Px & HTML Code

What's px? Px is the HTML shorthand for pixels. Ever notice the picture or title of your blog has a frame around it? There are lines separating posts and framed around headlines and pictures.

Making these lines disappear is a great way to streamline the layout of your blog and tweak the presentation to your tastes. One way to make finding specific code easier is (Ctrl +F).

On the Blogger page, click the Layout tab. Next, click the Edit HTML tab. You will see a page of text and code. Scroll down until you see /* Header.
Look for pieces of code with numerals followed by px. By changing the numerical value to zero, you can make borders and frames disappear.

Remember to save your page (Ctrl + S) or copy the original code (Ctrl + C) before making alterations. The HTML code can be altered to change fonts, colors, spacing, etc. I highly recommend changing the px value for the header to zero. Otherwise, the picture or text of your blog's header will appear inside of a frame with empty space surrounding it. The frame also makes resizing your blog header more difficult.

Layout

The layout of your blog is important. The layout is literally the first thing readers will see when they come to your page. The goal of the layout is to present your posts to readers as quickly and simply as possible.

The template is the most important part of the layout. Blogger offers several templates and styles. My advice is to pick a simple template like minima, minima lefty or simple II. If you've ever created a powerpoint presentation, you'll know that the best presentations are the simplest. Flashy animations and eclectic patterns distract the reader from reading your posts.

Color scheme is also important. Some blogs have white text with black backgrounds, others use drab colors with bright text. My blog, Columbia Blog Project uses black text on a white background. Why black on white, why so simple? First off, complimentary colors strain the eyes and shorten the attention span. Look at any online newspaper site, black on white.

Finally look at fonts and colors. Headline text should be bright and attention grabbing, as should link text. When choosing link colors, take care not to make the link or visited link colors too dark or too similar, otherwise readers may skip over them. Try to limit your color scheme to three colors.