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Blog Design: things you should know before spending any $$$... marketing week in review

garaughty, the blog artist

Blog Design: things you should know before spending $$$

Grab a strong coffee, a comfortable chair and we'll begin the series I promised about getting a custom blog designed without going broke or crazy and all the other stuff I mentioned in my post 2 weeks ago... Do You Speak Geek?

To be clear, the point of this series isn't to turn anyone into a programmer or blog designer. This series was inspired by emails I get almost every week from people asking and looking for help with tech problems, recommendations on custom blogs (outside of Active Rain) and a ton of other stuff. So don't worry about getting lost in tech lingo, that ain't going to happen.

I looked over the feedback I received in response to my first post about this topic and it boiled down to a few things...

- people want advice/help to update or to start their own blog

- they want it to look unique

- they don't want to spend thousands of $$$ to get it done

- they don't want to deal with the tech stuff, i.e. installation, maintenance, etc...

- and general questions about where to find good blog themes (designs), reliable web hosts, etc...

garaughty, the blog artist

Blog designs priced from $0 to $Are You Joking???

First off, pretty much no one reading this will be looking to spend thousands of $$$ on a totally custom designed blog so I'm not going to spend a lot of time about blogs or companies in that price range.

For a good article on the high end cost of blog design, take a look at How much should a web design cost? by Chris Pearson, designer of one of the most popular Wordpress themes ever... Cutline

the Cutline Wordpress theme by Chris Pearson

At the other end of the spectrum are the free blog options including Blogger, Wordpress, Typepad and a ton of others.

Keep in mind that blogs like Wordpress come in 2 flavors, the free version that looks something like yourblogname.wordpress.com and the version that you install on a web host under your own domain name, more about that later.

Obviously there isn't anything wrong with using the free version but... if you're thinking about using that option for your business blog, it's the equivalent of using a Yahoo or Hotmail address for your email. It doesn't look professional and will probably hurt your image. If you won't spend $10 for a domain name and $9.95 per month for basic web hosting for your blog you should seriously be re-thinking what your image is worth.

I know some people will argue that it's the content of your blog that matters and not where the blog is hosted or how pretty it looks but that's like saying "it doesn't matter how I dress to meet my clients, I'm still the same person". True but... if you show up in your funky old jeans and sweatshirt, it doesn't make a great impression, the same idea applies to freebie blogs, email addresses, etc...

garaughty, the blog artist

So does that mean free isn't good at all? No, it just means that you have to be aware that it has it's limitations and depending on how you use it, possible image problems.

The good news about free is that there are literally thousands and thousands of themes (blog designs & layouts) available that you can download and use with you blog.

A good starting place for Wordpress would be to check out their theme viewer to see a ton of popular blog designs available that you can download free of charge.

Note: to install a downloaded theme you need to use a web host for your Wordpress blog. The free version of Woodpress currently comes with over 60 of their most popular themes pre-installed. If you're absolutely married to the idea of free, this is a decent option.

Where this gets more interesting is when you add the Wordpress software to your own web host. You get the power and flexibility of Wordpress plus the ability to download thousands of themes (blog designs) with new ones popping up literally every day. Now for the bad news...

garaughty, the blog artist

You saw this coming! The bad news about free blogs includes...

- as mentioned above, it doesn't look good for business

- thousands of other people will have the same blog design as you

- usually free themes come "as is", no support and no guarantees

- like everything else, you get what you (don't) pay for

- if you don't really know what you're doing, installing and setting up a blog can be a major pain

garaughty, the blog artist

Probably the worst part about many new free blog themes is that there's a trend to include and hide links (spam) within the theme itself.

Take a close look at the graphic below...

This is the footer (credits at the bottom of a Wordpress theme) with the theme designer listed as conference call services. This is what's known as theme spam, links to an outside website(s) built right into a free theme. Sometimes these links are hidden right inside the theme itself so you aren't even aware of it.

If you accidentally use a theme with spam built into it, you have a good chance of having your website or blog banned by your web host and/or lowering (or destroying) your Google page rank and position in the search engines. If you don't think that ever happens, think again!!!

