News!! How To Brand A Weblog Into A Existent Website

This article explains how yous tin plough over the sack usage Blogger to brand a site that looks exactly similar whatever other website in addition to why yous might, sometimes, desire to practise this.

Blogs vs Websites

Some people are really happy to usage Blogger to brand a blog, that is, website that looks similar a diary or mag that they write inwards regularly.

But others aren't.   So a mutual query is "how to I brand my weblog into a existent website, exactly similar "someone" has done over at "this website"?

This isn't tardily to answer:  Not everyone way the same thing when they nation "real website".  "Someone" mightiness possess got exactly changed the background image, installed a third-party theme, changed a few settings - or re-written the entire Blogger theme file!  They may possess got exactly made the weblog hold off to a greater extent than professional person than the basic themes practise - or maybe they've removing all "blog" features thence that the site is similar a regular brochure website.

The bottom-line is that, fifty-fifty alongside no changes a weblog is a "real website", because it's got:

• An url (www.your-blog-name.blogspot.com)
• A infinite on the internet that's dedicated exactly to it. (For Blogger users, that infinite is within Google's servers - nosotros don't possess got to pay for our ain hosting).
• Web-pages, made inwards HTML, which visitors tin plough over the sack hold off at using a web-browser (eg Internet Explorer, Firefox, Chrome, Safari, etc)

And at that topographic point are some sites which are not at all ashamed to hold off similar blogs, for example:

• www.IkeaHackers.net/ - a site for sharing clever ways of repurposing kitset furniture
• About page is actually exactly a post from 2005!
• www.HowAboutOrange.blogspot.com - a really fashionable crafts website
• www.RUStling.org - a site listing all the songs inwards a large folk-song book
• www.TableQuizHelper.com - a site providing templates etc pub quiz-organizers
• http://www.trendmatcher.nl/ - a Dutch-language site almost applied scientific discipline trends
• http://blog.chrisrowbury.com - a site alongside advice for choir leaders, which makes really elegant usage of the Simple template (so much thence that I initially assumed it was made alongside Wordpress).

This article from Blogger Buster lists a 100 others - in addition to I'm certain that at that topographic point are enough of pop non-English linguistic communication sites that hold off similar blogs, too.

But at that topographic point are many other sites that possess got had some or all of their Blogger features hidden, for example

• www.GalwayTransport.info - a local world carry data site
• www.ConcentricsRestaurants.com/ - a promotional site for a fellowship that builds restaurants
• www.RenewPilates.com - the site for a Pilates studio

You necessitate to practise to a greater extent than piece of job to brand the minute type of site - in addition to fifty-fifty then, if a knowledgeable visitor looks at the source-code for a page, they tin plough over the sack all the same tell that you're using Blogger.   So, usually, I'd recommend that yous focus on what yous desire to attain alongside the site, rather than "getting rid of blogger".

That said, hither is a lit of things that yous may desire to to practise to "turn your weblog into a website".   They are in, roughly, the gild that I recommend doing them to possess got the maximum effect.

Initial steps to trim the "bloggy" feeling

1)   Get a custom domain

This is a website address similar  www.mySite.com  or  www.yourBlog.org - or whatever available mention that yous choose.

Using a custom domain means that your address volition non possess got "blogspot.com" inwards it.

You tin plough over the sack practise this either:

• Using Blogger's  Settings > Basic > Blog Address > Add a Custom Domain function, or 
• By using an URL that yous purchase straight from a domain registrar - yous mightiness necessitate to practise this if the address yous desire isn't available through the Blogger role (eg I late needed a co.nz address for a site) or if yous practise non possess got a credit card.

This mensuration is essential if yous don't desire the site to hold upwards perceived equally blog, because the address is what people come across when they initiatory of all respect the site inwards search-engine results.

If yous are going to instruct a custom-domain, in addition to thence I strongly recommend doing it at the really beginning of setting upwards your blog, thence all the later on steps are based on the custom-domain mention rather than re-directions.  This is is Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 Good Thing for SEO - in addition to fifty-fifty if SEO doesn't affair for your blog initially it may give-up the ghost of import later on on.


