How Do You Make a Jekyll Blog Look More Professional on GitHub Pages
Why First Impressions Matter for Your Jekyll Blog
When visitors land on your Jekyll Mediumish site, their first impression forms in seconds. Even if your content is top-notch, a poorly presented blog can reduce trust and make your site feel amateurish. A professional look isn’t just about aesthetics—it’s about credibility, clarity, and usability.
This is especially true when hosting on GitHub Pages, where developers and professionals often build portfolios, personal blogs, or documentation. If you want your Jekyll blog to leave a lasting impression, you need to go beyond the default theme setup.
What Makes a Jekyll Site Look Unprofessional?
Before exploring enhancements, let’s highlight the red flags that make a Jekyll site look unfinished or careless:
- Default metadata like "Your Blog Title" or "Lorem ipsum"
- Broken image links or missing thumbnails
- No favicon or custom branding
- Poor mobile layout or overlapping text
- Inconsistent font sizes or clashing colors
- Empty pages like "About" or "Contact"
- No clear navigation or site structure
All of these are fixable with a few targeted changes—even without advanced design skills.
How to Make Your Jekyll Mediumish Blog Look More Professional
1. Update Branding Elements
Your blog’s title, logo, favicon, and author bio should reflect your identity or project. These small changes instantly shift perception from “default template” to “personal brand.”
- Change the site title and tagline in
_config.yml - Add a logo or site icon in the
assets/imagesfolder - Create a custom favicon (
favicon.ico) and add it to your layout head - Update the
about.mdwith a short, authentic personal introduction
2. Organize Navigation Clearly
Many users leave the default navigation links untouched. Worse, some delete them entirely, making the site hard to explore. A professional site has an intuitive navigation bar that works on desktop and mobile.
Edit the navigation in _data/navigation.yml or wherever your theme handles menus. Include:
- Home
- Blog or Articles
- About
- Contact
- Projects or Portfolio (if applicable)
Keep it short and logical. Add dropdowns only if absolutely needed.
3. Customize the Homepage
By default, the Mediumish homepage lists recent posts. This is fine for a personal blog but may not work for a portfolio or business site.
You can create a custom homepage by editing index.md or replacing it with index.html that uses a new layout (e.g., layout: landing).
Things to include:
- A brief site intro or mission statement
- Featured posts or categories
- Call-to-action (e.g., “Contact me” or “Hire me” button)
4. Add Professional Touches with Fonts and Colors
The default Mediumish theme has clean typography, but small changes can make a big difference. Use Google Fonts or customize the SCSS if you want a modern visual update.
Edit assets/css/main.scss or use _sass/_variables.scss if available. Tips:
- Use 1–2 font families max
- Stick to a coherent color palette (e.g., dark blue + light gray + white)
- Increase line height for better readability
5. Add a Custom Domain
A custom domain instantly boosts your blog’s credibility. Visitors trust a branded domain more than a generic username.github.io link.
Steps to set it up:
- Buy a domain from a registrar (e.g., Namecheap, Google Domains)
- Add a
CNAMEfile with your domain inside the repo root - Update DNS records to point to GitHub’s IPs
- Enable “Enforce HTTPS” in the GitHub Pages settings
6. Improve Readability and Content Layout
Use headings, spacing, and clean paragraph structure. Avoid long blocks of text. Use:
<h2>for sections<h3>for subtopics- Short paragraphs (2–4 lines)
- Bulleted lists or callouts for key ideas
You can also use custom includes for blockquotes or highlights to draw attention to important content.
7. Add Social Proof or Contact Options
If your blog promotes your personal brand or freelance work, include ways for visitors to reach out:
- Social media icons with real links
- A simple contact form (use Formspree or Getform for static hosting)
- Testimonials or featured work
8. Enable SEO and Analytics
Being professional also means being data-driven and searchable. Ensure your _config.yml includes:
title,description,authorurlandbaseurl(especially when using a custom domain)google_analyticstracking ID (e.g., GA4 or older)
Use Open Graph tags in your layout head to optimize how your links look when shared.
How Can You Test the Professionalism of Your Jekyll Site?
After making changes, test your site on various devices (phone, tablet, desktop) and screen sizes. Use:
Check for broken links, slow loads, or overlapping elements. Ask a friend or colleague for feedback. A second opinion often reveals what you missed.
Conclusion: Polished Means Trusted
Your Jekyll Mediumish site doesn’t need to be fancy—it needs to be focused and polished. With a clean layout, consistent branding, clear navigation, and readable content, your blog instantly becomes more trustworthy.
Remember, a professional look isn’t about flashy features—it’s about intentional design, structure, and clarity. Take time to refine how your site appears, and you'll stand out in the crowded web of developer blogs and personal websites.