| Free, magazine-style blog themes could be the best | | | | customize your magazine-style theme for a unique |
| thing since sliced bread. They're as easy to maintain as | | | | look. With your own header image, your own color |
| blogs, but they don't look boring. | | | | scheme, and your own homepage icons, your website |
| Website visitors can see excerpts of multiple posts on | | | | will be distinctive. |
| your homepage. Thumbnail illustrations and a | | | | Once you understand how the homepage layout |
| professional, polished layout make your website -- and | | | | works, magazine-style themes are as easy to use as |
| you -- look great. | | | | email. |
| Free magazine-style blog themes are available in | | | | Hundreds of people have used "Sites that Soar!", my |
| many formats and designs. Here are five good | | | | guide to the free Branford Magazine theme, but even |
| reasons to try a magazine-style theme at your | | | | more have successfully used magazine-style themes |
| website. | | | | with just the instructions at the theme creators' |
| 1. Many magazine-style blog themes are free. | | | | websites. |
| You don't have to spend a cent to turn your blog into | | | | (I wish I could say the same for MySpace A year |
| a dazzling website. Many of the most popular | | | | after setting up my page there, I'm still wrestling with |
| magazine themes are free. | | | | how it looks!) |
| For example, the Branford Magazine theme is free | | | | Once you've set up your magazine-style theme, it's |
| and works with WordPress blogs. You can download | | | | easy to maintain. The learning curve is brief and - for |
| Branford Magazine -- and WordPress software -- at | | | | most people - very gentle. |
| no charge. | | | | 5. Magazine-style themes save time. |
| (Most popular hosting services even install WordPress | | | | Like most WordPress themes, magazine-style themes |
| for you, free.) | | | | make your website easy to update and maintain. |
| Mimbo is another free magazine-style theme for | | | | *They automatically place your new articles in the right |
| WordPress, and you can customize it easily. Its | | | | locations on your homepage. |
| impressive, non-traditional layout looks very stylish. | | | | *They automatically update your sitemap. |
| Likewise, many of the popular Revolution themes are | | | | *They automatically add your new articles to the |
| now free. They may not be as easy to customize as | | | | Search feature on your site. |
| Branford Magazine and Mimbo, but they offer another | | | | *They automatically tell Google (and other search |
| attractive layout with no cash investment at all. | | | | engines) when you've added something new. |
| Sure, you can pay a lot of money for a theme. Some | | | | *They automatically create RSS feeds for your |
| of them cost hundreds of dollars, and don't offer half | | | | readers and fans. |
| as many features the free themes do. | | | | *Visitors can easily place links to your articles at social |
| Before buying any magazine-style theme, compare it | | | | bookmarking sites. |
| with the free alternatives. You may find a better | | | | *Magazine-style themes provide Web 2.0 interactions |
| design without spending a penny. | | | | with your readers. |
| 2. Your blog will look great. | | | | And so on. |
| Today, plain vanilla WordPress websites look | | | | All in all, WordPress plus magazine-style themes make |
| amateurish. The content may still attract readers, but | | | | an ideal combination for almost any website. |
| they're likely to be wooed elsewhere by the dazzle of | | | | I learned about magazine style themes when I listened |
| a more polished design. | | | | to James B. Allen's "Seven Secrets Seminar." I looked |
| Magazine-style themes almost always looks | | | | at all the magazine style themes, including some |
| impressive. | | | | costing hundreds of dollars, and I liked the free ones |
| For example, the Branford Magazine theme is a clean | | | | best. |
| design with many options, and the thumbnail images | | | | I chose Branford Magazine, but several other free |
| offer that "ooh, shiny!" appeal of a | | | | themes - - such as Mimbo and Revolution -- look |
| professionally-designed site. | | | | nearly as attractive. |
| 3. Magazine themes offer visitors a quick overview of | | | | Branford Magazine has changed how I do business |
| your website. | | | | online, and it's increased my income as well. I attract |
| The "magazine cover" appearance and snippets of | | | | more visitors, and they stay to read more pages... and |
| several articles provide your website visitors with an | | | | then buy something. |
| immediate, favorable impression of your site. | | | | I'm replacing most of my old HTML websites with |
| This is especially useful if your website is large. | | | | WordPress, and I'm using magazine-style themes for |
| Websites with as many as 300 articles (or more) rely | | | | almost all of them. This one simple change has |
| on magazine-style themes. | | | | reduced how much time I spend online by about 2/3. |
| Free WordPress plugins enhance navigation of those | | | | Now, updating my sites isn't a chore. |
| larger websites. The blog software makes updating | | | | For me, magazine-style themes have made a big |
| easy, and the magazine format enables website | | | | difference in my success. |
| visitors to see everything that's new and interesting. | | | | A side benefit was when one of my kids saw my first |
| Some website owners find that visitors look at twice | | | | Branford Magazine website, she said, "You did that? |
| as many pages when the sites uses a magazine-style | | | | All by yourself? But... it looks so professional...!" |
| theme. | | | | Yes, magazine-style themes can even impress your |
| 4. Magazine-style themes are easy to customize. | | | | kids. |
| If you can upload files to your website, you can | | | | |