How can you tell if you’re ready for a custom blog design? I mean, sure you’ve always wanted something special for your blog, but how can you tell whether you’re ready to pay for that little extra something?
First, let me say that a blog redesign isn’t a little extra something. It’s a BIG extra something. And it may be a big extra something that you’re not ready for. Here are a few questions to ask yourself:
Do you feel like you’ve “outgrown” your default/free template?
Be careful as you answer this one. Would you be happy just switching to another free or default template? Or how about making (or buying) a custom header? If rearranging your sidebar widgets just won’t hold you, start looking for a blog designer.
Do you feel like it doesn’t “fit” your blog and/or you anymore?
If your blog has grown and changed considerably—or your life, and therefore, your posts and your blog—it’s probably time to go look for another design.
Have you changed focus, topic or theme since choosing your last design?
If you used to blog about high tech devices and now you’re writing about spit up, I probably don’t have to tell you that your old blog design probably won’t quite work here.
Do you have ideas about your ideal site design?
Not only does this make your blog designer’s job easier, but if you know where you want to go in your design, you can better judge if your current design will do.
Have you explored many free options (all the Blogger Templates, themes.wordpress.net, etc.)?
You can customize the graphics and colors on many blog platforms, so even if you don’t like the color scheme or header image, you can ‘fix’ many templates as long as other important things are right for you, like blog layout.
Only you can know for sure if you’re ready to “make the leap.” Thankfully, in the mombloggyworld, it’s usually not a huge investment to get a new blog design, so your budget probably won’t figure in as much as it would for a professional business website.
Be sure to check in for more blogging tips next week and learn if you should try to redesign your blog yourself!