Custom Blog Design – Important or No?
Just how important is the actual LOOK your blog has? Should you nab a free template that is just “ok”, or should you go the distance and really have it custom designed to your specs?
I guess it really comes down to the blog owner and the actual purpose of the blog. I personally have both in my blog portfolio and there is not one path that outperforms the other solely on design. At least from the feedback I’ve received.
But let’s take this blog as an example. It’s a blog about blogging and our blogging services. So in this case I am almost required to have a custom design, if only to show potential clients that it is in fact a service we can provide. This is likely also true for many corporate blogs. Putting up a free template that’s seen all over the web might send readers signals that company may not want to send. So they often do opt to have a custom template built or a conversion of their existing website’s design configured for their blogging platform of choice.
On the other hand, there are tons of successful blogs out there using some very nice, and very free, blog templates. If you ask any of these bloggers about the design or graphics, they might just laugh at you and tell you that your focus is misdirected. That you should worry more about content and substance and less about flashy presentation.
So who’s right?
You are.
It’s all about YOUR blog and how you want the world to see it. If the layout bothers you and you just cannot find anything in the free template arena that satisfies you, then you need to consider custom blog design. It is more expensive and sometimes takes a while to get exactly what you want, but it may be worth it to you or your company to go this route.
If you’re just tickled with the free template you found and it suits you fine, then keep on keepin’ on. If it’s productive and your blog is serving the purpose you built it for, then don’t change a thing. If it’s not broke, there’s no need to fix it….
What it comes down to is personal preference. Decisions only you can make about your business, about your presence, and about your presentation online. Your website is a direct reflection of you and your company.
So what do you want the world to see?
Tags: blog layout, blog templates, corporate image, custom design