A custom blog design is one of those things that will set your blog apart from others in your niche. Whilst “content is king”, the content alone is not enough to make your blog successful. Your site content needs to be integrated with a great blog design in order to draw readers’ attention and ultimately keep them!
In today’s post, we are going to consider how the design of your blog can make a huge difference to the traffic levels and the overall success that you receive.
There are many free design blog templates to choose from, but you may also have heard about premium versions and custom blog designs.
Typically speaking, custom blog designs are the most expensive, but this is because they have the widest selection of features.
It is the features on your blog that allow you to make all those changes, and personal touches ensuring your blog is unique to others.
The features of a blog help to create an appealing visual effect, and a custom blog design means you receive what you want and not have to settle for the second-best.
What are the advantages of a custom blog design?
What blogs inspire you?
Have you taken much notice of the theme of those blogs?
It is almost certain that the popular bloggers you love are using a self-hosted platform that uses either a premium theme or a custom blog design.
One of the advantages of a custom blog design is the exposure that it brings. A custom design will offer features unlike other blogs in your niche and it is these features that will help your site stand out from the crowd.
It only takes a few seconds for new visitors to decide to stay on your blog or leave. The design that is presented to them will ultimately play a huge role in this.
All marketing campaigns are based around design and a winning design will bring in those customers.
In the case of a blog, the winning design will bring in the readers, who turn to subscribers who end up being your customers. If you are blogging for business, then you certainly want to have those customers!
Don’t underestimate how important the look of your blog design can be. A custom blog design that is attractive to readers will keep their initial interest on your site and it will then be your content that keeps them there.
Remember: No one is going to read your content if they do not like the design of your blog!
You may well be asking how much you should spend on a custom blog design? Well, that really depends on your budget and the goals for your blog. As a minimum,
I would recommend that serious bloggers should be looking at using a premium theme. These themes can range from $50 or so to a few hundred dollars, so it really is up to you to decide what features you want and what value you place on them.
Ensure your blog content and design complement each other
You may decide not to initially start your blogging career with a custom design and there is nothing wrong with that. You may not even enjoy the blogging experience, so spending extra money at the start of your journey may not be the wisest investment.
Even if you decide not to start with a premium or custom design blog, you still need to be mindful of the initial setup you use.
It is the blog’s design and content that will attract your first readers and will help you build your profile. Failure to pay attention to your content and design from the start, will not bring you any credibility.
Whether you choose to use a free theme, premium theme, or a custom blog design, the content of your blog needs to be complemented by the design. You will not find readers remain on your site if the overall design is unappealing.
Likewise, if the site looks amazing, but the content is not up to scratch, you will struggle to find keep the reader’s attention.
Every post you publish should have content of value, which keeps readers’ interest. This valuable content should always be complemented with a great blog design.
Whilst it is important to pay close attention to the design of your blog, don’t make the mistake of paying ALL your attention to it and losing track of the blog’s content. They MUST go hand in hand, and one is just as important as the other.
The content of your blog won’t be read without a great blog design, but a great blog design is useless without content that is interesting and engaging.
Generally speaking, it is quite an easy task to change from a free template to a custom blog design, so it is not something you need to decide on from the outset. If you do find the change difficult to manage you can always hire someone to help you out with that specific task.
Are you thinking of obtaining a custom blog design but not sure where to start? Custom blog designs are available through learning how to blog, so if this is something of interest to you, why not have a friendly chat about your ideas and have that custom blog build for you.
If however, you are yet to start your blog, learn how to blog also offers a comprehensive training course that is combined with website set up which includes premium themes. The program believes in launching your blog to its maximum potential.
What blog design are you currently using? Have you made the switch from a free theme to a premium or custom design blog? What have your experiences been? Please share your thoughts with us below.
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