If you’re thinking about starting a blog, just started a blog, or gotten sick of your current theme, you’re in the market for a new blog theme.
Here are some things to keep in mind when shopping for one:
- First Impression
This is what reader read before the reader begins to read. 😉 - SEO
The SEO is about the content, but the theme can have an impact on the SEO by way of structure and coding. - Readability
Dark text on light background, whitespace, headers, sub headers, bold text, bulleted lists, and short paragraphs. A mix of how you write and how the theme frames your content. - Easy Navigation
Make it easy for both first time readers and regulars. Make it easy to navigate main categories, pages, side panels, recent post, popular posts section, related posts links, archives, blogroll, etc … Plugins play a big part in some of these aspects, but it’s important to have a theme that plays well with plugins and has good inherit navigation. - Sidebar Use
The second most noticed part of your blog is the sidebar. Make sure your theme uses this space well. The sidebar can make or break a blog theme. - Colors
Play with it. Don’t pick ugly colors. Try it on other monitors. Does it match your content? Make sure the theme you use allows for color manipulation without huge CSS changes. - Uniqueness
You don’t need to WOW your visitor, just make sure you do something that will stick in their mind. Not all themes are created equal. Make sure you can add your own picture and your own logo with ease. - Load Time
Two big factors. Your post and your theme. If you don’t implement the “read more” strategy, you may be shooting yourself in the foot. Long home pages = slow load time. Also, make sure you aren’t loading too many posts per page. A badly coded theme certainly hurts your load time, too. - Ad Space
If you’re not bringing in enough traffic for ads, you may not of thought of this. Either way, make sure your theme can handle ad integration for when you hit the big time!
For some really practical and eye-opening blogging tips from one of the world wide web’s finest, I suggest you check out Tent Blogger.
If you’re really serious about making big changes in your blog theme, I suggest Standard Theme. It is FTW in every area. I could rattle-off all the good words and accolades, but let me tell you from my personal experience:
I broken down, torn apart and rebuilt the WordPress Twenty Ten theme a half a dozen times. It’s an excellent starting point theme. I have since broken down Standard Theme and I can tell you from the inside out, it is a superior animal.
No joke.
[via One Extra Pixel]
Dustin W. Stout says
Standard Theme rocks my socks off. I just wish I could upgrade to the newest version, but I haven’t figured out the best way to back everything up first…
Eric Dye says
Word.
Do you have premium?
If so, post to the forums.
🙂
Graham says
Love me some standard theme. I had used other themes, mostly John’s, before he released standard theme and it is awesome. I’ll never need another theme again! I love the look and colors of my blog. I spent a lot of time making it just right. It’s not done yet either… Haha.
Eric Dye says
Creatives are NEVER finished – HA!