Is It Time to Give Your Blog a Makeover? How to Pick a Blog Designer

There’s a time in every blogger’s life where using the standard blogging platform template isn’t enough. Sure many of us can tweak column sizes and colors with relative ease, and we may be able to add a homemade banner, too.

Still, when you want to take your blogging to the next level, maybe you should consider calling in a professional to give your blog a makeover. So, how do you find a blog designer?

Make my blog beautiful!
In my opinion, there are two ways to find the right blog designer for you. First is word of mouth. Ask your friends in the blog community who they’ve used or can recommend. Get on Twitter and ask for names and URLs. Go to your blogging social network sites and ask for referrals.

The second best way to find a blog designer is to find out who created the template (i.e. the design ) of your favorite blogs. You can either email the blogger and ask, or find the information and link to the designers website at the bottom of the blog.

Once you have their URL, look at their portfolio and find out what other bloggers they done work for. Contact those bloggers and ask how they liked working with that designer. Get references!

What shoud you consider when thinking about a blog makeover?
Price
What is your budget? Blog makeovers can range from a few hundred to a few thousand dollars. So before you do anything else, see if they have a page that gives prices for their most popular services. No point asking for a quote if you can’t afford them.

Blog Platforms
If you have a XYZ Platform blog, do they create templates for it? Or do they only work in Blogger or WordPress?

Layout and Design
How many columns? Do you need ad space? If so, what sizes and where on your blog (below the banner, between posts, in the sidebar?
What is your color scheme? Do they need to create a logo or incorporate one you already have? Will your banner or artwork incorporate photos you’ve taken? Or will you use stock photo images from a service like iStockPhoto or ShutterStock?

Think about layout and design before getting asking for a quote. You should give serious thought to what your blog’s design will convey to readers. Remember, its look is part of your brand. For example, if you have an organic, vegan blog, you probably don’t want it to look techie and robotic.

Hosting
If you are switching to a self-hosted WordPress blog, do they provide a hosting package? If not, can they recommend one? Is your blog designer technically proficient enough to load your template and any plugins needed? Or do you have to hire a tech person to do that for you? (Most designer DO know how to do it all, so it shouldn’t be a problem.)

Portfolio
Does all their work look very similar like they’re using the same template, but just changing the background and banner? Does this bother you? Does the designer create only very girly designs and you’d want something more cutting edge?

A La Carte Services
Do you only need a blog template? Or maybe you’d like the designer to provide other things like a banner design, a logo, business card design, button/badges, etc.? Most blog designers can provide those services and may provide several services in one basic package.

If you need help adding analytics or burning a Feedburner feed, get quotes for those type of set up services. Finally, if you feel you need technical help once in awhile, see if they have an hourly rate, too.

Technical services
I’ve already mentioned that most blog designers know how to load templates. However, if you need more technically advanced services, for example the ability for clients to schedule appointments on your blog, you may need a full service web design shop.

Are you a blog template designer? If so, leave your contact info and tell us about the services you provide below!

Anne-Marie Nichols is the Social Media Manager at Mom Central Consulting. You can also find her blogging up some healthy recipes at This Mama Cooks!

Anne-Marie Nichols