Not all blog themes are created equal. No matter what type of blogging platform you use, you will find hundreds of options for preformed blog templates that include necessary coding and scripts. Some are more customisable than others, some include only the basic features, others have plugins to make adding valuable widgets a snap.
So how do go about Choosing A Blog Theme that is best for your online business? Take into account several key factors before making a decision; it is easier to start with a good template than make a bad decision and have to change it later.
Choosing A Blog Theme – SEO Considerations
Most blog templates come with the very basics of search engine optimisation such as the ability to add tags, accept trackbacks, and include various incoming and outgoing links.
But if you really want to beef up the optimisation of your site, consider going with a template that has much more than that already included. A good, SEO ready template will include an RSS feed button, give you various ways to link pages and posts, and allow for a number of plugins including things like Google Adsense, for instance.
The platform makes a difference, too. Blogger is always automatically set to “nofollow” for comment links and must be changed in the HTML code if you wish. WordPress blogs are usually “dofollow” and it is easy to install plugins such as CommentLuv. There are more options for permalink structure as well, making it easier for search engines to find the content based on the URL.
Aesthetics – Customisation
Unless you want your blog to look like a cookie-cutter replica of other sites, you should be able to customise the visual aspects of the template. When Choosing A Blog Theme, look for one that gives you colour scheme options and allows you to place a logo in the header.
There are options for templates that contain one, two, or three columns. Choose carefully as it is difficult to change this later. One column gives you the widest area to include text and graphics, but limits the amount of blog badges and widgets etc. appearing on the page’s area initially accessed. Three columns gives the visitor lots of different things to see without scrolling down, but it can make posts with both text and graphics look squished into the narrow space.
In basic terms, Blogger blogs are easier to customise, but there are less options to do so. WordPress blogs contain far greater options but unless you understand CSS code, you may have difficulty taking advantage of some features.
Monetising Your Blog
If you are planning on monetising your blog with affiliate marketing links or a shopping cart, ensure those features are easy to add, or already included, in the template you select. Once again, Blogger makes it easy to add affiliate links, but you are somewhat limited as to partners. You can add anything you want to WordPress but may find it more difficult to figure out how to do so.
When Choosing A Blog Theme, there are so many options available for free on the internet; you may have to spend some time browsing through them before you find one that is perfect for your needs. Be sure it performs well for SEO, looks professional and unique, and is easy to add monetising features.
About Sean Rasmussen
I agree. I can’t believe how many WordPress themes there are. Some are free, some you pay for, some are good for general use, some are specifically for one particular type of site (eg photography comes to mind), some are highly versatile and highly functional, some, well, I wonder why they even bothered, and those, thankfully, eventually end up in the scrap heap (look for warning signs like “not revised since 2007″).
You are not wrong there Wal, there are thousands of blog themes available and it can take a lot of time to sort out the good from the bad. The good thing is, that if you keep looking, you can generally find one that suits your niche, is free of errors and provides good built in SEO etc.
Regards – Sean
Wal
There certainly are plenty to choose from. I have gone for one that has plenty of features. I’m happy with it at the moment. Will see how it goes.
Sean, is Thesis what you have on here? This one is pretty nice. Simple and clean
I recently purchased (yep that’s right, despite the million free themes out there I paid money) the thesis theme. I was looking for something “professional-like” and heard about thesis. After a lot of research and observing some of the world most successful blogs using the theme I gave in.
The first few weeks have been a little difficult in trying to modify the theme – I don’t seem to be picking up this hooks business very quick. I hope that the hype around its features pays off in the end.
Hi Cemil,
I think that once you get the hang of Thesis, you will find it to be an excellent theme. I personally use it and find the features very good.
Regards – Sean
Yes, it’s definitely all the range amongst pro-bloggers.
I have changed the theme on my blog recently but am still not completely happy with it so, will keep looking until I find the perfect one that I want.
It can be hard – but I went with a theme that I could change at the top. So I have my own wacky pics that change when you go to a different page. As Sean said, yoou gotta look original – stand out from the crowd.
And that’s my number 1 thing Jill!!! I had a look at your new themed blog. I’d take in Sean’s tips & go after a theme that fits those requirements!!
Hi Jill – It’s worth the time trolling though to get the right one, IMO.
Hello Sean,
I have been looking on how to change my blogs into the personality of me. There are so many different types out there, and I am yet to find one I like. I am still looking:)
Is there any companies you can direct me to so that I can make a decision? Would love to start my new blog with images that I want to add, with a layout that I find easy to use, and others pleased to see
Cheers
Lisa
Hi Lisa – This blog post talks about blogger and WordPress which I think are good starting points. I use WordPress myself, and so do other bloggers I know, including the ones who commented in this thread
Hi Sean,
I find it difficult choosing a blog theme. There are lots that I like but most need more customization than I’m capable of at this point. I can generally make some of the changes but not all.
So, I’ve gone with a theme that is very easy for me to customize. I’m hoping as I go along I’ll learn a few things and get better at making the changes I want.
Hi Lina,
I guess you are right, I will have to put time into finding what I want and just sticking with it until I can achieve the desired results.
I saw a theme tonight in the forum, would you believe? It’s in a video Tiger is showing Crissy. It’s a stone-hinge theme. It would be ideal for the Crop Circles blog. I searched on WordPress through Google though without a name not sure how I can track it down. I just need to ask Tiger would be the easiest option.
Thank-you for your help.
Hi Sean
It’s very important to have this information before you choose your blog theme.
So much time could be wasted when you don’t consider what is entailed in getting a user friendly blog up and running.
Planning is everything.