The good news is that there are some really nice alternatives to the free stuff and/or the super expensive stuff. This post is getting way too long so I'll save that for next week!

garaughty, calendar wallpaper

garaughty, wallpaper calendar

Since it's a new month, here is a new wallpaper calendar for June 2008. If you're looking to add some spice to your desktop, you can download it here

Have a great weekend and here are this week's must read marketing posts...

garaughty, the art of marketing you

In no particular order, here are some of the best Active Rain marketing posts from this past week...

- Blogging Attitudes Are Evolving! by Shannon Lefevre

- Are you Missing 39% of the Real Estate Market? by Steve Homer

- The Art of Marketing You and Me and Them by Margaret Rome

- How Do YOU Re-Package Your Package? by Linda Scanlan

- Do you engage your readers when it comes to blogging? by Jeff Belonger

- You Commute. You Pay. Are You Doing a Cost Analysis for Your Clients? by Tina Merritt

- Marketing Partnerships by Meli Gerogianis

- What does Twitter mean to you? by Ricardo Bueno

- Are you considered "The Local Expert"for your area ? You could be... by Melissa Grant

- Identifying your tech-savvy customer by Erika Beede

- The 10 keys of direct mail success by Chris Pollinger

- Why Drama in Your Blog Could Hurt Your Career by Sarah Cooper

- Lowe's Program for Realtors by GITA BANTWAL

- New Real Estate Agent Action Plan by Lindsay Pendleton

- Fantastic Tool for Buyers, Sellers and Everyone in Between! WhiteFence by Leesa L. Finley

- What does Copywriting Have to do with SEO? by Bobby Carroll

- What does your email address say about you? by Renee Crabtree

- Why I Think Local Lenders Are Ignoring a HUGE Opportunity in My Community! by Lola Audu

garaughty, the art of marketing you

- Mr. Scribble on VIDEO - It's Not For Everyone by Brad Andersohn

- My New IDX Solution = Major House Cleaning For Me by Steve Scheer

- The Name of Your Website is Costing you Money....Is your name working? by Utah Dave

garaughty, the blog artist

- Twitter and Going Pink! by Midori Miller

- Come on Out and Help a Newbie have fun... by Kathy McGraw

- Passion- Optimism and Drive = Jonathan Washburn by Monika McGillicuddy

- Seven Steps to Increase Courage and Creativity by Dan Woodworth

marti garaugty, the art of marketing you

If you would like to participate in any of our upcoming marketing projects, branding partnerships or tutorials on creative ways to use new medias and technologies like widgets, etc... please subscribe to our blog using the button below...

the art of marketing you, marti garaughty

For more info about how we can help you stand out from the crowd, contact GiselleStCyr@garaughty.com

TheBlogArtist.com TheArtOfMarketingYou.com The Ultimate Closing Gift garaughty.com

Posted by marti garaughty on 06/02/2008 01:30 AM

Comments (116)

wordpress, blog design, blog themes, wallpaper calendar

Originally posted at: The Blog Artist: Blog Design: things you should know before spending any $$$... marketing week in review

Post is included in group: Realtors®
Post is included in group: Blogging & SEO
Post is included in group: The Art Of Marketing You
Post is included in group: Online Marketing Help Center
Post is included in group: WEEK IN REVIEW

116 Comments on Blog Design: things you should know before spending any $$$... marketing week in review

JUN

2008

marti: What an incredible post. There is enough information in this for ten posts, rather than just one. I would guess this must have taken an extremely long time to put together, and it shows it. I am planing on spending a few hours tomorrow checking out all of your ideas and links. Thanks so much for sharing. Wow !

Karen... thx for the nice comment. I'm insanely busy and usually only post once a week so I try to put some meat into it. Have a great weekend!

Marti, thanks so much for all the information. I'll look forrward to your next post.

Yea Marti! I agree with Karen Anne. What a needed post this is. Thank you so much. I jumped out and tried a skin...now I'm going to read what I did right and what I'm doing wrong. It wasn't easy as I have been guessing all the way.

I have personally been "robbed" by programmers before. So, buyer beware. Thank you for such a juicy post. This is going to help.

Later in the rain~Deb

Theme spam is big problem. I recommend that people start at http://themes.wordpress.net/ where most of the theme spammy blogs with advertising links have been removed from the site.

Christine... you're very welcome, thx for stopping by.

