No matter which blogging niche you focus on, you'll always feel the need to design an attractive sidebar. Whether you want to market your blog to your audience or make money from it, the items that you place in the sidebar will always have an important role to play. Putting too many things in your blog's sidebar will look like clutter, which readers really don't like. On the other hand, you can never take the risk of missing out on the most essential or popular items that readers expect to see in a blog's sidebar.

Don't worry. Given below are nine key tips to design an attractive (and uncluttered) sidebar so that you can fulfill your goals while keeping readers happy.

#1. Define Objectives
Depending on what you want to achieve with your blog, a sidebar can be used for a variety of functions. For example, many WordPress blogs place a subscription form at the top of the sidebar. Bloggers that want to make some profit place banner ads at the top. There are others that focus on social networking by putting attractive social media site icons at the top of their blog's sidebar. Find out what your objectives are.

#2. Choose Appropriate Size
Size is an important consideration as well. Though the sidebar size is almost similar in most of the blogs, you may want to go for a wider (or lengthier) one based on your specific requirements. Also, you may divide your content into two sidebars

#3. Give the Sidebar Some Freedom
Whether the sidebar of your WordPress blog uses the same background as the rest of the page or has its own, it should be able to stand out. So, always remember to leave adequate breathing space between the sidebar and the rest of the content on the blog. It's a good practice to make readers feel comfortable.

#4. Make a Good First Impression
The sidebar of your blog gives you an excellent opportunity to make a lasting impact on the mind of the first-time visitor. While designing this section, you should also include those items that validate the freshness of your blog. First-time visitors will return only when they see some activity going on.

#5. Highlight the Flagship Content
What's most important to the growth of your blog should go to the top. If you want to increase blog subscribers, the subscription form should be highlighted. If you're selling an e-book, you need to make it prominent in the sidebar. You can also choose to highlight those blogs posts that have gained most acclaim from your readers .

#6. Use Images
Only links and text won't make your blog's sidebar look attractive. If you want the sidebar to attract the reader's attention, you should use images and graphics to create an appealing design. No matter what items you want to include, you can add some visual appeal to the same for maximum attraction. However, avoid using blinking or animated objects.

#7. Create Prominent Headings
This is one of those design tips that will help you stand out in the crowd. Don't create headings that look similar as the rest of the content. Each single element on the sidebar should have some prominence. It's also good practice to make your sidebar look uncluttered and tidy.

#8. Enhance Usability
Sidebars must always be designed to enhance the experience of users. In terms of usability, a blog's sidebar should help visitors find things they like. When visitors easily find what they're looking for, they'll spend more time on your blog. That clearly means that the sidebar will play a vital role in improving the overall impact of your blog on readers.

#9. Test (and Simplify)
What works best on someone else's blog, may not bring the same results on your own. It's always recommended that you do some testing by switching elements on the sidebar to discover what makes the most impact in your case. And don't forget to simplify, because simple is sexy!

Are you a blogger? Please feel free to share your own opinions on designing sidebars that work best.