With all the drama going on in my own home at the moment, it’s made me realise just how important it is for my blog to feel like home. I don’t think I have ever appreciated it as much as I do right now. It’s the one place that I can dig into and feel comfortable. A bit like going back to an old well-thumbed book, sat in cosy pj’s and sinking into a deliciously squishy chair. It’s just so me.
It’s not always been this way though. A year ago I was a new #awkward blogger, scrabbling to find my feet and wondering why I couldn’t get my blog to feel right. It does take time, so here are a few tips to help you along the way to make your blog feel like home.
If you are reading this, chances are you already have a blog and are well underway with your writing. But something might feel amiss or perhaps you feel restricted but can’t put your finger on it. For me, a big part of this all comes down to the blog template.
Your blog template is your structure. It’s like the pizza base to your juicy hawaiian or pepperoni. The toppings (your content) make it super tasty, but without your pizza base (your template) no one is going to be able to eat it.
Think about how you want to enjoy reading your blog in terms of structure, just as much as how you want other people to be able to enjoy it. Is there a specific something that would make it feel just right?
1. Have a look at your favourite blogs and note down a few things that really stand out for you. Don’t get hung up on the colour or the images. Instead, look deeper at the actual elements.
Are you drawn to highly visual and full blogs that make a feature of beautiful imagery like Aby’s You Baby Me Mummy. Or do you prefer clean lines and lots of space like Katie’s Katie Ellison If social media is your thing, how about something that showcases your different feeds like Chloe’s Life Unexpected.
2. Once you have a few ideas, take a peek at who designed the templates. You should be able to see this information towards the bottom of the page. If you look at mine, you will see that I have a PipDig template. Some bloggers may not have this information showing, so you might want to drop them an email to ask them directly if you really take a fancy to a particular blog template.
3. Next, try a few of those templates out for size to see if you can find the right fit for you. If in doubt, contact the blog template designer directly and explain the type of features that you are looking for. They are likely to be able to recommend something that is perfect for you. Just don’t forget to make sure that you can fully customise the template to reflect your own blog feel.
4. Before you commit, spend a bit of time template spotting. Ermm… I know. It does sound a bit weird doesn’t it? But it’s the perfect way to work out if you really love a blog template because of its actual qualities, or just the unique spin that a particular blogger has put on it.
In no time at all, you too will be able to make your blog feel like home. Have fun on the journey!
WILD is now out in Spanish!
WILD – Our debut children’s picture book
Dad blogger Ross Good from The Stented Papa is the official storyteller for WILD!
Happy book birthday WILD!
Very good advice- this is one of the areas that I am focusing on in my new book.
#bloggerclubuk
You make such a good point here. Our template really says so much about us! It’s a big decision to change themes isn’t it? I stressed for about six months before changing Cuddle Fairy’s theme! Then I did it with no thought in the end lol It really does make the blog home though! Thanks so much for joining us at #candidcuddles this week lovely xx
I love the look of your blog and I’m looking forward to reading your next ‘Make Your Blog Feel Like Home’ post 🙂
Lovely introduction to this series. I agree that choosing the right theme is the basis for the start of a successful blog. Look forward to reading more in this series.
I like the sound of this series. I’m new to blogging, so still setting myself up and making it feel like home. Look forward to reading more #ablogginggoodtime
Love posts like these and so am looking forward to the next one! I love learning about different ways to design your blog – it’s a bit like the furniture in your house. It has to be laid out and positioned just right! #bloggerubuk
Popping back from #candidcuddles
A lovely little post. I started off with a really basic design when I first kicked off my blog, but I felt the limitations of it and so, once I’d realised that blogging wasn’t just a flash in the pan, I invested in a proper template and I love it. I think my layout is quite different to most other people’s but I like that it’s different.
I’ve always seen my blog as MY space and so you’re right – it should fit and feel and look and function just how you want it to. #ABloggingGoodTime
I haven’t had my template very long and I spent ages tinkering with blogger and trying to make my blog look better myself. I wish I hadn’t wasted so much time and had just got a template at the beginning. i love my template now and it was very very reasonably priced too. Thank you for linking up to #ablogginggoodtime
Popping back from #DreamTeam
Fab post, really great advice. And reading it has reminded me of the little niggles I have with my blog that I’d like to get sorted out! x #CandidCuddles
What fab tips! Thank you so much for mentioning me. That’s absolutely made my day! Your blog layout is absolutely gorgeous. I love the pink colour too. xx
You’re welcome. I love your social media feeds within your blog. Gorgeous!
