13 WordPress blog layout techniques for better engagement

Types of WordPress blog layouts

Understanding different blog layout options helps you choose the right structure for your content and audience. WordPress offers several popular layout styles, each serving different purposes.

A grid layout displays blog posts in a grid format with multiple columns, making it perfect for visual-heavy blogs or portfolios.

A list layout presents posts in a vertical list with featured images and excerpts, providing a traditional blog reading experience that works well for text-focused content.

Magazine layouts feature a hero section for important articles and various content sections, ideal for news sites or blogs with diverse content categories. 

A masonry layout uses varying heights for posts to create a dynamic arrangement, similar to Pinterest’s design.

For those preferring simplicity, a minimalist layout focuses on ample white space and clean typography.

A single-column layout centers content for focused reading, while a sidebar layout includes additional content alongside main posts, offering readers supplementary navigation and information.

Key elements of a WordPress blog layout

Every WordPress blog layout consists of four fundamental components that work together to create a cohesive user experience. The header serves as your blog’s navigation hub, containing your logo, navigation menu, and search functionality to help visitors find what they need. Below that, the content area displays your blog posts, featured images, and main content – this is where readers spend most of their time.

Many layouts include a sidebar that houses widgets, categories, archives, and supplementary information, providing additional navigation options and context. Finally, the footer anchors your layout at the bottom, including contact details, copyright information, and additional links. These elements form the structural foundation of any WordPress blog, regardless of which layout style you choose.

How to make a blog layout in WordPress

Creating a blog layout in WordPress is straightforward and doesn’t require coding knowledge. Start by choosing a WordPress theme with your desired layout – whether that’s a grid, list, magazine, or minimalist style. Free and premium themes offer different layout options, so browse through several before deciding.

Navigate to Appearance > Themes in your dashboard to access the theme library. Here you can browse installed themes or add new ones from the WordPress repository. Preview and activate your chosen theme by hovering over it and selecting the respective buttons. This immediately applies the theme’s default layout to your blog.

For customization of themes, go to Appearance > Customize to access the WordPress Customizer. Most themes offer layout settings where you can select your layout options, such as sidebar position (left, right, or no sidebar) and display format (grid vs. list). Experiment with different configurations using the live preview. Once satisfied, save your changes to make them permanent.

13 tips to improve your WordPress blog layout

Before putting in all the time, effort, and resources it takes to start a great WordPress blog, give it the best chance possible to succeed. Here are 13 powerful tips to improve your WordPress blog layout.

Note: WordPress makes it easy to update and redesign your blog. If you aren’t sure how to change a blog layout in WordPress, we’ll provide helpful resources at the end of each tip.

1. Choose the right WordPress blog templates

WordPress blog templates are pre-designed layouts that determine the structure and visual arrangement of your blog. The WordPress blog theme you use will significantly influence the look and feel of your blog. WordPress offers over 31,000 themes, including 9,000 free themes for bloggers on a budget.

Look for WordPress templates designed for blogs and with a layout that is easy to navigate. Choose simplicity over an overly busy or confusing template.

Remember, you can always add elements back in as you build your site. Block themes support Full Site Editor (FSE) for complete layout control.

WordPress suggests choosing a blog template that features:

• High-performance
• Responsiveness
• Adjustability
• Accessibility
• Design and updates support
• Positive reviews

Choose responsive themes that adapt to all screen sizes for optimal mobile experience. Not sure where to start? Check out Kadence.

2. Choose the right colors for your blog

Colors play a huge role in how people feel about your blog. For example, humans associate warm colors with passion, comfort, and anger, while cool colors create feelings of calmness, serenity, and sadness.

Look for colors that match the theme and character of your blog. For example, a high-fashion blog may include the color black in their layout, as people sometimes associate black with feeling of luxury or elegance.

On the other hand, a hiking blog may include hues of green and brown in its layout, which are reminiscent of natural earth tones.

It’s a good idea to change the color palette at the template level of your WordPress blog, so you won’t have to change it every time you create a new blog post.

Here’s how to customize your theme’s colors.

3. Choose the right fonts for your blog

When it comes to choosing a font for your blog, simple is better. It may be tempting to try to stand out with a frilly or wacky font, but your priority should always be clarity.

A stylized font may be appropriate for your logo or header, but users can have a difficult time reading them as body text.

Instead, choose a sans-serif font for your body text, such as:

• Arial
• Verdana
• Open Sans
• Roboto
• Lato
• PT Sans
• Montserrat
• Raleway

Here’s how to set the fonts of your WP theme.

4. Add a navigation menu

A navigation menu is a collection of links that helps visitors browse different sections of your blog. Having one at the top of your blog makes it easy for your visitors to find what they’re looking for on your website. Most WordPress blog templates make it easy for you to create a menu.

You might want to add sections, such as:

• Home
• Blog
• About Us
• Products/Services
• Portfolio
• Resources
• Contact Us

A sticky navigation menu remains fixed at the top of the screen while users scroll, sometimes called a “sticky header”. You’ve probably seen a sticky header on many of your favorite websites.

Some WordPress templates automatically create a sticky navigation menu, but if yours doesn’t, you can create your own.

5. Add sidebars to your blog

Sidebars are vertical columns alongside main content that display additional information and navigation options. Well-designed WordPress blog layouts give visitors options for navigating a site. One way to do that is through sidebars.