2)    Turn off the navBar, in addition to remove the infinite where it used to be


3)   Show alone 1 post on the original page.


4)   Hide the "blog-specific" values from posts, on the Layout > Blog post (edit) tab.  

At a minimum the things to plough off are:

• Post-date
• Posted-by
• Post-time
• Comments
• Links to this post
• Labels
• Reactions
• Email post links
• Post sharing

5)    Make a habitation page - ideally using the custom-redirect option


6)    Remove the attribution gadget (the chip where it says "Powered yesteryear Blogger")


7)    Remove the "subscribe to posts (atom)" link


8)    Add an RSS-subscription gadget using Feedburner.
Some people nation this is optional - but I believe that all "proper" websites offering an RSS feed in addition to show that they practise so by using a feedburner-style RSS chiclet.   If yous exactly add together Blogger's Subscribe gadget instead, it gives the Atom - ie blog-style feed.

Banishing the Blogger hold off for good

These adjacent steps actually give-up the ghost together: if yous practise one, yous necessitate to practise the others too. They are needed if yous totally desire to take away the blog-ish-ness:


9)     Remove all gadgets that present a listing of posts. These include the Archive, Labels.  This is but the opposite of the add-a-gadget procedure - edit the existing gadget, in addition to click Remove.


10)   Remove the "older posts / habitation / newer posts" links.

11)   Set upwards your ain navigation system: every post or page needs to hold upwards able to hold upwards accessed from either a push clit or a link that is inwards either a gadget or some other post/page.

It's temping to think almost navigation from the habitation page. But first-time visitors who come upwards to your site from search-results volition non instruct inwards at the habitation page. They mightiness non fifty-fifty think to hold off at the habitation page. Ideally your navigation organisation should offering several routes to instruct to every slice of information, in addition to should include both logical links betwixt posts and a search-based option.

Tools that yous mightiness usage to assist alongside this:

• Summary posts, alongside links to special pages almost the topic. (Eg my public-transport site has a "city buses details" page, which links to private road maps)
• A carte du jour bar with links to the most-important summary posts.
  NB  If yous usage the Pages gadget for this, it is automatically included if yous give the site a mobile theme which is an of import mensuration if yous desire the site to hold upwards responsive.
• Linked-List gadgets to present summary posts, or lists of related special posts, inwards the sidebar or footer.

An alternative to your ain navigation organisation is to use categories to pose your posts into pages. This doesn't fully trim the bloggy feeling, since person who looks at a page sees a listing of posts (with exactly post-summaries if you've used jump-links).   However changing the the condition message (the greyness box that says "showing all posts alongside label whatever") tin plough over the sack brand this acceptable inwards some sites (ie ones where the draw of piece of job betwixt weblog in addition to website is blurred).

What yous (currently) cannot do

You cannot remove the post-date values from the URL of weblog posts.
If your entire site could hold upwards done alongside xx or fewer screens, yous could usage Pages for everything - but IMHO this isn't necessary, visitors don't seem to hold upwards overly spooked yesteryear URLs alongside numbers inwards them.

You cannot usage a dynamic theme 
If yous desire your site to hold off similar a website, non a blog: yous necessitate to usage a Designer, or mayhap a Layout, theme.

Other things that yous mightiness do

You mightiness desire your weblog tostand out inwards the seach results inwards gild to instruct to a greater extent than visitors - come across Getting Started alongside SEO.

You mightiness desire to link it to the social networks - shout out back that at that topographic point are broad make of possible links, in addition to yous necessitate a strategy almost how the site relates to each social medium that yous use.

Have I missed anything?

I wrote this article  while I was setting upwards a site on which I desire to minimise the "blog" look-and-feel, in addition to I've tried to capture all the steps that I did.  

But maybe I've missed some things?   Maybe at that topographic point are features that piece of job differently on other themes.

What else would yous do?

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