It took me a year to make my blog truly feel like home! #DreamTeam
This is definitely something I could look at more closely! Thanks for the advice! #DreamTeam
It’s true – the template is so important. I’m okay with mine, but it’s a free template, and I know I should probably spring for a paid-for template to really get all the features I want. The problem is that I have trouble justifying the cost since I don’t make any money from my blog! #DreamTeam
I love this and I couldn’t agree more. When I went self hosted it was so important to me to have a template and blog I loved and was proud of – I am so happy with mine now and I love when you can look at your own blog and think “wow, that’s all mine”! xxx #dreamteam
A great idea for a series. I love your analogies – all very true. Our blogs are like refuges, aren’t they? I’d never really thought about that before. They are safe, creative, cosy spaces…until we hit: publish! Alison x #DreamTeam
I love my theme I use, but there are a few tweaks I want changing, like my header is only half sized, but unsure how to do it #DreamTeam
Love this. My blog is somewhere that I have tried to make that reflects me. My ideal home without the clutter 😉 #dreamteam
Great advice! You have to love your blog and feel proud of it as it is a bloggers second home;)
#DreamTeam
I find myself changing my blog at least once a year. I like to keep things fresh!
I’m so sorry to hear about your house. I hope it gets fixed before Christmas, I can’t imagine how awful it must be!
#DreamTeam
Some great advise! I think it is important to get the look right to feel happy with your blog, I have tried a few things in the past and finally settles on how it is now.
#DreamTeam
I love this, such good advice and so important that your blog does feel like home. I love my new blog lay out and it just feels right for what I pictured my blog to look like. Your blog is gorgeous, the pink is so pretty! #dreamteam
That’s a nice wee post and super important to make your space on the web feel like yours. My mummy wishes she had more time to devote to her blog, but she works full time so only has the weekend and evenings to jazz it up. She’s going to start researching others! Thankfully she’s happy with it at the moment 🙂 #DreamTeam
I look forward to the rest of this series 🙂 #DreamTeam
You’re absolutely right. And sometimes just having a little play with your theme can make all the difference. I love my template but it would be good to customise it further. I think I need to have a bit more code knowledge to do that though.
Sally @ Life Loving
popping back in from # dreamteam
Ah this is so true and something I definitely need to work on. I never feel like my template is quite right.
#dreamteam
Great advice Annette, I am always playing around with my blog design. I can’t quite decide on my ‘brand’ so it can change quite often which I know isn’t a good thing. I love your blog design, it very unique and I always feel ‘at home’ reading your posts 🙂 xx
love your post:) I’m thinking about new template, new logo etc:) Not everything in the same time because I need to pay for it:D
#DreamTeam
I think it’s nice to pick a few things that you really like and that helps identify what you like. Great ideas. #dreamteam
Great idea for a series! I totally agree getting a theme you love is important. I have hand coded mine so it takes me a little longer to make changes but I’m quite happy with it apart from a few tweaks on my to do list! It’s very easy to get lost comparing your theme to others but it’s important to find a style which suits you. Looking forward to the next installment! #DreamTeam
What a great idea for a series! I definitely agree, a good blog template and design can make all the difference. Three years down the line, I think I am on my forth one at least! Look forward to reading more in this series and I hope all the work at your home is in hand by Christmas at least 🙂 Emily #DreamTeam
This is such a good post, I’ve checked out the website and they have lovely templates, the price isn’t as bad as I expected either! Perfect timing for a blogger wanting to look at how to get on with self hosting! #dreamteam
Just popping over from #DreamTeam! As I have just said on Facebook, my favourite blog theme / template is, erm, yours…!
Very good advice. The template is really important. Took me a couple months to get it the way I like it! #DreamTeam
Good tips here – thanks for sharing #dreamteam
Very good advice, I do love my template but still like to tweak it every couple of months to try and make it better #dreamteam
great advice, i want to jazz up my blog because currently it is so plain, I will look around for a new template #dreamteam
Popping back from #DreamTeam x
Great advice. I hated my theme when I first started and tried out so many different free WordPress ones but none of them ever felt right so I had a look at paid ones and when I found what I was looking for it completely changed how I felt about my entire blog x
#DreamTeam
I’m feeling inspired! When I went self hosted I literally picked the same theme as I had through WordPress.com and just recreated it. I do look at yours and other exciting blogs and think wow – if only I knew where to start? Looking forward to this mini series lovely xx #DreamTeam
Love the sound of this series. Also love getting advice from experienced bloggers. Winner! Looking forward to the next instlallment. #DreamTeam
I love the look of your blog and this series sounds great. #DreamTeam
I love your category buttons at the bottom 🙂 and the oz quote with the stars is lovely! #DreamTeam
Love this post! I’ve been thinking of this lately and decided to get my header re-done, as it now doesn’t quite fit how my blog has evolved. Your blog is one I love too and your theme is awesome 🙂 Thanks for hosting #dreamteam with me xx
It can get a bit addictive browsing blog templates, can’t it? As soon as I’m happy with mine, I think of an element I want to change! Your blog looks great, very clean and I love the header and colours. #MarvMondays
reading this again I am even more inspired to to remake my blog into something a bit more comfortable, thank you! #MarvMondays
I still class myself as a newbie blogger having started in May so I always like reading helpful hints and tips…just need the time to explore them and put them into practice!!!
#marvmondays
We’re so visual and blog reading (and writing) should indeed be fun – it’s true I’m sure we should take more time to review our own blogs and its visual impact 🙂 Must do this! #dreamteamlinky
Love the pizza base connotation – that’s exactly right!! #DreamTeamLinky