Find, Evaluate, Download & Install Blogger Templates

What are Blogger Templates

Blogger is one of the most popular and easy-to-use blogging platforms that allows you to create and manage your own blog for free. However, if you want to make your blog stand out from the crowd, you need to choose Blogger templates that can enhance your blog’s appearance, functionality, and performance.

In this post we will share how you can find, evaluate, download and install blogger templates according to your requirement.

The Difference between a Theme and a Template

People often conflate the terms ‘Theme’ and ‘Template’, and use them interchangeably; more so in the case of Blogger.

A template is a pre-designed layout and style for your blog that determines how your content and widgets are displayed on the page. Blogger (aka blogspot) offers some default templates that you can use and customize using the Template Designer tool, as we have shown you in our previous blog post. However, if you want to have more options and flexibility, you can also use pre-designed blogger templates from third-party platforms.

Most of these third-parties have Blogger template layout choices that are seo optimized, mobile-friendly, have block formatting, have grid or list view options, and you can personalise them.

Third-party platforms are websites that offer Blogger templates that are made by individual template designers from across the world. These templates are usually more professional, creative, and versatile than the default templates, and have more features and functionalities that can help you grow your blog. Some of these templates are free to use, while others require a fee or a donation to the template designer.

In this blog post, we will provide you with an informative guide on finding and using Blogger templates from third-party platforms with which you can customise a unique and beautiful Blogger blog layout.

By the end of this blog post, you will be able to find and use the best Blogger templates for your blog, and create a unique and beautiful and engaging blog design that reflects your personality, brand, and niche. So, let’s get started!

Blogger Template Platforms

The first step to use pre-designed Blogger templates is to find them. There are many third-party platforms that offer Blogger templates, but not all of them are reliable, trustworthy, and high-quality. Therefore, you need to be careful and selective when searching for pre-designed templates.

Blogger templates from third-party platforms

Here are some of the most popular and reputable third-party platforms that offer Blogger templates, along with their features and benefits:

ThemeForest

This is a well-known and trusted platform from Envato Market for website templates, with over 98 Blogger themes/ templates to choose from. The templates are responsive, SEO-friendly, and easy to customize. You can browse the templates by category, such as news, magazine, portfolio, photography, and more. The templates at ThemeForest are priced from $10 to $59, depending on the features and support.

Creative Market

This is a platform that showcases the work of independent and creative designers, with over 50 Blogger templates to choose from. The templates are responsive, SEO-friendly, and easy to customize. You can browse the templates by category, such as fashion, beauty, lifestyle, travel, and more. In Creative Market the templates are priced from $9 to $29, depending on the features and support.

Etsy

Etsy is a platform that connects buyers and sellers of handmade and vintage goods. With some Blogger templates to choose from you can try Etsy. The templates are responsive and SEO-friendly. You can browse the templates by category, such as fashion, beauty, lifestyle, travel, and more. The templates are priced from $4 to $40, depending on the features and support.

Gooyaabi Templates

This is one of the most popular platforms for Blogger templates, with over numerous free and premium templates to choose from. The templates at Gooyaabi Templates are responsive, SEO-friendly, and easy to customize. You can browse the templates by category, such as personal, magazine, business, education, and more. Prices range from $9 to $30.

Btemplates

This is another well-known and reliable platform for Blogger templates, with over 4000 free and premium templates to choose from. The templates are responsive, SEO-friendly, and easy to customize. At Btemplates you can browse the templates by category, such as simple, elegant, clean, minimalist, and more.

Piki Templates

Offering high-quality and professional Blogger templates, with over 300 free and premium templates to choose is Piki Templates. The templates are responsive, SEO-friendly, and easy to customize. You can browse the templates by category, such as news, magazine, portfolio, photography, and more.

Sora Templates

This well known platform offers beautiful and creative Blogger templates, with over 300 free and premium templates to choose from. The templates are responsive, SEO-friendly, and easy to customize. You can browse Sora Templates by category, such as fashion, lifestyle, travel, food, and more.

Templateify

This is a platform that offers powerful and versatile Blogger templates, with over 100 free and premium templates to choose from. The templates are responsive, SEO-friendly, and easy to customize. You can browse Templateify by category, such as best sellers, seo optimized, premium, etc. This platform offers a lifetime subscription plans of $6.95 (only Templateify) and $19 (with selected ThemeForest templates)

CSS Author

This is a platform that offers 300+ free and premium Blogger templates, with a focus on ecommerce and online store niches. The templates are responsive, SEO-friendly, and easy to customize. You can browse CSS Author templates by category, such as magazine, minimalist, personal, portfolio, and more.

Template Toaster

This platform offers Blogger templates that are well designed with responsive layouts. categorized under ‘Free Blogger Templates’, Template Toaster offers niche specific templates.

