How To Customize Your Blog For Cheap

With so many blogs out there it can be hard to make your blog stand out from the crowd. Especially if you're just starting out and don't have a lot of money to initially invest in your blog. If that's the case you may be using a free service like Blogger.

Related read: My Fave Blogging & Social Media Tools

If you're self-hosted you may be using a design theme that's free or cheap so many other bloggers are using it. Or you may be using free stock images that seem to be really popular on Pinterest. If this is you don't despair, you can still make your blog look unique without spending a lot of money.

(This post contains affiliate links. Should you click an affiliate link and make a purchase I may make a small commission at no extra cost to you.)

1. Use your own photos

Whip out your iPhone or DLSR camera and build your own photo library. By creating your own library of photos you can control the colors and tone of the photos creating consistency and a look that is uniquely yours.

Here are some of my favorite posts from other bloggers with tips for taking your own blog photos

• How to take bright pictures in dark, gloomy weather  
• 12 steps for taking blog photos
• The 6-step process for taking high-quality iPhone photos

2. Add your brand elements to your site

If getting a new design theme for your blog isn't an option you can always change up the one you have using your brand elements. Some ways to do this are:

• Change the colors to be your brand colors by editing the design theme's CSS
• Use your brand fonts consistently throughout the theme by replacing the original fonts with your brand fonts in the CSS
• Add your logo to the header of your blog

Related read: 30 Free Resources For Blogging On A Budget 

3. Create a post signature

Having a signature is a great way to sign off on your blog posts or emails. I’d seen several bloggers using signatures and decided I wanted to include one in my posts and eventually my emails.

Creating a signature is easy. You can use an online graphic design site like Canva. Or if you’re a little savvier you can use Adobe Photoshop or Illustrator.

Then depending on the type of platform you use here are two ways you can add your new signature to your blog posts.

• Blogger platform
• To new and existing posts: How to add a signature to your posts in Blogger
• To only new posts: How to add a custom signature to blog posts in Blogger

• WordPress
• How to add a signature to your WordPress blog posts

4. Add information about you

Create an about page for your blog that gives your readers a good glimpse of your personality, why you blog, and what your blog is about. Here are a few good tutorials on creating an About page for your blog.

• Maybe After Brunch: 7 things to include in your blog about me page
• Coming Up Roses: How to write a standout about me page (and why it's important) 

You can also create a short welcome message on your blog homepage and include your photo. Don’t forget to link to your About page so readers can find out even more.

In what ways have you customized your blog?