Deb... sorry I missed your call, sent you another email with details, if you need help just ask, you know I'm here for you.

Bill... hi, it's becoming a major problem, unfortunately a lot of people don't know about it until it becomes a problem.

Marti, I can never just stop by for a quickie. You give me so much information to absorb; I have to come back to it again and again.

THANK YOU!!!

Did you get my super MeMe message?

I figured you'd ignore the invite, but I just thought I try...

Better not show your human side.... idiosyncracies, vulnerabilities, preferences. You are a legend. Better to stay that way. An immage. A myth. A marketing genius!

I accept that. You can do whatever pleases you. You give us so much and we are grateful indeed! Just keep showing us the way!

Marti.... damn.... that is a lot of information, as usual. I agree 110% about being careful of free stuff, especially blog sites... and your image. I am not sure if you have seen my new outside blog site by Mary McKnight... but it was worth every penny. Just went live a month ago and I already received 2 clients from it.

Again, great job here with some great information. And thanks for the mention.

jeff belonger

Mirela... thx for stopping by, also got your meme invite along with 4 others, will be posting mine in the next week or so, I'm insanely busy with so many projects right now I barely have 5 minutes to myself but it will be out soon. ;-) FYI, far from genius, just a normal guy doing what stuff I love.

Jeff... please send me the link to your new blog or feel free to post it here, I'd love to see it. Got you email when it was under construction would love to see the finished product. Glad to hear it's alreay bring in biz 4 u, great stuff!

Marti thanks for another great review. Lots of excellent info here!

Great blog. I dont think I would spend money on a custom blog. I think it's the content that most people come for, but a nice custom website is another story.

Wow. I had to email this to myself. A lot of info that I would like to explore. I can really use the sources and links you included to learn more about marketing myself properly without spending thousands. Thanks for all the info.

Bill... just got notice of new comments, I guess the Rain is back online, have a great Sunday!

Heather... a lot of people are now using blogs as their main website because of the interactive aspect so it's becoming more common to make them look as good as possible. Thx for stopping by!

Michael... stayed tuned, it's just the beginning of this series. Also welcome to the marketing group, nice to "meet" you.

marti - with your Week in Reviews you give me plenty to keep my Sunday's busy! What an awesome job you do with this. Thanks for the mention! Have a wonderful Sunday my friend!

Marti.... here it is..... thanks

http://www.fhaloansfhamortgages.com/

jeff belonger

Informative article. I use the Cutline theme for my own blog and the price and look are right. The great thing about a selfhosted Wordpress blog is I can always customize/upgrade it in the future when I feel the need.

Linda... have a great Sunday as well and thx for your excellent contributions to the group, I really do appreciate it.

Jeff... Jyour new blog looks great, the facts that you already have 2 new clients form it says it all, congrats!

Joe... great point about "The great thing about a selfhosted Wordpress blog is I can always customize/upgrade it in the future"...

Your content isn't trapped in someone's else's system so you can take it wherever you like if you change web hosts.

Thank you so much for the special mention Marti.

Jay and I use a self hosted Wordpress theme by Chris Pearson...actually we use the the Cutline theme and love it. We have customized it a little bit but still have more to do and to learn to do.

Those were all good, informative reads. Thank you!

Monika... great choice, you can't go wrong with Chris Pearson's stuff. Thx for another excellent post!

Yvette... thx for stopping by, enjoy the new material.

Hi Marti-Awesome post as usual and I love all the info! Thanks for the mention and hey did you go pink????

Marti, I appreciate this comprehensive weekly post and compilation of other interesting posts. This past week has been too busy for me to blog much, but I'm catching up this evening.

Marti......you are totally awesome and share so much with all of us. thanks again. Pam

Mmmmmmmmidori... unfortunately I'm so busy with so many things I forgot to go pink. But you and Sarah inspired me with an idea related to it, will explain later.

Brian... it seems this was a very busy week for most of us, enjoy the wrap up.

Pam... you're too kind, I'm just sharing some ideas like a lot of other people here. I do appreciate the feedback, thx!

Hi Marti - has it been another week already??? I'll be back to check this week's highlighted posts out. Thanks again for another post full of great links.

