Tips for choosing the right template

09Jan08

A blog’s look is it’s first impression on the visitor. You need to make it a lasting one. Here are 15 tips to follow that’ll make your blog make an impact on the user.

1. The template should be clutter free and aesthetic - The type of look that David Airey’s blog has.

2. Make the main body part at least 500px wide - That allows for easy inclusion of YouTube videos, wide elements and large images without spoiling the look of the blog.

3. The blog should easily fit in 800×600 resolution monitors also since many (about 20%) of the web users still have this resolution.

4. Prefer white (or light coloured) background as it offers a very clean and pleasing look though black (or dark coloured) background looks equally good when done thoughtfully.

5. It should be capable of working/displaying well with all browsers. For example, Nate Whitehill’s sidebar slides down when viewed through Internet Explorer.

6. Don’t use excessive Widgets for your blog b’coz it increases cluster.

7. Make the sidebar at least 200px wide to make it easy to use and make it wide enough for every kind of Widgets to be installed.

8. Keep your template’s images (e.g. Header images) light and optimised for faster loading.

9. Avoid big round corners - they look very unprofessional. Use smaller curves or just do away with rounded corners.

10. Don’t forget to pay a lot of attention to the footer - many people often ignore it. Pay attention to even the minutest of details.

11. Prefer a two columned template. Go for extra columns in the footer if you need more space. For three columned templates, Vertigo is one of the best templates.

12. Don’t use images where you can use text. Images are bad for SEO.

13. Make sure your template is scalable i.e. it remains in shape even if it is zoomed in or zoomed out in a Web Browser.

14. Keep all the variables (like text color, font size, background color) at a single place in your template’s HTML code so that it is easier to edit it later.

15. Keep provision for ads to make it easier to place advertisements at the right place.