The advent of Web 2.0 and the vast increase in recent years of user generated content has opened up the web to a whole range of quirky and eclectic blogs, as well as revolutionising the world of news and opinion. Making your blog a success is not just about the content, however. Branding your blog with unique blog templates is a surefire way to keep people coming back and help you establish a formidable online identity.

Now more than ever, home made content is democratizing the web in a way its founders could only dream of, and allowing everyone to have their say, make their voice heard and engage in debate on pretty much anything and everything. So what makes a unique and memorable blog template that will stick in the reader’s mind and keep them coming back for more?

Think carefully about the kind of audience you’re aiming for. If your target market is the switched-on politico, think about the kind of publications they might read. Traditional print sources are, for all the talk of new media, still a great inspiration for conveying authority and legibility. It may sound simple, but the Times New Roman font, for example, carries centuries of history behind it, while a black and white style has been adopted all over the web for the simple reason that it works.

Even though blogs and the internet are putting many papers out of business, the old institutions learnt a thing or two about legibility and style in their years at the top. Think about the magazines and papers you like to read and the authority they convey in their style and don’t feel bad about borrowing a few ideas for yourself; these are the lessons of centuries of human history, so while it may seem a little old fashioned to imitate, it can often be smart to learn from the masters.

If your blog is more personal or artistic, play around and let your imagination run wild. Although a knowledge of HTML helps when constructing highly tweaked blog layouts, there’s a surprising amount of identity that can be gleaned from simple coming up with an effective title, tagline, header and footer to let readers know where they are and what to expect.

One golden rule is to avoid overcrowding, unless you’re doing it to make some kind of artistic statement. No matter how good your content, for example, putting your poems in blue text backed with a picture of the ocean simply renders them unreadable! As much as the creative impulse might course through your veins, a lot of what you see on the net is a result of what readers want, so don’t be afraid to borrow, steal and adapt the styles of your own favorite blogs.

There are many sites on the internet that offer existing templates for your blogs; often these are fully customisable and save you the hassle of getting bogged down with the finer points of HTML coding. Make use of the web’s resources and, if you have the time, help fellow bloggers by giving them feedback on their blogging styles.

If you bear the golden rules in mind, and provided you’ve got something interesting to share, you shouldn’t have too many problems in creating a blog that’s both approachable and uniquely yours. Blog templates are flexible and fully customisable, so play around and see what works and what doesn’t. Have fun, experiment and think at all times about the people you’re aiming for and your blog’ll go far!

Locate one of the many blog templates that are located online. The blog theme you use can bring in more traffic. Jump online today and learn more.