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Hi Reader,

Sometimes I get a bit uptight about finishing and sending in my article for UPPERCASE. Once Janine publishes the magazine, there’s no way to edit or fix mistakes. An appealing thing about my line of work, web design, is that a website is never done.

Why adjust your website?

Aside from reactively fixing things on your site, you can also proactively adjust it. Why? As Janine pointed out to me, we ourselves are always changing. It is okay to allow that flexibility in our businesses as well. You or your creative work may change, or your business model may shift. Of course, the internet and the world around us are changing all the time.

Even when all remains the same on your end, there are always ways to communicate more effectively with your visitors and customers. It’s important to review stats and feedback to keep improving.

Recently updated homepage for Worthwhile Paper.

I wrote about this for the most recent issue of UPPERCASE. Find a copy of this article on our blog:

READ THE FULL POST

Q&A

Here's a reader question about blog design, from Amanda, as answered by Christine Hughes, Senior Identity & Web Designer on our team:

Q: Amanda asks, "How do I make my Shopify blog pretty?"

A: It makes sense to devote time and thought into how your blog looks if blogging is an important part of your marketing strategy and design is important to your brand.

If you are in the beginning stages of creating your Shopify site, include the blog as part of your website strategy. With custom development, you can design your blog to look exactly how you want it while giving it the functionality you’re looking for when it comes to organizing content. If you’re planning to work with an out-of-the-box theme without customization, check whether its blog capabilities will work for your needs and review the demos to see if you like the layout and design.

Blog sections and features we often customize include unique treatment for the blog title, featured posts on the landing page, visual navigation for categories, newsletter signup blocks, and social media share links. You can see some recent examples on our blog.

If you are simply looking to spruce up your existing blog, focus on your content. Good photography can elevate a design, so devote some time into making separate blog cover images and additional photos for the post body. Within the blog copy, use font styles—like bold type or a slightly larger heading size—to call out quotes or note important information. You can use an additional branding color, too. But remember to keep these highlights to a minimum, because when too many elements are emphasized, none truly stand out.

Question: Answered

Our team includes experts in branding, design, development, email & SMS/text marketing, search engine optimization, copywriting, conversion optimization, ecommerce strategy, business growth and more. Email me back with your question! I'll consult one of our experts and share one response per week over email.

Interesting Clickables

⚓️ Read past issues of Aeolidia's newsletter here

Here's how to determine the right reinvestment rate for your family business.
Coming up: I'll be presenting Take Your Shopify Site to the Next Level. This is a private event for Pattern Observer's Textile Lab. Learn more about this community here.
Bean Ninjas, an ecommerce accounting firm, has a great article about Shopify accounting and bookkeeping best practices.