Help: Should I Change WP Theme?
I’ve arrived at a crossroads -not in my life, but in my blogging life, which is also important. I’ve decided to move my blog to my own domain. This is something other bloggers suggest you should do as soon as you start posting, but I always figured I could deal with the hassle later on.
Now, however, I’ve reached the point where I want to have more control over my site. I’d like, for instance, to be able to add Amazon affiliate links to my book reviews, which is not allowed in WP.com. There have also been some developments in my online experience and in the road to perhaps not $1 million but hopefully a small amount of passive income, and it feels right to start talking about them from a new platform.
So the decision is taken, I’m migrating to my brand new private domain. The question now is whether to change the WP theme or not. Initially I though I’d change it, since this one seems to be quite common -I’ve come across two other blogs that use it- and has a slightly amateurish feel. I poked around a bit, went to a couple of websites, and finally came around a very nice one -which you can see here. I don’t particularly love the colors, but the structure is great, and the overall feel could be changed with some basic customization.
And just when I thought I’d made the decision to go for that theme, I took another look at the current one, and realized I’ve grown quite used to it. It feels like it’s my baby I’ll be separating from!
At this point I could use a couple of objective opinions. What do you think, should I change or should I keep the current theme? You can let me know HERE. I’ll take a decission after considering any suggestion, and you’ll be able to see the result very soon. Thank you!
September 29, 2009 at 6:10 pm
I don’t think there is anything wrong with this theme, but a new look couldn’t hurt. Just make sure suits your tastes.
September 30, 2009 at 12:44 pm
Your current theme works, but is a bit minimalistic. I’m not sure about your chosen theme but having a good administrative backend is also very helpful. The new one sure looks nice though. I switched to Thesis a couple of months back and after about a week of serious tweaking finally like where it’s at and the built in SEO and other options was well worth the change. I would be sure to factor that in as you convert.
Honestly speaking though some of my favorite blogs have the absolute worst layout and design so good content trumps any day, but I’m with you 100% to host your own domain.
October 1, 2009 at 3:49 am
Hi honestly YES you need to change your theme ASAP.
Why ? Because this was my first visit and nothing caught my eye , it needs a little color , maybe a background color or background image of some sort .
You have great content so its a shame not to have an eyecatching theme to go with it.
You dont even have to buy one , there are plenty of free stunning themes available on the net that with a little extra customising could be exactly what you need !
Good luck.
October 1, 2009 at 11:53 am
Hi guys, thanks so much for your comments! I’m more and more convinced that I need a complete change of the blog appearance.
@Paul I’d never heard of built in SEO before, I realized after reading your comment that I need to do some research while I set up the blog in the new domain. Thanks!
October 1, 2009 at 6:20 pm
Yes there is a built in or rather SEO plugin you can use and its easy and effective !
Try these , they are the first 3 plugins I always install ;
1- All in One SEO =
http://semperfiwebdesign.com/portfolio/wordpress/wordpress-plugins/all-in-one-seo-pack/
2- Google Sitemap Auto generator =
http://www.arnebrachhold.de/projects/wordpress-plugins/google-xml-sitemaps-generator/
3- Auto Privacy Policy (google compliant)=
http://www.synclastic.com/plugins/privacy-policy/
October 1, 2009 at 7:29 pm
@missy This is super-useful, thanks so much!!
October 2, 2009 at 5:03 am
Your content is great but your theme is kind of bland. But you did great with what you had to work with here.
Grabbing your own domain and going from there would be a great idea. There is so much you can do to make your site really POP. Don’t be afraid of change on your road to 1 million. 🙂
October 3, 2009 at 12:36 pm
@Vinny Thank you so much for your encouraging words! It’s rewarding to read that someone out there appreciates your content -sometimes you do wonder…
I read your comment yesterday morning and it just made me start the day with a smile!