Ann

Ann... tell me about it, weeks seem to fly by like a couple of days, no idea why. ;-)

marti- Great info, certainly worth the wait, although Margaret's Book Cover is fabulous :) Anyway, I like what you said about the name.wordpress.com.......one other thing I learned was on one of the free ones I had set up last year, was that "junk" was also available to the reader...stuff that had nothing to do with real estate, and some of it nothing I would want to direct my clients to. Yes, I would say paying for a domain name has its benefits........

Most blog templates are good enough to give a adequate user experience. I think it is more important to focus on content rather than design when it comes to a blog.

Great explanation of the pros and cons of free themes. Looking forward to next week's post. Love the calendar, but a little curious -- should we be seeing anything in that, or is it just a mix of color?

Marti - This is great information. Thanks for the knowledge

Marti, Again you amaze me by your wonderful week in review. I appreciate the mention and all that you do for everyone here on the RAIN.

Kathy... thx for the feedback on the book, it was a fun project and Margaret was a dream to work with.

And again I thank you for everything that you bring to this group, you keep us grounded and inspired!

Our Monmouth... thx for the input, of course content will always be king but a nice presentation helps to stand out from the crowd.

John... thx for the comment. Re "Love the calendar, but a little curious -- should we be seeing anything in that, or is it just a mix of color?"...

Just something to spice up the computer screen, no hidden images. ;-)

Larry... thx for stopping by, I really appreciate the feedback!

Thanks for this "free" information. You make a lot of interesting points. Thanks again for the week in review. I have my reading cut out for me.

Margaret... the feeling is totally mutual my friend. Again congrats on your wedding anniversary!!!

Joan... you're very welcome. Free does have it's limitations and downside, enjoy the new posts.

Marti, as always, another great post. I think I am going to feed your posts into my RSS reader so I make sure I don't miss any. AJ

JUN

2008

Hi Marti, great week in review once again. You know everything you said is absolutely true. You pay for what you get and although I have some free sites and blogs out there, I know I need to kick it in high gear about converting them over soon. I really have gave it some thought as far as design, name and location. I think its harder work about getting it all envisioned than making it come to life, thats the easy part, paying for it :D Thanks for the refresher because its on my to-do list but always seem to get pushed back. Great post once again, kudos!

AJ... thx, I couldn't function without my RSS reader, too much info flowing. Later...

Justin... definitely, I love free as much as anyone else but for biz I don't take a chance, it ain't worth it. Nite...

You stacked in the information, thanks. I will have to read a little, do a little and come back for more. Bookmarked.

Marti, I always look forward to your 'hot list' and you never disappoint me! Thank you again for all you do.

Another fascinating post...as usual a great pick of posts for the week.

Marti - As usual you are concise and complete. I love that about you! Straight to the point, no messing around. Thanks for all the tips and the work involved in gathering, compiling and blogging it! You rock!

Marti, this is officially my favorite series to read on Mondays. You are truly awesome and so talented. Thank you for taking the time to share your expertise with us.

OK...now I am subscribed! Loved this timely information. I have been trying to figure out my next direction wit a new blog. I have been with the free ones up to now. Since this year is already shaping up to be a good year for me I will spend a little to get a custom blog. You made it so easy to understand. Thanks!!!

Marty~You rock! I have had these questions stirring in my mind for a few months and you have answered them remarkably. Thank YOU! So now can you work on a miracle for an extra 12 hours in the day?

Rosemary... enjoy the new stuff, our group is very prolific.

Susie... you're more than welcome, enjoy the 'hot list'.

Neal... thx buddy, have a great week!

Vanessa... like most of us I don't have time to mess around... got your meme tag, will try to do it this week. You rock as well...

Diane... thx for the sweet comment, just sharing what I know like so many others do in the Rain. I've learned a lot here so I try to give back as well. Have a great week!

Lizette... re "I have been trying to figure out my next direction wit a new blog. I have been with the free ones up to now. Since this year is already shaping up to be a good year for me I will spend a little to get a custom blog"...

I think a lot of the confusion comes from too many choices. Free is fine for some stuff but it also has a downside like image problems, etc... In my next post or two I'll be going over some options about how to get a great blog look without the high price tag. Thx for subscribing, I really appreciate it!

Julie... nice to hear this post helped to answer some of your questions, much more info is on the way, this was just the intro.

