I have been writing this blog since October 2009, and ever since I started, I’ve kept the same theme and header picture, of a stumpwork handbag on black silk….up until now.
This week Google, in their infinite wisdom, have decided that websites and blogs will not be found as easily as before in searches (even if their content is exactly what you’re searching for), if the website or blog isn’t ‘mobile friendly’ – i.e. ‘responsive’. I call it ‘squashable’ – that is, the web page re-arranges itself to fit on whatever device you are viewing it on.
So, with the deadline looming, I decided to upgrade my blog’s theme, and choose one that would tick all the boxes, as the old one wasn’t upgradable. Not as easy as you might think, these days. It seems that blog themes with a good-looking font and the ability to display large images (as I like to have) aren’t as easy to find now. However, the theme I’ve chosen (called Twenty Twelve) does what I want.
I’ve also chosen to change the image at the top of the blog, to feature various miniature needlepoint items that all feature as part of my range of kits on my website www.janetgranger.co.uk (which has been ‘mobile friendly’ for weeks, now!). This is the new header image:
It’s a lovely image, and I do like it, but whenever I look at it, I do have mixed feelings, as, when my husband and I were taking the picture, we left the spotlights turned on while we went to look at the image on the computer in another room. Unfortunately, the spotlights fell off their stand onto the carpet face down, and burned a hole in the carpet, which was only a month old….NOT good.
Along with the new blog theme, I have added a widget to the right sidebar which will take you directly to my website when you click on it, so that you can see the whole range of miniature needlepoint kits and charts, many free tutorials, and dozens of inspirational photos taken by my talented customers, of mini stitching which they have done. It looks like this:
Let me know what you think of the new theme, and if it’s working OK on whatever device you view my blog on.
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Janet Granger's Blog 
I use a Nook “tablet” to check my emails and browse the web, and it has settings for both “desktop” and “mobile” viewing. Your new blog format works so seamlessly I don’t even know which setting it is on this morning! Like your new header picture, too.
Thanks very much!
I think the new look is awesome! As for the burnt carpet…no biggie. What if it had been the beautiful item you’d spent so much time on?
That’s true! Hadn’t thought of that!
I wouldn’t even know where to start looking for a theme that fit parameters, and now I’m all confused as to whether or not I need to change mine
If you have a look at the WordPress free themes (choose ‘Appearance’ in your left hand sidebar to start), and search for ‘responsive’ ones, you can choose from those. You can preview any first, to see if they look OK with your content and style. I had a quick look at your blog, and the theme you have at the moment isn’t a responsive one.
I’ve been looking, but it would appear there are none that I like. I like the dark backgrounds, and the ones that claim you can change the background colour appear to be lying. I think I’ll be staying unresponsive for now
Working perfectly on mini IPad, Janet. Very attractive and informative.
Great, thanks 🙂
I do my website- and e-mail-checking on a plain old (about 15 years old . . . how did that get to be obsolete??) laptop computer – I had no idea there was anything “wrong” with your theme. I do like the new appearance, with samples of your work (I’m glad you didn’t lose any of it to the carpet fire!).
It only became ‘wrong’ last Tuesday, in that the way Google ranks websites and blogs when people do a search changed. It meant that, whereas my blog had come high in search results for certain keywords, it would no longer have been like that if I hadn’t optimised my blog to be viewable properly on mobile devices.
Our son was mentioning this to me a bit ago and mentioned that we’d have to update my blog so that it’s mobile friendly. I think I already have the Twenty Twelve theme running on mine as I like to have larger photos too. He’s a web designer/web developer so does the more difficult behind the scenes things for me. It’s certainly not as simple as it used to be to keep things up-to-date.