Through a sidebar on your blog, you can:

• List your most popular blog posts.
• List your most recent blog posts.
• Show recent social media posts.
• Include recommended products related to a post.
• List blog categories.
• Show relevant ads.

Here’s how to add a sidebar to your WordPress blog.

6. Use headings and subheadings in your blogs

Headings and subheadings are structural elements that break content into scannable sections and establish clear information hierarchy. No one likes to look at a huge block of uninterrupted text, and internet users are famous for their habit of scanning content.

Have you noticed how this blog uses headings and subheadings to keep content short and concise?

Whenever you move to a different topic or subtopic within your content, consider adding a new heading (for main topics) and subheadings (for sub-topics).

Here’s an example header structure that could help break up your blog copy and establish information hierarchy. The “H” in each header tag below stands for “heading element.”

• H1: Title
• H2s: Main topics
• H3s: Sub-topics of main topics
• H4s: Subtopics of subtopics

It’s important to note that blog content is rarely in-depth enough to warrant header tags beyond H4s. Try to keep your blog header structure between H1 to H4 to maintain proper formatting.

See how to create headings and subheadings in your WordPress blog.

7. Add main feature images

A featured image is the primary visual associated with a blog post that appears in previews, social shares, and alongside the post title. Humans are highly visual creatures. The right image can captivate visitors and draw them into your blog.

WordPress gives you the ability to link a featured image to your blog post. This image will show with the title of your blog post on your home page or when you share links to your social media channels and on other sites.

You should (nearly) always use a main featured image with each new blog post.

Choose your images carefully. A boring or generic stock image won’t impress your readers. Consider a unique and well-designed stock image or a high-resolution picture you took (especially if you are the subject of your blog).

Another newer option to explore is AI-generated images. AI image generators are coming into their own and offer you nearly limitless options when it comes to image topics, designs, and artistic styles.

Here’s how to add a featured image to your WordPress blog.

8. Add more images

Don’t just stop with adding a featured image to your blog post. Include images throughout your post. These visual cues will help break up your content and add captivating visual elements to your post.

Since humans process images faster than text, images can help readers understand your content more easily.

A good rule of thumb is to try to add an image every 350 words, but be sure to incorporate as many visuals as you need to relay your information clearly.

Learn how to add images to your WordPress blog.

9. Write short paragraphs

You don’t want your blog post to feel like a novel. Instead, make your content inviting with short paragraphs and succinctly capture each idea you want to convey.

How short should your paragraphs be?

Ann Wylie, president of Wylie Communications, analyzed The New York Times and found that the average paragraph in the paper’s news stories contained 2.4 sentences and 36 words.

As Ann wrote in her article, “Hey, if it works for the Times, it works for me.”

You don’t have to stick to these numbers like glue.

After all, you don’t want your paragraphs to look identical. Use this research as a rule of thumb and try to hit the averages more often than not.

10. Add internal links to your posts

Internal links are hyperlinks that connect related content within your website, helping readers discover more relevant posts and increasing time on site. Chances are that, if you write your blog on a particular topic, several of your posts will overlap in some capacity.

If your visitors read a specific blog post, they’ll probably be interested in what else you’ve written about on that topic.

Don’t be afraid to link to other blog posts or pages on your website that naturally fit together, but be sure to incorporate these links naturally.

The anchor text you attach links to must be clear, concise, and let the reader know where they will land if they click on the link.

For example, if you are writing a review of a pair of boots for your fashion blog, consider linking to other articles you’ve written about boots.

Your readers will appreciate more of your insights, and you’ll keep them on your blog longer.

Here’s how to add an internal link to your WP posts.

11. Incorporate social media into your blog

Social media embeds are integrated posts from platforms like Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok that add visual variety and connect your blog to social channels. A great way to grow your social media audience is to connect your social media posts to relevant blog posts.

Many WordPress templates allow you to insert Tweets, Facebook posts, Instagram Posts, and TikToks.

Are you writing a blog post on how to build decks? If you’ve recently posted pictures on Instagram of your latest deck-building project, add those to your blog.

Readers will enjoy the visual aspect of the images and you’ll have another way to break up your content.

Best of all, your readers might migrate to your social media channels.

Learn how to embed your social media posts into your blog.

12. Add visual elements to your blog

Images aren’t the only way to break up the content blocks of a blog post. Adding other visual elements to your post can make your blog easier to scan and more enjoyable for your readers.

Just a few examples include:

• Bulleted lists
• Pull quotes
• Colored boxes

Bulleted lists make it easier for readers to understand and scan the main points of a topic, especially when you’re listing out three or more related things. Pull quotes can help you highlight your best and snappiest points. Boxes are another way to highlight an important point. You can also use boxes to add an aside or to quickly summarize a section of a longer blog.

Here’s what you need to know about adding a bulleted list, pull quote, or a feature box to your WP blog. You might also want to explore custom CSS for advanced styling options.

13. Add Gravatars to your blog

Globally Recognized Avatars (Gravatars) are the images that represent you, other writers on your blog, or commenters. If you don’t enable this feature, the default Gravatar is a bland, gray image. Spice up your blog by adding a fun and recognizable Gravatar for yourself and your other writers and give your commenters the ability to create their own Gravatars.

How does this improve your WordPress blog layout? Gravatars personalize your blog. They also help readers connect specific posts with their authors. Anything that helps build a relationship between you and your readers is a good thing.

Add personalized Gravatars to your blog.