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Precautions in using New or Third party templates for blogger

Hi friends,

All of us very interested to use new templates those are good at look and appearance. But when you are using these templates from outside sources it is very important to you to take some precautions. This is especially to the new bloggers and those are non-technical and not good at html language. If you you’re a member of AdSence then it is very important to you. Because, the main reason for this is, one resent issue which is faced by one of my friend.

What happened is (main issue) he had downloaded one good template from one website and uploaded to blogger. Template is very good and nice looking. But what happened is he keeps his AdSence ads in 3 fixed locations every time. There is one ad which is displaying just bottom of post area. When he sees it in layout elements there is no widget with AdSence code. He knows that he is using only his two ads on blog and he never kept any add in the blogs post area. One of his ads is not displaying just it is blank but there are totally 3 ads are there on the blog. He surprised for the add appearing at the bottom of post, and thought that it may be the new feature of blogger. On one day he found that one of his ads is displaying inactive status in his AdSence account.

After few days, in general discussion his friend asked him when he had changed his blog address and themes of posts. That friend had subscribed to this blog but getting post etc form the provider of template. This we came to know that after big investigation.

Finally we concluded that these all are happening from the new template, which he is using. From this issue we realized new things. From that I like to share some precautions to use new templates with all of you and want to give few tips.

Here I am giving few issues and precautions to use new free templates’ in our blog, provided by third parties.

The problems which we face and need to check before or after uploading new template are:

1. AdSence placements: Template provider will show some example placements to demonstrate how to keep and where to keep your ads, by incorporating their ads.

2. Search box code: They will put search box with their own code as an example in a fixed location by adding it to the body of blog or creating special wrapper for that, instead of keeping search box code in Widget or Gadget.

3. Subscription box or link code: For this also they will keep a place using their own code as an example especially in header area or in some place where visitor can look at it to subscribe easily to your blog.

4. Example Links provided by template creator in template code: Template creator use their own links in Menu bar or Navigation menu (if they are include in template) or some other area, to show as an example for us.

This free stuff available is very good and helping us to use new template in proper manner. Many template providers they will give clear instruction to use their template and how to modify them according to our requirements. But many cases we are unable to do all of them, which lead to some bad results for us.

Even after all these instructions we have to check these things after using template to our blog.


What to do for these things? See bellow:

Step-1:

Before going to use new template first complete this points.
  1. Please take backup copy of your old template (For more instructions see this)
  2. Take a copy of all your Gadgets or Widgets code one by one separately in to a Notepad or somewhere else and save it in safe place. Use this widgets code again to replace in new template after finishing updating procedure. All your posts will come automatically in new template and not require any backup.
  3. 3.After saving a copy of all your widgets code remove all of them from your old template (That means there should not be any widget in your old template while uploading new one). This is useful to simplify the process of replacing your old template with new template, and helps you to reduce your xml errors while uploading new template. If you remove all widgets from old one it is very easy for you to recognize those are widgets provided by your template creator and can be removed easily from your blog, otherwise your widgets will mix with template providers widgets and makes confusion as well as creates errors at saving template.

Step-2:

Now upload your new template to your blog (For more instructions see this)


Step-3:

Once you finished your blog uploading process, remove all widgets from your new template those are provided by template creator.

Step-4:

Now start considering our issues.

Issue-1: Check is there any Ads or AdSence code is displaying in your template in any widgets are in any location (For these entire better use preview button). If any ads are there in template even after removing widgets, verify where they are there and remove them or replace their code with your AdSence code, because these ads are not your own, they came form template owner. (For AdSence they will not see that code is your or some others just they will see how many ads are there in the page). If you didn’t remove them from your template you need to share your money with someone and you will becomes a free host of others business.

a. Sometimes these ads will be in fixed location, like in the bottom of your post or at the top of your post or may be in header or footer locations. These will not go even you remove widgets. These places should be replaced by your ads code.

b. For finding these location see in “edit html” tab and find where they are and remove them.

c. If you unable to find even in template code then they will be in side of your template, for that you have to put check mark for “Expand widget template”, now search for the code and replace it with your own.
d.Finally decide that there is no AdSence code other than your or no other ads in your template.

Issue-2: Now work for search box in your template. You had removed all widgets from your new template so if any search box code provided by your template creator it will go. If it is kept on fixed location in body, it will be displayed even there is no widget. For this they may create a table and puts code in that or creates separate wrapper for that and keeps in some place in the body. So find it in edit html tab and replace it with your search code.

Search box code also provided by AdSence, so if you didn’t replace it with your search code your visitors are not searching in your search box, just they are using or searching in template owners search box even if they are searching on your blog.

Issue -3: Now take a look at Subscription box or link: many cases this subscription box will be at the top of page and inside of header. For this also there may be a table or separate wrapper will be created and kept in particular lactation. If there is a menu bar in your template one of the links may be subscription link or it may be in sidebars as a badge or as a link. So first find where it is. If it is included in widget you had removed it in your first step (because you had deleted all widgets provided by new template), if it is not in widget then they will be in your blog at somewhere else. If you find it then replace it by your own link or if you don’t want it make it as dummy or delete it. If there is no link for subscription, then there is no problem at all.

If you miss to replace or remove this subscription link, your blog visitors will get subscription to the template creator’s website or blog. Simply you’re sending and making your visitors as subscribers of others.

Issue-4: Template creator will provide few example links for external websites or their own website to show you how it will work and links to other pages of your blog or outside websites. Their main idea is to demonstrate how it will work. This links will come especially when there is a menu bar or navigation menu is there in your template. So all these links should be replaced and modified by you to suit your needs and should lead to one of your blogs page or the destination decided by you. If any unwanted links are there remove them.

If you didn’t remove these links, your visitors may click on them and will leave your blog and lands on other website. That means you’re sending your traffic to others without knowing to you.

So remove all links in your new template which is not relevant to you and provided as demonstration.

(Most of the cases there may be information and links relating to the template creators and details of their website address etc. at the bottom of your blog template, (like The template created by XXX and available more for free distribution etc.) This is the information that they are the original creators or owners of that template and it is courtesy to keep the information of template owner, because they provided it for us at free of cost. This may be the small favor which can be done for them.)


Step-5:

Now you had completed all checks or taken precautions which will not lose your money or your fame for free to others.


Step-6:

Now add all your widgets or gadgets or your template wherever you need them and finish your work relating to new template.

Your safety work is completed now towards your blog (relating to these issues only).  Now just enjoy your new template, without any worries. This is the small effort and care which we can take in changing our new template.

If there are any unsolved issues in new template, even after taking all these precautions you can contact the provider of your template. If you get response from them ok, otherwise better not to use that template, just go for another one or be with your old one which is gold.

If you found any issues like this inform us, we will try to work over it.  If you found it useful tell to someone, if not tell me by just comenting on this.
--- Wish You Happy Blogging ---

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2 comments:

Barb said...

You really need to re read some of your posts as the english is horrible and not understandable. proofread.

Anonymous said...

Good help and thanks for suggestions, i follow the same.

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