Unclutter Your Sidebar
August 15, 2007
A cluttered sidebar is a big turnoff to your readers. If there is too much in your sidebar, irrelevant items, and especially if the visitor cannot locate what they’re looking for, then you’re in trouble. Today I’m challenging you to just one simple thing: clean out your sidebar (or at least add it to your to-do list).
Step one: Clean out your blogroll. Narrow it down to only a few sites that you think are fantastic and definitely shouldn’t be removed. If you’ve link exchanged with anyone, let them know if you’re removing their link. Not everyone does this but I think it’s polite. Your blog should be less of a mess already, and you’re also saving some of your Google juice by removing all those outgoing links!
Step two: Remove other irrelevant links, banners, and affiliate images. If you have a big image showing off your PageRank, it’s only in the way. Not that many people are interested in how your page is ranked except for future advertisers, so add the PageRank button to your Advertise page instead. Also, remove any affiliate images you have up and change them to links if you have too many of them. Remove the ones you’re not using anymore. Take out as many irrelevant links and pictures as you can.
Step three: If your readers can’t find what they’re searching for, you’re in some serious trouble. You don’t want to lose them to some other blog that is more organized and navigable. To solve this problem, make sure your categories section in the sidebar is sorted well, and that you have a search bar.
Step four: Don’t display whatever else you don’t REALLY need. Think about it. Surely there’s something else you could take out of your design/sidebars that’s not useful to you. If there’s no need for archives on your blog, remove them. If you think you could do without a certain widget or plugin, take if off. Think about it carefully - removing close to everything is bad, but having too much clutter is worse. Aim for the right amount of items in your sidebar.
Not only will your readers appreciate it, but your site will be better at an SEO standpoint without all those outgoing links and extra clutter. But remember: While keeping a clean sidebar is definitely important and necessary, it is only one tiny part of making your blog look great. I’ll touch on some more points soon that can improve your site even more. Good luck, and happy blogging! :)
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Comments
4 Responses to “Unclutter Your Sidebar”
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I’ve been trying to do this since I saw the tip on ProBlogger. It’s pretty tough when you think you NEED all of the stuff on your sidebar. I’m trying!!!
Bryan - Yes, I often do that. I’ll make excuses for everything on why I need it (while usually I don’t). But then I just have to reevaluate those excuses. Hehe. Good luck uncluttering your sidebar! :)
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