It has long been a complaint of Blogger users that WordPress has a much bigger selection of theme layouts.  Blogger has the advantage having free hosting for a blog with a custom domain name, while WordPress requires paid hosting for the same privilege.

If only better Blogger designs were available, right? Well, developers have converted several popular WP themes and created some custom templates that are starting to rival the look and function of sophisticated websites.

If you want to create a website or blog, don't overlook Blogger because you think there aren't enough top designs.  Before you build a new blog with the custom templates below, make sure you read the best book about making money with a free blog.

Below are 5 of my favorite Blogger templates of 2012:

1. Gadgets for Blogger – Imagine having a Blogger site that looks and functions like the Huffington Post. This brand new custom blogspot design is an incredible aggregator template powered by gadgets. It’s FREE and offers a variety of versions.

Versions: There are two versions of this template available. One is modeled after Huffington Post, while another can be a direct link aggregator similar to the Drudge Report. Each can come with a featured image slider or without the slider.

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View the news aggregator template at Best Blogger Template or another version at this family travel blog.

Because the home page of this template is managed by gadgets, this design offers unmatched flexibility for creative bloggers. Each version also has feature gadgets that are fed by category labels which automatically update the home page when posts are added to designated labels.

This template also comes with complete instructions for customization which is priceless for beginners.

Download this FREE template HERE.


2. Simplex Portfolio- There are many talented photographers and artists who don't have a website to display their portfolios. Now they can have an attractive gallery hosted on the free easy-to-use Blogger platform.

There are a few decent gallery templates for blogspot, but none as nice and as easy to use as Simplex Portfolio. The front page displays the most recent images added to the blog and a link to the post.

All Simplex designs are FREE and simple to use as the designer includes instructions for all templates.

Download this FREE template HERE.


3. Newsportal - This is magazine style design that has a strikingly similar appearance to Yahoo’s front page. Compare the screenshot above with Yahoo and you’ll see what I mean.

You may also notice that the website using this template is a complex real estate website hosted at Blogger for free. It goes to show how far blogging platforms have come that nearly any type of website can now be managed with them.

Newsportal has an image slider that is fed by a designated label. The categories display in magazine format. And the three columns offer a lot of diversity for organizing blogs with a lot of content.

Download this free template HERE.


4. Thesis - This very popular WordPress theme is now available for Blogger.  It's a clean and simple magazine format that is excellent for focused blogs that post less than daily.  It comes with or without an image slider and sufficient instructions are available from the designer.


You can add a variety of image sliders to this template as well.  See here for how it looks with a slider.

Download this free template HERE.


5. Best Blogger Store Template - Yes, you can even host a professional looking store on Blogger thanks to a few attractive template designs.  You can see two older layouts that are also effective here and here.


Although those are impressive storefronts, the 2012 Blogger Store template by Johnny Black is the premium choice.  It is professionally designed to rival any e-commerce website on the Internet.  There's not a hint that this comprehensive template is hosted for free on Blogger.

So if you're looking to set up a drop-ship storefront, an Ebay or Amazon affiliate shop, or even a website for your retail business, this template may be just what you need.

Download this free template HERE.

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