As for "So now can you work on a miracle for an extra 12 hours in the day?"... I wish, I could use another 12 hours myself. Will let you know if ever I find a way. ;-)

Thanks for the info Marti. I have a wordpress.org blog (2 actually) and am quite happy with them. Now I have to go find out if I have hidden links. Spam is yukky :-)

WOW! So much info. I am going to have to come back. I do need the blog help so can't wait to di gin and see what I learn. Thank you for taking the time to write this post.

Colleen... the theme spam is a failry new thing, mainly in the past year or two, if you downloaded your theme from a reputable blog designer like Chris Pearson for example, you should be OK.

Terrie... you're welcome, much more info and details will be posted on this topic soon.

Wow Marti - great post and I look forward to going through all of the links and comments...I am learning very quickly that I still have soo much to learn in the world of blogging. I have been fortunate that my blog has somehow attracted alot of attention recently...now I just need to figure out why and how ;-)

I think it may be time for me to move to something more professional than my current free typepad blog...but with most things tech...I find myself sometimes getting into analysis paralysis and then get nothing done...grrr!!!

Right now I am trying to figure out how to put a permanent footer into all of my blog posts like I see many other AR members do...like George Tallabas (sp?) he has the buttons to search and Lenn has a great message about her services at the bottom of each page. Is there a special way they are doing this....kind of like a signature...to save time? I figured if you did not know this...you may know the person that does...and have probably already featured that post somewhere...but I can;t find anything about it...any info would be appreciated....thanks again for all your hard work...I am looking forward to reading through all the info in this post :-)

Great information yet again. I am looking for someone to design a skin for my blog post to make it more exciting:)

WOW! Every time I think I'm doing OK with my corner of technology I see things like your blogsite that make me want so much more. So much to learn! Thank you for taking the time to enlighten us

Hi Marty, Thanks for putting some serious perspective on this issue. I know that many conversely have spent a lot but that never guarantees anything either, especially if it isn't what you really want need. I am sure many people make as many mistakes in not getting the site right as well. Sometimes we all need more than an expert, we need a genius.

JUN

2008

Kristi... hi, re "I am trying to figure out how to put a permanent footer into all of my blog posts like I see many other AR members"...

Are you asking about images like the "subscribe to" buttons? If so, they're just images you add to your post and then add the http:// link you want it to go to. If that isn't what you meant, let me know and I'll help you out.

Kathy... thx for stopping by, glad you enjoyed it, more coming soon, nite!

Anne... hi, re "I am looking for someone to design a skin for my blog post to make it more exciting"...

If you mean a skin for your AR blog do a search for active rain customizer and you'll find a ton of info, it's very easy. If you need a skin for an outside blog like Wordpress, feel free to contact me directly. Thx for stopping by.

William... re "I know that many conversely have spent a lot but that never guarantees anything either, especially if it isn't what you really want need"...

Definitely, many people I know have spent thousands of $$$ on something they didn't need or could have had done for much less. Unfortunaltey getting all the right info can be confusing at times and a real pain as well. Nite...

Hi Marti,

You branded yourself brilliantly! You are an Awesome Artist who paints powerful pictures!

Marti - Have I told you that I think you are the most awesomest person on the planet? Yes, it's a word - I made it up!

Marti

Thanks for all the good advice. Are you seeing more and more agents asking for your high quality work. Or are many taking the easy/free way out like they did with the customized/IDX sites. I was also interested if you were seeing many agents start blogs and letting them fizzle as with the afore mentioned sites. Your work is outstanding I would recommend you to all agents interested in garnering a web presense.

Hi Marti,

All the hi-tech folks tell us that we need to blog to get business. The tell us that there are free ways to blog. What the don't tell us is that if we want the blog to look half way professional we have to spend more money on THEIR SERVICES! I have tried to enter simple spread sheet data that lines up and looks halfway decent. That seems to be a mission impossible.

So we are faced with a choice. Spend money that we don't have to make the blog look good or spend hours that we don't have trying to learn something that we are not equipped deal with.

It is enough to drive a person to drink--not a long trip in my case.