Dribbble

This is a platform that showcases the work of creative professionals, such as designers, illustrators, and artists. You can find some free and premium Blogger templates on Dribble, created by talented and skilled designers. You can browse the templates by tag, such as free blogger template, responsive blogger template, and more.

Designer Blogs

A collection of beautiful and feminine templates designed by Designer Blogs, a blogger template designer from the US. These templates have a lovely and elegant design, with a responsive layout, SEO optimization, social media integration, and a Google Pagespeed insight score of 95 and above. They are perfect for fashion, beauty, lifestyle, and photography blogs.

Templateism Blogger Templates

A collection of professional and versatile templates designed by Templateism, a blogger template designer from Pakistan. Templateism Blogger Templates have a modern and sleek design, with a responsive layout, SEO optimization, social media integration, and a Google Pagespeed insight score of 95 and above. They are suitable for any kind of blog niche, such as news, magazine, business, education, and more.

MyBloggerThemes

A collection of simple and clean templates designed by MyBloggerThemes, a blogger template designer from Indonesia. Templates in MyBloggerThemes have a minimalist and elegant design, with a responsive layout, SEO optimization, social media integration, and a Google Pagespeed insight score of 95 and above. They are ideal for any kind of blog niche, such as personal, lifestyle, photography, travel, and more.

These are some of the most popular and reputable third-party platforms that offer Blogger templates, but they are not the only ones.

Blogger Templates from Other Sources

You can also find pre-designed templates from other sources, such as:

Individual designer websites

Some template designers have their own websites, where they showcase and sell their templates. For example; Pipdig, Designer Blogs (mentioned earlier), and JetThemes are some of the best blogger template designers from the UK, US, and Turkey, respectively. They offer high-quality and professional templates, with a responsive layout, SEO optimization, social media integration, and a Google Pagespeed insight score of 95 and above. They also provide excellent customer service and support. Their templates are priced from $29 to $69, depending on the features and support.

Curated template collections

Some websites and blogs curate and compile the best Blogger templates from various sources and platforms, and provide them for free or for a fee. For example, Master Bundle offers a collection of 60+ Best free blogger Templates, HubSpot Blog offers a collection of 50 free and premium Blogger templates, curated from various sources and platforms. They also provide a brief description and a link to each template, so you can easily find and download the template that suits your needs.

GitHub repositories

Some template designers share their templates on GitHub, a platform that hosts and manages code and projects. You can find some free and open-source Blogger templates on GitHub, created by talented and skilled developers. For example, Vtrick Creative is a stunning and creative template designed by Vietrick, a blogger template designer from Vietnam. It has a colorful and dynamic design, with a responsive layout, SEO optimization, social media integration, and a Google Pagespeed insight score of 96. You can download and use this template for free from GitHub.

To find pre-designed templates from these sources, you can use Google or other search engines, and use keywords such as “blogger templates”, “blogger themes”, “blogger designs”, and more. You can also use filters and modifiers, such as “free”, “premium”, “responsive”, “SEO-friendly”, and more, to narrow down your search results.

Evaluating Pre-designed Templates

The second step to using pre-designed Blogger templates is to evaluate them. Not all pre-designed templates are created equal, and some of them may not meet your expectations or requirements. Therefore, you need to be careful and critical when choosing a template for your blog.

Here are some of the crucial factors that you need to consider when evaluating a pre-designed template:

Responsiveness

• Responsiveness is the ability of a template to adapt to different devices and screen sizes, and ensure optimal viewing and user experience across them (i.e. pc, tablet, mobile). Responsiveness is essential for your blog, as it can help you reach a wider audience, improve your SEO, and increase your engagement and conversions. You can check the responsiveness of a template by using online tools, such as [Responsive Design Checker], or by previewing the template on different devices and screen sizes.

SEO optimization

• SEO optimization is the process of improving the visibility and ranking of your blog on search engines, such as Google and Bing. SEO optimization is important for your blog, as it can help you drive more organic traffic, leads, and sales to your blog. You can check the SEO optimization of a template by using online tools, such as [SEO Site Checkup], or by checking the template features and code, such as meta tags, headings, schema markup, and more.

Ease of customization

• Ease of customization is the degree of difficulty or simplicity of modifying the template to suit your needs and preferences. Ease of customization is important for your blog, as it can help you create a unique and engaging blog design that reflects your personality, brand, and niche. You can check the ease of customization of a template by using the built-in template designer tool, or by checking the template documentation and support, such as tutorials, guides, and forums.

Compatibility with plugins

• Compatibility with plugins (gadgets as they are called in Blogger) is the ability of a template to work well with additional functionalities that you can add to your blog, such as widgets, gadgets, shortcodes, and more. Compatibility with plugins is important for your blog, as it can help you enhance your blog’s functionality, interactivity, and engagement. You can check the compatibility with plugins of a template by using the built-in layout tool, or by checking the template features and code, such as widget areas, gadget codes, shortcode support, and more.

