Your food blog isn’t just a place to post recipes—it’s your brand, your portfolio, and often, your business. Whether you’re sharing family favorites or building a media empire, how your site looks and functions plays a huge role in your blog’s growth. If you want to attract new readers, keep them coming back, and grow your income through ads, affiliate links, or brand partnerships, you need a website that works as hard as you do.
Below are 10 essential web design tips that every food blogger should know.
1. Keep Navigation Clean and Simple
“If people can’t find what they’re looking for, they’ll leav,” says Sam Mirallegro, Founder and Creative Director of Samantha Digital. Your site’s navigation should be simple, intuitive, and predictable. Use clear menu labels like:
- Recipes
- Blog
- About
- Contact
- Shop (if applicable)
Consider creating a custom recipe index or filtering system. For example, let readers filter recipes by season, course (breakfast, dinner, dessert), dietary needs, or prep time. This improves user experience and encourages people to spend more time exploring your content.
2. Use Consistent, High-Quality Images
Food is visual. One blurry or poorly lit image can turn a reader off, even if the recipe is great. Use natural lighting, consistent editing styles, and high-resolution images.
Stick to a uniform image size across your blog—especially on archive and category pages—to keep the layout clean. Use vertical images (2:3 ratio) so they perform better on platforms like Pinterest.
And remember: good design can’t fix bad photography, but good photography will always elevate your design.
3. Make Your Posts Easy to Read (and Skim)
People come to your site for the recipe—but they also might want your personal story, tips, or product recs. Break up long blocks of text with:
- Subheadings
- Bullet points
- Short paragraphs
- Callout boxes for tips
Use a jump-to-recipe button near the top of each post to reduce frustration for repeat visitors. Also include a print button and structured recipe card (with schema markup) to support SEO and usability. For an example of a website that does this well, check out Bake Cook Repeat.
4. Design for Mobile First
More than half of your readers are on mobile devices. If your buttons are too small, your font is hard to read, or your recipe card is misaligned, you’re losing visitors.
Key mobile tips:
- Use a responsive theme or framework
- Test your site on multiple devices
- Keep mobile load times fast (more on this below)
- Avoid popups that block content or are hard to close
5. Establish a Clear Visual Hierarchy
Good design guides the reader’s eye. Use font size, spacing, and color to make important elements stand out:
- Feature your most popular or seasonal recipes above the fold
- Use headings (H1, H2, H3) to structure content
- Keep CTAs (like newsletter signups or product promos) visually distinct
You want to lead users through your site in a way that feels natural, not overwhelming.
6. Optimize Page Speed
Slow sites lose traffic. Google knows it, and so do your readers. Here’s how to keep things fast:
- Compress your images (use tools like TinyPNG or ShortPixel)
- Limit plugin use
- Use a caching plugin
- Choose fast, reliable hosting
- Avoid auto-playing videos or heavy animation
Page speed directly impacts SEO, user experience, and ad revenue. Prioritize it.
7. Use Strategic Calls to Action (CTAs)
Your readers may love your content—but they won’t take the next step unless you tell them what it is. Include relevant CTAs throughout your site:
- “Sign up for my email list to get my weekly dinner plan”
- “Grab my free pantry checklist”
- “Check out my favorite baking tools”
Don’t just add one CTA to your homepage and call it done—sprinkle them throughout your blog where they make sense.
8. Prioritize Accessibility
A good food blog should be usable by as many people as possible. Accessible design means:
- Clear contrast between text and background
- Alt text for all images
- Keyboard-friendly navigation
- Descriptive link text (“view the recipe” not “click here”)
Bonus: accessible design often improves SEO and makes your site more usable for everyone.
9. Brand Your Blog Intentionally
The best food blogs have a strong visual identity. This doesn’t mean your site needs to be fancy or over-designed—but it should be consistent.
Use:
- A defined color palette (ideally 3–5 colors max)
- Consistent fonts
- A clear logo and favicon
- Cohesive tone of voice and image style
If you want to grow your blog into a business, your site should look like a brand—recognizable and trustworthy.
10. Think Like a Business
You’re not “just a food blogger.” You’re running a digital platform that can generate income, partnerships, and long-term value. Your web design should support that.
Ask yourself:
- Does my blog make it easy to subscribe or follow?
- Is there a clear way to work with me or contact me?
- Can visitors quickly understand what my blog is about?
Design your blog like it’s a business, because if you treat it like one—eventually, it can be.
Wrap-Up
Good food blog design is about more than looks—it’s about function, clarity, and trust. Whether you’re just starting out or looking to level up, these 10 tips will help you create a site that works harder for your content (and your goals).
Want help designing or redesigning your food blog? Check out our #1 recommendation for web design for food bloggers here.