It is not that I am paranoid. It is just that I am convinced that the techies are out to get me!! Obviously, it is time to dump the Blog all together! What BS1

Marti, wow, overwhelmed again. I just love reading your posts. I am almost glad for the slow down in the market just to analyize and implemement some of this tech stuff...I will keep plugging along.

JUN

2008

Dan... what a nice comment and compliment, thx so much for your encouraging words!

Leesa... you're too kind and so sweet, no one ever made up a word for me before. Thx soooooooo much!

James... thx so much for the insight, the feedback and the compliment. Welcome to the marketing group, it's really nice to have you with us.

Mike... I totally understand your point of view. There is good and bad in every industry. that is also why I'm doing this series, to show people the alternatives. There's a lot of middle ground between the free stuff and the insanely expensive options. I really appreciate your input.

Leslie... thx for stopping by, glad you're enjoying the info. Nite...

Lots of stuff here. Your blog is very creative. Agents looking for "free" need to recall how they feel when "friends" ask for free "advice" about selling fsbo.

Heath... thx for the comment and excellent point about FSBOs, free isn't always bad but you really get what you pay or don't pay for.

JUN

2008

Hi Marti,
Lots to think about in this post. I have three outside blogs that are 'free' and didn't realize all of the downfalls of having a free blog until reading your post. Perhaps it's time I switched to two 'paid' for blogs. Hmmm.... I'm looking forward to your next post to see what you recommend.

Thanks for putting together this great list of magnificent articles....so much stuff to learn, so little time!!

i hope your having a great week and you have an even better weekend,
Jo

Jo... hi my Canadian friend, yes I'll be posting some alternatives between free and expensive soon. Have a great weekend as well...

Very good information here, love the calendar, love the colors...

Kelley... thx, I really appreciate a new fan. ;-)

JUN

2008

marti--- you just keep on giving great stuff! Thank you! It challenges me to be more creative in the way I present my business.... very cool...

Eva... thx for the very cool feedback, I think we all challenge each other here on AR, it brings out the best in us.

JUN

2008

Marti- you're amazing... have you written a book yet? I'd love the way you explain things.

Blog Artist...

I never got past "Will Blog For Cookies" :)

I'm so it just cracked me up...I will bookmark and get back to it :)

P.S. I bet we could get Blog Boy to Blog for cookies :)

TLW...ROAR!

Chuck... I wish, I can barely get thru each day as it is, the last thing I'm looking for is new projects. But thx for the vote of confidence... ;-)

TLW... then Blog Boy is a lot like me. I better raise my rates, cookies don't pay the bills. ;-)

LOL...

He'll do just about anything for food :)

TLW...ROAR!

This is awsome that you could put all of this together one just one post... I am bookmarking this one..... Thanks for this one......

TLW... so will I, I just hate working out to burn it all off. :-(

Frank... thx for stopping by. Welcome to the group, nice to "meet" you.

JUN

2008

I was out of town so I missed this one. This was really good stuff to know. I have to get caught up on this one before I can move to the review for this week. I'll be here reading for awhile. LOL

Kimmy... I've missed you, welcome back. ;-)

Marti: Catching up, I found this post and I just love your creativity and content--most can do one or the other but, you've got it ALL! Thanks for the wallpaper--I downloaded it and LOVE it!

Debe in Charlotte

Debe... thx for the really sweet comment, glad you liked the wallpaper as well. Have a great week!

awsome post! One of these days I may be able to post as well as you.Great job!

JUN

2008

John... hi and welcome to the marketing group, it's nice to have you here. Also thx for the nice feedback, much appreciated!

JUN

2008

Marti - Thanks for the information. I had no idea about the existance of thene spam.

Pam... most people don't know about theme spam, often it's well hidden or people just don't bother to look at the info at the bottom of their free blog.

JUN

2008

Unbelievable! I agree, lots of "free" stuff ISN'T really FREE.

Marzena... absolutely! Free is tempting but not always the wise choice.

JUL

2008

Marti - This is excellent information. I'm considering restructuring my blog world, including my wordpress blog, my point2agent blog, and by active rain blog to all look the same. I'll read the rest of your posts before I start.

Larry... great to hear that, in the coming weeks I'll be showing examples of simple ways to customize Wordpress without spending a ton of $$$. Have a great weekend!

DEC

2008

DEC

2008

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