx’ request ties it together.

So far so good? You’ve got your topic, your blog theme/appearance, and your enthusiasm.

Head over to wordpress.org and download their free software.

Since you’ll self-host, you’ll need hosting. Boomerpdx runs on bluehost.com Before you blog happily ever after, let’s review.

1. You’ve registered your domain name.
2. You’ve got hosting.
3. You chose a theme.
4. You’re ready to make it all yours. It’s your online DNA so decide early what you want to say. The web is written in granite and never goes away.

Most important, sign up on boomerpdx to get these posts hot off the keyboard.

Any other question? Hit me up in comments.