Have you felt tired of your blog’s interface? Maybe you’re using one of the free themes that every other blogger seems to have? Is it difficult for you to stand out and find sponsorships despite having stellar content? If you answered yes to any of these questions, you’re not alone. It might just be time to refresh your blog’s branding.
If you have been following my blog since the start, you know just how far we’ve come. For those of you who joined the GWS family fairly recently, just know that you are fortunate to have escaped the trial phase. It may not look like it now, but this lifestyle corner used to be a pile of confusion. *Cue Drake ‘Started from the bottom’*.
Though my journey was painstaking, yours doesn’t have to be if you follow some simple steps. Here are some tips I learned in my 11 month journey that will help you refresh your blog’s branding.
Disclaimer: This is a sponsored post, but the views, tips and experiences are my own.

Refresh your blog’s branding literally
When I first decided to change my niche from parenting to lifestyle, I tried to do it as subtly as possible. It wasn’t the worst idea, but it definitely left my readers confused for months.
Based on my experience, I wouldn’t recommend following such a gradual approach. Radical steps such as changing your domain name, changing your categories, and recreating your key pages might be the better approach.
Here I am telling you to do the exact opposite of what I did… How can I qualify this view?
It’s simple. Your readers are attracted to the idea they have of you. Going through such a painstaking process of slowly switching your content can leave you with a following that doesn’t engage. However, revamping the blog’s DNA lets everyone know what is going on immediately. And then it’s up to them to decide if they will follow along your new journey.
Related: Why I Will no Longer be ‘Sharenting’
Change up your theme
Choosing a theme for your blog can become overwhelming, but it’s a process you can’t skip. There are way too many options to try out and not enough minutes in a day!
It may take time to decide just how you want your domain to look, and that is okay. You can always refresh your blog’s branding with a paid theme when you’re ready. And yes, paid is the way to go if you want it to look different.
Personally, I probably went through about 20 free themes before finally settling into one that felt right. I tested them out and played around with colours so often that I could start my own tutorials. And when that hype died down, I picked the one that least bothered me.
Three months later, it just wasn’t good enough anymore! It almost felt as though everyone and their cousin had the exact same theme. Not ideal at all. And after everything, I finally ‘put a ring’ on a paid theme. I’ll admit, paying for it wasn’t fun, but the quality of my blog has definitely changed for the better!
Related: 5 Ways My Blog Changed in the First 6 Months
Download fonts for your new theme
I know, I know, I’ve just told you to pay for a new theme on top of the yearly cost to keep your domain. But hear me out.
Changing your theme to a paid version will reduce the number of blogs that look like yours. But unless you designed the theme yourself, there will be someone out there whose blog looks quite similar. Adding creative fonts is such an easy way to personalize any theme and set it apart.
What font you choose will fall back to your personal style, but try to keep your niche in mind as well. If you’re more of a crude and energetic blogger, picking some nice tattoo style fonts online can add an extra dose of character. However, if your blog is centrered around serious content, picking out simple lettering can add sophisticated style.
If you’re ready for this step, check out Font Bundles for some cool fonts to spruce up your blog!
When using fonts, remember to use the artistic fonts for the blog name or tag line, while keeping the context simplistic and chic. It doesn’t matter how many followers you have, no one will spend hours deciphering your post!
Create Content for your new niche
Once you’ve come up with a new domain name, you also need to make sure that the content is appropriate. Many bloggers tend to start out with very specific niches and then branch out after rebranding. So choosing a domain name that allows you to write freely within your niche is essential. Can you imagine logging onto a site called “Medical Traumas” and finding out that most of their content is about coffee? The reverse applies to a broadly named domain such as “millennial musings” that only focuses on heart surgery.
If you you seriously want to refresh your blog’s branding, you need to commit. That may even mean deleting old posts or updating them to become relevant to the new niche. It may seem counterintuitive to let go of old material, but it will definitely help your blog in the long run.
Promote your blog interactively
Sometimes all of the changes just aren’t enough to get your brand out there. With over 500 million blogs on the web, you will need to find creative ways to reach page 1 on Google.
An interactive way to refresh your blog’s branding, as well as improve your DA, is to spread your domain as much as possible. It’s simple enough right?
Well, yes and no.
Your new brand needs to speak to the right audience. If you’ve adapted your content and design appropriately, the next step is exposing yourself to the right audience. Guest posting on blogs of a similar niche will automatically provide you with an established audience as well as create the backlinks required to boost your domain authority. Plus, it’s so much fun working with other bloggers!
Putting everything together, you have the perfect recipe to refresh your blog’s brand!
Related: Want to Collaborate on a Guest Post? Read This First
I think it’s time to refresh my blogs branding. But I am scared about how the theme will look like I have tried all the free themes on WordPress but none of them are the right one for me except the one I am using 😞 I was thinking of moving to wix because they have nice free themes but I don’t want to leave WordPress. I just want to a nice theme without paying anything. I really need help!! Great post Shelly
You can still refresh it without moving from WordPress ~ I’m not sure about the community on Wix as I’ve never been on there, but I know WordPress is pretty decent. Try out the themes, apply the new ones and if you don’t like it, you can always just put the old one back and all the settings would stay the same 😉
A tip from an indecisive blogger 😂
Oh okay. Yeah the WordPress community is decent. I had to create a wix website for a school project and so far the themes are amazing and I love designing from it but there are lots of WordPress feuture it needs. I might try that out 😂😂😂
I am not leaving WP as of now though
You always leave such great advice Shelly. I’m in the process of being a little directional/intentional with my blog so this is super useful. Thank you 🙏
Aww thanks! I hope you figure out which direction to take your blog in!
This is interesting. I still have the same theme I started with 2 years ago and haven’t honestly thought about changing it. I played around with so many themes before my blog went live and now I’m scared to change it. Something to think about…
Wow talk about commitment! How did you land a good theme the first time around? Also, if it isn’t broke, don’t fix it 😉
I don’t know. I remember playing around with a lot of themes before I landed on one I liked.
excellent tips! definitely agree that you need to keep your content consistent with your brand, and you have to reach the right audience otherwise there won’t be any engagement. Do you have any tips on how to reach the right people for your brand?
Thanks Helen. I’m a big believer of guest posting because it had worked for me. Giveaways, freebies and such in collaboration with bloggers who already have the following in your target audience also help. I’d love to know what are some of your tips though, cause I still haven’t found the right formula! 😅
Hey I’m still searching too! I agree that guest posting is a great way though! Good for backlinks & SEO & finding people in your target audience.
Thank you, Shelly! You certainly have been diligent and committed to have learned so much in just 11 months. It’s fabulous of you to share so freely with those of us who watch and admire you!
I’ve always wanted to refresh my branding especially the theme. Thank you for this…I’ll definitely take the steps one by one.
Awesome, thanks for sharing
Thanks for reading 🙂
ok sooooo I have some serious catching up to do and will over time. I did change my site a little keeping the same basic look and feel. lmk when you visit what you think Shelly, 💖
Sorry, I took a break and only catching up on comments now. I’ll hop over later today to check on it 😘
YOU DID but are HONORABLY FORGIVEN. 🤣
Life hello.. How dare it get in the way of our writing adn reading. 🤣🥰