Last week I explained how to set up your index.php file for your new template. This week I’ll cover the included files, ie. the header, footer and sidebar (if its needed as a separate file).

The Header

Your header needs to be in a file header.php. This is the file that the function get_header() will include, as explained last week. In the header file goes all the markup from the top of the design that needs to be on every page.

First we change the page title to be dynamic. I’ve written about how…

Say your theme only has one sidebar.php and you want to have a different sidebar on your index then on your archives page. Adding extra sidebars is surprisingly easy and this is how to do it.

First we’ll create the sidebars. You can copy your current sidebar file and rename it to something like sidebar_two or sidebar_archives, almost anything you want really. If you decide to create it from scratch and want to maintain the widgets functionality of your theme be sure to include “<?php if ( function_exists('dynamic_sidebar') && dynamic_sidebar(2) )…

Image Source: SMercury98

I talked about how to get blogging confidence and creating your own style of blog posts in my last two posts. If you have mastered both, you should try to take your blog to the next level. You cannot become an authority over night. It takes time, in fact, a lot of time if you are not good in coming up with unique ideas. The first thing you have to aim once you master the skill of creating your own blogging style is to take your blog to the next…

Yesterday I spoke about how you can influence the type of readers your blog attracts. Today I want to talk about how you can grow your blog by knowing and understanding your regular readers.

Grow your blog by understanding your readers

If you pay attention to the comments your blog posts receive then you should have a good idea of :

• What type of posts your readers like/dislike
• What type of posts gets the most comments
• How knowledgeable your readers are about the topic you blog about
• Which type of posts get linked to by other…

Having a good relationship with your readers is an important aspect of making your blog a success. Your posts influence the type of reader you get however your readers can, and perhaps should, influence your posts as well.

Know Your Audience

When I say that you should know your audience I am of course referring to your blog readers. More specifically, I am referring to those who comment on your blog posts on a regular basis. I am not suggesting that readers who don’t comment are worthless however since they are not…