These are some of the crucial factors that you need to consider when evaluating a pre-designed template, but they are not the only ones. You can also consider other factors, such as design style, niche, features, price, and more, depending on your specific needs and preferences.

Tools to Evaluate Blogger Templates

To evaluate a pre-designed template, you can use online tools and resources, such as:

Google Pagespeed Insights

This is a tool that measures the loading speed and performance of a web page, and provides suggestions for improvement. You can use this tool to check the loading speed and performance of a template, and see how it affects your SEO, engagement, and conversions.

Online reviews

• These are feedback and opinions from other users who have used or purchased a template, and provide insights into the quality and performance of the template. You can use online reviews to check the reputation and reliability of a template and its designer, and see the pros and cons of the template. You can find online reviews on the template platforms, websites, or blogs, or on social media platforms, such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Template descriptions and demo versions

These are information and examples provided by the template designers, and provide details and previews of the template. You can use template descriptions and demo versions to check the features and functionalities of the template, and see how it looks and works on your blog. You can find template descriptions and demo versions on the template platforms, websites, or blogs, or on the template download pages.

How to Download and Install Blogger Templates

The third step is to download and use the blogger template that you have found. Once you have found and evaluated a template that meets your needs and preferences, you can download and apply it to your blog. The installation process for Blogger templates is generally simple and straightforward, but it may vary depending on the source and format of the template.

Download the template file from the source website or platform. The template file may be in ZIP, XML, or HTML format. If it is in ZIP format, you need to extract it to get the XML or HTML file.

Steps for installing a Blogger template

Go to your Blogger dashboard and click on the “Theme” option on the left sidebar. This will take you to the Theme page, where you can see your current template and its settings.

Click on the “Backup/Restore” button on the top right corner of the Theme page. This will open a pop-up window, where you can backup and restore your current template.

Click on the “Download theme” button to download and save a copy of your current template. This is important, as it will allow you to restore your template in case something goes wrong with the new template.

Click on the “Choose file” button and select the template file that you have downloaded from the source website or platform. Make sure that the file is in XML or HTML format, and that it is compatible with Blogger.

Click on the “Upload” button to upload and apply the new template to your blog. This may take a few seconds or minutes, depending on the size and complexity of the template.

Once the upload is complete, you will see a confirmation message that says “Your changes have been saved”. You can then click on the “View blog” button to see how your blog looks with the new template.

These are the general steps for installing a Blogger template, but they may not apply to all templates.

Additional Steps or Modifications

Some templates may require additional steps or modifications, such as:

• Editing the HTML code of the template to add or remove features, such as widgets, gadgets, shortcodes, and more.
• Changing the settings of the template to adjust the layout, colors, fonts, and other aspects of the template.
• Adding or removing the credit link or footer of the template, depending on the terms and conditions of the template designer.

To perform these additional steps or modifications, you need to follow the instructions and documentation provided by the template designer. You can find these instructions and documentation on the template platforms, websites, or blogs, or on the template download pages.

You can also contact the platform’s support team or the template designer directly, if you have any questions or issues with the template. In general this communication is entertained if you have purchased a template from the platform or designer.

Additional Tips

The final step to use Blogger templates is to follow some additional tips that can help you make the most of your blog design and customization. These tips are:

Backup your blog before installing a new template:

As we have mentioned before, it is important to backup your blog before installing a new template, as it will allow you to restore your blog in case something goes wrong with the new template. You can backup your blog by using the “Backup/Restore” button on the Theme page, or by using the “Export blog” option on the Settings page.

Familiarize yourself with the template documentation and support:

As we have mentioned before, some templates may require additional steps or modifications, such as editing the HTML code, changing the settings, or adding or removing the credit link.

To perform these steps or modifications, you need to familiarize yourself with the template documentation and support, which are provided by the template designer. You can find these documentation and support on the template platforms, websites, or blogs, or on the template download pages.

You can also contact the template designer directly, if you have any questions or issues with the template.

Update your blog regularly:

Once you have installed and customized your template, you need to update your blog regularly with fresh and relevant content. This will help you attract and retain more readers, as well as improve your SEO, engagement, and conversions. You can update your blog by using the “New post” option on the Posts page, or by using the “Blogger app” on your mobile device.

Conclusion

In this blog post, we have shown you how to use Blogger templates from third-party platforms. We have covered the following topics:

• Finding Blogger templates
• Evaluating pre-designed templates
• Installing these templates
• Additional tips to remember

By following these tips, I am sure you can find the best seo optimized, mobile-friendly, block formatted with grid or list view Blogger templates for your blog.

If you have difficulty setting up the templates for SEO then look at the other posts to improve your blog’s functionality, performance, and SEO, and attract and retain more readers.

We hope that you have found this blog post series informative and it will help you create a unique and engaging blog design that reflects your personality, brand, and niche.

We welcome your feedback and suggestions. Happy blogging! 🙂