I’m sure we already know what a blog theme is, but in case you don’t, there are basically used to design the layout and look of your blog which includes colours, fonts, backgrounds and positioning. However, there are thousands of themes to choose from these days including the free and premium ones.
Blog Themes are equally very affordable if you decide to use the premium ones which is always advisable and they save you a lot of effort and time when you want to create a new layout for your blog. However, a lot of people make mistakes in the process of choosing and using a blog theme and end up with something that was unlike the image they had in mind.
Below are some guidelines to help you avoid those mistakes when choosing your own blog theme.
The first obvious mistake you should be aware of is using a blog theme that is already very popular. If many people use the same blog theme as yours, your blog will not appear unique at all which will at the same time tarnish your credibility as a solid and different website. In other words, you will appear generic just like your next-door neighbours.
The main point of using a blog theme is to save time and effort. You just change the title and appropriate details and you’re done. The biggest mistake one make is to over customize the theme. While that may be good in the sense that you’re creating a unique graphic, you’re defying the very purpose of using a blog theme in the first place — saving time and effort.
However, on the opposite side, if a theme you purchase is suitable but some changes must be made to suit your blog, then you will have to take some time to make the changes. For example, you can find a very nice theme that suits your blog except the original designer has put an image of stamps in the header.
Assuming you’re on the gardening niche, you can find images of garden plants and spades to replace the stamps for your gardening hobby site. However, do only make the necessary changes and don’t redesign the whole theme else, you’ll mess up the whole thing if you’re not a designer.
In some circumstances, some people simply make the wrong choice of themes. This is a very subjective issue but you have to be careful in selecting your blog theme to suit your audience. Do not just choose themes just because they are pretty; choose them because they serve your purpose.
One deadly mistake I see most bloggers make although I don’t blame them because I did the same thing when I started, the thing is that most people go choosing a very complicated theme that they cannot even customize a bit, this is simply because they want something free. I’m not against this actually because not everyone can afford to purchase a premium theme when starting out.
But, the fact that you can’t afford to go the premium route now is never a criteria for you to choose such a theme, the best thing is to use something very simple and that your readers can easily navigate. When you choose a theme that is complicated, it will not only be very difficult for you to customize it, it may also crash your blog or even if you decide to use it as it is, it will slow down your blog loading speed which will of cause scare your readers away.
My candid advice is therefore; that you should always choose simplicity when choosing a theme for your blog, if you can afford some dough, you can always purchase some inexpensive premium themes from places like Theme Forest or Theme Junkie, I bought mine from Theme Junkie after seeing it on my friend’s blog (Matt Wolfe). You can also purchase more wonderful premium themes from Woo themes.
The reason why I like the premium themes is because after buying it and you encounter some difficulties along the way while customizing it, they always have wonderful supports that will help you get back on your fit, Isn’t that awesome? But if you finally decide to go the free route, then Fab Themes might be a good choice, you can as well find more good ones at wordpress themes directory. Just remember, the simpler it is, the better for your audience.
Below are some good posts i wrote before on these topic
How to Choose the Perfect WordPress Theme for Your Blog
Keeping People On Your Site & Getting Them To Come Back
Now, what is your own take on this topic? What are the necessary things you considered before choosing your own blog theme? Your comment will be much appreciated. And please remember to tweet and share this with your friends.
Photo Credits: Sean MacEntee and United Themes
Sarvesh says
Hi,
Well i believe theme is the main thing which attract visitors and make them regular. So we have to make sure a correct theme and possibly we have to choose a theme with best navigation and also responsive one.
And yeah i we can say that “First impression is the best impression” so when the visitors first visit our blog they only can see the theme not content.
So by keeping all this things we must choose a better theme for our blog.. thanks
Theodore Nwangene says
Thanks and welcome to my blog Sarvesh,
Yea, first impression matters a lot in anything and blog is not exceptional here. When your visitors first landed on your blog, the first thing they see is your theme and it will either wow them or vice-versa.
It is therefore good to choose a theme that will give your blog a nice and professional look if you really want to retain your visitors.
Thanks for coming Sarvesh.
Mr Ple says
I prefer choosing theme based on the niche style and it is simple and friendly user for navigating
Theodore Nwangene says
Sure thing Mr Ple,
It is always better to choose something simple rather than a theme that will even end up confusing you.
Thanks for stoping by and i hope to see you again.
Moravcsik Andra says
Great post. I love industry posts that discuss more psychological aspects, so I loved reading about the two types of disinhibition.
Theodore Nwangene says
Thanks Andra,
I’m glad you like it. Do have great week
Ehsan Ullah says
There are a lot of things that you need to consider before choosing a blog theme. Premium themes are the only option If you want to be a long time blogger and want to get ahead through it.
I like simple and clean themes like the one Daily Blog Tips and I’m using.
Thanks.
Theodore Nwangene says
I seriously agree with you Ullah,
Premium theme will not only give you a clean and simple layout, it will also position you as a profetional in your choosing niche couple with your writings.
But if you don’t have the dough to go premium when starting, ,there are also some free ones that can also serve you well.
Thanks for stoping by and hope to see you again.
Carolyn says
Hi Theodore, I discovered you from Adrienne’s blog.
I love theme shopping. It’s like shopping for a new frock for your blog. But I also realize it’s important not to have a jarring change to the look of your blog so I don’t change themes as often as I do frocks.
You’re right, there are a lot of free themes available for bloggers, the trick is finding one that suits you. Excellent point about not using one that everyone else is using, but I do think you can customize them with image headers to bring a uniqueness to your blog.
I use Thesis and I really like all the customization that you can do without coding. I like to change font, colors, etc. Perhaps I can’t change my frock frequently, but I can change the accessories!
Theodore Nwangene says
Wow, welcome to my blog Carolyn,
I seriously accept all you said here. You know that choosing the right theme is one of the good things you can do for your blog because the look of your blog actually represents your personality.
It is also very good to peronalize the look of the blog more as well as you can. Thesis is a very option too.
Thanks for stoping by, whishing to see you again. Do have a wonderful week.
Sue Neal says
Hi Theodore – just found your blog via Adrienne Smith’s site.
You have some great advice here and I have to say that choosing a theme caused me a lot of grief a few months back. I’d purchased a well known premium theme, marketed as being very easy to customize and suitable for beginners, and I quickly found I was spending so much time on the ‘help’ forum that I couldn’t get anything else done.
I think some themes should come with a health warning, advising that you’re going to have to be comfortable with a bit of coding in order to use them properly.
My blogging career was probably saved by discovering Flexsqueeze – it may have its limitations, but it’s very easy for a beginner to customize without worrying about coding, which is what I needed.
And I agree with you about keeping things simple – the simpler the better for my technologically challenged brain!
Sue
Theodore Nwangene says
Thank and welcome to my blog Neal,
Choosing a theme the first time has also being a big task to most bloggers especially the first time. I also had an ugly experience then.
I tried up to 5 different themes both free and premium ones before purchasing this one from theme junkie which my friend Matt Wolfe introduced to me.
Although, i required some minor coding which i was able to pass with my little knowledge and with help of their support forum.
It is really better to keep it simple dear.
Thanks for coming and hope you’ll visit again.
Have a nice day.
Essien Brooks says
I have a blog for an up and coming startup and it’s going to be a great challenge getting traction. We’re trying to not to explicitly promote our brand but rather establish thought leadership on the sharing economy.
So as far as content I’d like to see here, it would be something above and beyond the realm of personal blogs and branding, which I see too much of these days.
Theodore Nwangene says
Thanks and welcome to my blog Essien