Find, Evaluate & Use Pre-designed Blogger Templates

What are Pre-designed 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 a template that can enhance your blog’s appearance, functionality, and performance.

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 templates from third-party platforms.

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 pre-designed Blogger templates from third-party platforms.

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

Finding the Pre-designed Blogger Template Platforms

The first step to using 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.

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

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

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

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. 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.

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. You can access this tool from [here].
• 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.

Using the Pre-designed Template

The third step to using pre-designed Blogger templates is to use them. 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.

Here are the general steps for installing a Blogger 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.
• 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. 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 using pre-designed 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 pre-designed Blogger templates from third-party platforms. We have covered the following topics:

• Finding pre-designed templates
• Evaluating pre-designed templates
• Using pre-designed templates
• Additional tips

By following these tips, I am sure you can find and use the best pre-designed Blogger templates for your blog, and create a unique and engaging blog design that reflects your personality, brand, and niche. You can also improve your blog’s functionality, performance, and SEO, and attract and retain more readers.

We hope you found this blog post helpful and informative. If you know of any other Blogger template platforms that we have not covered in this post, mention them in the comments sections for others visitors to explore.

Besides, get involved with your questions, feedback, or suggestions. Happy blogging! 🙂