Finding the perfect theme for your website or blog can be tough. Not only do you have to look for a design that has a flexible layout, but also one that complements the look of your brand. Thankfully, you can customize your website theme easily with some out of the box options that most website editors offer.
Here are 5 easy ways you create a beautifully branded theme today.
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01. Add your logo.
Adding your logo to your theme is probably one of the easiest ways to customize your website theme (or blog) and give it a branded feel. Most, if not all themes, should come with a specific place to upload your logo in the backend editor. In WordPress, you’ll want to look for the ‘Customize’ panel under the ‘Appearance’ menu and then navigate to your site settings. For best results, upload a high-quality PNG of your logo to the size specifications given by your theme. Don’t have a logo? You can hire a graphic designer to help you or create one yourself! A simple design with a bit of personality will work perfectly until you have time and resources to invest in a professional logo design.
02. Add a Favicon to your theme.
A favi-what? A favicon is the small icon you see in your browser tab at the top of your browser window pane. See the little ‘G’ used by Google or the face icon Neil Patel uses for Ubersuggest? That’s a favicon. It’s especially useful when visitors have multiple tabs open because it allows them to quickly identify which website they are viewing simply by using the favicon as a quick visual cue. Best practices suggest using a simplified variation of your logo such as an icon or the first letter of your name or blog.
Your favicon can be uploaded in the ‘General Settings’ area under ‘Site Identity’ in WordPress as a 512px by 512px PNG image, but in this case, it’s called a ‘Site Icon’. The terms can be used interchangeably, but don’t let that confuse you because essentially they are the same. This one little tweak makes such an impact for your brand in my opinion and can help keep people on your site longer in the case they get pulled away for a minute.
03. Incorporate your brand color palette.
Integrating your brand’s color palette into your site is another great step you can take to customize your website theme or blog. Themes can vary in how much freedom they give you to change colors of certain elements, but most themes should give you at least a few options to change the colors of things like text and backgrounds. You may have to do a bit of digging into your theme documentation to find out which elements you have control over. Some themes also allow you to load your colors once and then access them throughout the editor, but it also may help if you have the hex codes of your colors you use frequently written down or accessible in a handy spot.
04. Add some personality with unique font combinations.
The fonts and typography you use on your website and blog can make a big impact not only on its overall appeal but also on its readability. Make sure the fonts you choose are both cohesive with your brand and easy-to-read. Try to avoid script or handwritten fonts for long sections of copy and use the built-in heading styles like H1 and H2 tags in the WYSIWYG editor to help to make your copy more scannable for your readers. If your blog theme has Google Fonts compatibility there are some great font options you can use including Raleway, Montserrat, Lato, and PT Sans. You can also load in custom fonts using a service like Adobe Fonts and assigning your font styles through CSS.
05. Use high-quality photography.
One of the most impactful ways to customize your blog is to add beautiful branded photography. People respond exponentially more to visuals more than to text so having the right images on your blog can make an incredible impact on engagement. You can purchase custom styled stock photos that feature your brand colors, personal headshots or products by enlisting the services of a professional photographer. In a pinch, stock photography is fine to use, but you’ll have to do a bit of dirty work vetting out the cheesy photos and images that don’t fit with your brand personality or messaging. You might also try subscribing to a niche stock photo service like Hautestock* which caters specifically to women with high-quality, gorgeous feminine photos. (You can also download 20 free images right now without a subscription!)
Being able to customize your website theme to match your brand is so important because it helps you set your site apart from the millions of other sites and blogs out there. If you launch your website theme straight out of the box you could risk looking like a total rookie, or worse, get lost in the sea of competition altogether.
What steps are you taking to brand your website or blog and make it stand out? Let me know in the comments or reach out to K Design Co. to talk more about how we can help you customize your website theme!
I help female entrepreneurs and business owners create brands that command the spotlight. I love working with women to help them create beautiful, one-of-a-kind brands that give them the confidence to take their business to the next level and get them seriously noticed. I’ve worked with coaches, authors, influencers… you name it, and I bet I can help you too.
