How to Decide On the Best Template for Your Blog

Blogs or weblogs are online websites or journals with various types of information on them. They are frequently updated and managed by a group of individuals or a single person depending on the kind of information they wish to convey. Customarily blogs are written in a conversational tone and need to send the message efficiently and effectively. However, to get the desired results from your blog, you have to take into consideration the most important element, which is the blog template. The blog layout you choose goes a long way to determine whether your blog article will have the desired impact or not. For instance, if you want to compel your readers to buy an essay or any other products and services.

Do you want your blog to be just another website with a traditional layout? Do you intend to make it look like an online magazine or portfolio? In any case, you want your blog to stand out and look amazing. Therefore, all you have to do is choose from an extensive database of available templates and themes. With most blog applications available to the vast majority, you have access to much more free blog templates than you will ever need. Though it is easier said than done, you cannot make a choice if you have not already had an idea of the layout you want for your blog. Not to mention choosing from the vast database of blog templates.

Imagine that you have already set your mind to one particular template and after putting in countless hours of work to incorporate the layout with your blog content; you realize that some crucial elements are missing in the blog design and you have to start all over again. However, you should not despair or even let the process of designing your blog overwhelm you. With the advice and tips, you will have all the information you need to choose the blog layout that will make your blog stand above the rest. There are at least 7basicfactors you need to consider before settling on a blog template. They include:

Content layout – This is a representation of how each piece of information will be placed on your blog page.
Blog title area – This the area where the title will be displayed to the reader. You can also choose to show the date of publication of the blog.
The homepage – This is an essential aspect of the overall design which needs to be perfect. You can choose whether you want a dynamic or static website to get the attention you wish.
Blog footer – Choose a blog template that offers you enough space to attract more visits to your blog through widgets on the footer linked to social media accounts.
Typography – This aspect has often been disregarded, but it has a significant impact on the blog’s readability. It comprises of fonts, headings, quotes and lists (both ordered and unordered)
Area after the blog post – You may want to choose a template that incorporates an area to provide information about the author.
Comments area – Opt for a template with a suitable comments layout that is easy to read through and follow the conversations.

The best thing about these online blog templates is that you can access a live demo of the final outcome before downloading and using it for your blog. The demo has a mockup of the actual layout, complete with photos and text for you to have an overview of how the blog will look like on multiple platforms. Also, consider whether your blog will be more inclined to display photos or convey information through perfectly crafted text before even trying out a blog template. However, you have to remember that for most of the models you should focus on their structure and functionality, not the content that is used to represent them. In other words, do not get distracted by the sample template text and media. It does not necessarily mean that if a template is used to display tourism information that it has to be used for a tourism blog.

Why you should only settle for a good template for your blog

I could almost say that an appropriate template is one of the best things that could happen to your blog. Do not look at face value of the blog template, the results could be less than desirable. Always keep in mind that the template you choose should:

Complement your blog content
Compel visitors to read on through the content
Generate more traffic to your blog
Be easy to customize and incorporate your own blog content
Be the same across different platforms such as Google Chrome, Firefox, Microsoft Edge, Safari and Internet Explorer.
Be accessible and responsive to smartphones and tablets.

Here are some of the most common types of template options for your blog to help you answer various questions that may arise in your search:

One column templates – A single page of content that does not have sidebars
Two column templates – A full column for the content and a sidebar either on the right or left side
Three column templates – Has two sidebars and a column of text or pictures in between
Business templates – Most are built to look and feel like business websites
Multimedia templates – Useful when showing photographs and videos in your blog
Mobiletemplates– Designed to be completely mobile accessible with no data loss or distortion
Landing page templates – The aimed at turning your blog into a sales generating tool
E-Commerce templates – This type is somewhat different as it includes a shopping cart and payment options.

What is considered to be a perfect template?

To most, before today, a perfect template was represented by how it looked and not based on its functionality. All things considered, now that you know how to choose a good blog layout; making it perfect is a whole other story. Ideal blog design is a combination of an outline that has all the factors you need, meets all your functional requirements and above all is that it is perfectly suited to your blog content. Honestly, there are no genuinely perfect, off the shelf, blog templates. It takes the right material coupled with a suitable design to work. In some cases, a model that works for your friend might not necessarily work for you because of the differences in the type of information you both convey.