Selecting the Right Theme and Design for Your Blog

Now you have decided to become a serious blogger, have selected the niche for your blog and have bought domain name and hosting, what next? Your fingers might be itching to start blogging right away. But wait; have you checked the default WordPress theme? If yes, don’t you find it very simple and boring? Being a WordPress blog with an own domain and hosting, your blog deserve much better than this.

There are hundreds of WordPress themes available on the internet divided in two categories.

Premium WordPress themes- these are specially developed themes for professional bloggers. They are not available for free and you have to spend some dollars to get them. But the advantage is that you have full control over the theme. Almost every premium theme comes with a control panel which makes it easy to use and configure. You can also remove the footer link and change it according you like.
Free WordPress themes- these themes are available for free and are best for starters. But they have some disadvantages.

· Not every free theme comes with a control panel, which make difficult to configure.

· You can’t remove the footer link.

· There are not many choices available in 3 and 4 column themes. 3 column themes are must for a blog in our niche.

If you have chosen the premium WordPress themes, then there are no issues as you can customize them as you like without the knowledge of HTML and CSS. But if you are going for free themes, remember following.

The theme that you are installing must be simple. The color combination should not be contrast and should not look irritating. At the same time, try to make it attractive.
The theme should have a control panel. This allows you to customize the looks to your liking easily without disturbing the codes and other technical stuff.
The navigation of the blog should be easy. The readers should not have to scroll much to reach various parts of your blog.
Keep the scope for adding new plugins and widgets without tampering with the existing look of the blog.
Add the plugins wisely in your blog. Too many plugins will spoil the look of your blog and at the same time, will increase the loading speed of your blog. And in today’s fast world, nobody likes to wait.
Do not change your theme too often. Once you are chosen the theme, use it for at least 6-8 months.
Before sending your blog live, test your theme in various browsers and in various resolutions. This will ensure that every one see your blog in the same manner.

Most people do not pay much attention to the theme and layout of the blog. But it is as important part of the blog as the content and the niche.