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I have already mentioned about the important things to look for in a blog design. After having a professional and fast loading design, the next question is what are the essential things for a blog? In this post I have identified the Top 5 essential things for any blog. So here is my pick.
- Navigational Header: Header is the important part which gives a good impression of the blog. The Header should contain the links for navigation and it should be made simple and clear for the readers.
- RSS feeds and Email Subscriptions: This point needs no explanation. We all know the importance of having feeds for your blog. Apart from having feeds, its also important that your blog offers Email Subscription. You can check out the importance of having Email Subscription.
- Search: Search is another important ingredient of any blog. Most of the themes comes with a build in search functionality. You can even try out the custom search from Google. If you use Wordpress as your blogging platform there are few plugins available for search.
- Contact Page: Contact page offers a method for your readers to contact you through Email for any help or even reporting a problem on your blog. Apart from Contact page, an about page can also be included to get more information about the author.
- Functional Footer: A functional footer is one which will provide a home page links, subscription link and links to other important pages in the blog like copyright etc. DailyBlogTips has written about the importance of having a functional footer.
So what is your pick for the top 5 things for a blog?
indeed good tips
I keep forgetting about adding nav links in the footer. Thanks for the reminder buddy!
I need to tidy up my footer theres not much to mine. great post stumbled
Hilarious. Daily Blog Tips doesn’t have the functional footer Daniel described.
I completely ignore the footer menu!
I guess I should insert some link tonight. Thanks for your reminder. I do have some footer link, but not about the navigation but a top post and recent articles.
I think I should make one like yours.
@BrownBaron,
Footer links are very useful for readers.
@Shawn,
Thanks for the Stumble.
@RT,
Even when I was searching for the link to his post, I saw this, DBT doesnt have a functional footer!
Rt and nirmal, That was funny…Was that originally from Daniel?
Anyway they are essential apart from ofcourse content…
Never felt that footer was an essential part of the theme. I think I will reconsider my views!
BTW Nirmal, which contact form plugin do you use? I had some spam problems with mine. Some spammer was able to send his spam through me!
@Indyank,
It was originally from Daniel!
@Thilak,
I use the following contact form – http://chip.cuccio.us/projects/contact-form-ii/
i am also thinking to play with my footer
Good tips, a contact page is very essential
I still don’t have a footer… have to work on it 
@Shankar,
Contact page is one of the most essential ones in a blog.
Nice tips Nirmal , Apart from contact page , one should also maintain an advertise page at a later stage
@Madhur,
You are right, once we have established the blog, we can have a good advertise page!
I have everything applied except for the functional footer. Now I’ll collect some interesting links for my footer
BTW, great tips! I always like your tips.
@Harris,
Glad that you liked the tips.
My last comment contains a grave mistake. Can you edit it off? and delete this comment?
I too need to spend some time on my footer. I felt compelled to comment though to scream my agreement of the rss feed and the contact form…
I came across a great blog this morning via someone who had commented on one of my posts. I really enjoyed it and wanted to subscribe. I searched for a bit on the site, then went ahead and tried to subscribe manually through my reader, and none of that worked. There was no feed. Then, since I was already there I thought I’d just use their contact form to ask about the feed. There was no way to contact!
Luckily, I had their e-mail address from the comment they left, and I know they’re working on adding a contact form by the end of the day and hopefully, they’ll get on the RSS thing too
Nice tips buddy, contact page is very important for any blog.
The writers and moderators at ZardozZ News & Satire search constantly for interesting feed content and we came across your site today. Great tips on blogging!! We would like to invite you to add your site to our blogring as your material appears interesting and aligned with our readership. If you are interested, you can find further information at the ZZ OpenRing. This is not meant as spam but as a sincere invitation. Hope you’ll join us…
— ZZ Staff
@Dana,
Thanks for the comment! There are quite a few blogs which do not have a proper contact form or feeds. These are actually vital parts of the blog.
Nice tips……..
I will try to follow those.
Really,lots of changes to do.
Wow, I never thought of my footer as valuable space. I have been neglecting it for far too long. Off to create some new navigations links…..
very issential & useful list.