Does Blog Look And Feel Have To Match Site Look And Feel?

[brianmcc]

For years I've run WidgetsAdvice.com as a standalone blog. It's done well, 4k uniques a day, 5PR site. But it's standalone.

I recently purchased Widgets.com, which doesn't get much traffic and is only a PR2. To help grow Widgets.com, my obvious desire is to move the blog (WidgetsAdvice.com) over to Widgets.com and have it sit there as: www.Widgets.com/blog so I can get the good google juice to start flowing to Widgets.com

Yes, I know it's important to do the page redirects properly, etc. That's not my question.

My question is: Do they have to look the same? The page design of Widgets.com is very different than the blog. When I move the blog over, do I HAVE to make it have the same look and feel as the larger site? Does google penalize you if your blog has a different page design than the site it is blogging for?

My preference would be to simply move the blog over and change nothing... maybe change the menus to point to the larger site, etc.

But will google not like it looking different?

(Widgets is obviously an example... my site name is different)

[JamesNorquay]

It is advisable to match the style of the blog's with your main website.

From a design point of view it is always something I advise site owners to implement.

From a cross site branding point of view too it will look a bit funny if you do not use the same design.

[SimonCullum]

Exactly, a good answer from James. For a positive user experience, 'Familiarity' is key, many visitors don't like surprises and will leave quickly if they feel lost or unsure of what they are looking at, so keep the Blog's design and style similar to that of your main website.

Doesn't have to be an exact copy of style and design, just easily recognisable that your blog and your website are Your blog and your website, that the two are related.

This isn't for search by the way, you won't be peanalized by Google if your blog and website have different designs (only if the designs are poor and crawling, speed etc are an issue, could you be peanalized).  User Experience is key here rather than Search.

Regards

Simon

[brianmcc]

Right... but the question is... does Google care?

[brianmcc]

Ok. That's my thing. I can lead people to my main site... I'm just wondering if Google cares if the site look and feel matches. If not? Then fine. I can deal with that.

[brianmcc]

All I care about is the google juice.

[SimonCullum]

It is indeed, I already answered that question though; you won't be penalised by Google purely for different designs.

[SimonCullum]

In which case go for it if that's all that matters. User experience may be affected, depends on the designs, though as SEO is your only concern here, you're all set to press ahead