SofanMax - Are you looking for a free lightweight Blogspot theme that loads super fast? Textrim v4 fits those criteria perfectly! I've always been a huge fan of this unique text-based template. Designed by an Indonesian blogger named Igniel, the fourth version of Textrim brings a lot of positive changes that will elevate your blog in 2024 and beyond!
Even though Textrim is free, the creator keeps bringing new exciting updates throughout the years, making this theme timeless!
First came out in 2019, Textrim has gone through multiple iterations. What was once a fun blog theme, Textrim has become more professional-looking. It's capable of taking full advantage of the new Blogger.com system and is updated with new icons as well as other new functionalities.
Read also: How I Managed to Get My Blogspot Article Featured in Google Discover!
SEO-wise, Textrim is outstanding, thanks to the meticulous design and continuous updates! The fourth version that came out in November 2023 is still fresh and free as ever!
So what kind of theme is Textrim?
For those of you who are not familiar with this legendary Blogspot theme, let me tell you all about Textrim!
According to Igniel, the creator, Textrim brings a unique text-only concept that forgoes images on the front page! Yep, when you open the text-only homepage of Textrim, you will not see any thumbnails at all! The minimalistic design is intentional.
To see what Textrim looks like, you can click this link for the live demo!
Because there are no thumbnails on the homepage, Textrim is extremely lightweight! As we all know, Google absolutely loves websites that load fast. Based on the Core Web Vitals metrics, Textrim should display a better score. That's why SEO-wise, Textrim which features no thumbnails on the front page has an edge. Readers, too, prefer a faster website so Textrim is very user-friendly.
Now, Textrim is not the first text-only theme. However, I believe that Textrim is the first text-based theme that still has properly structured data. It does not display the thumbnail for human users but the data is still present, intact within the code. In other words, a machine, like Google's crawler bot, can read this theme efficiently.
Pros of Textrim v4
Why should you use Textrim v4 for your blog? Well, here is why!
- Textrim v4 utilizes Blogger's latest Widget v2 and Layout v3! It is highly up-to-date with the new Blogger, as opposed to the previous version which was compatible with the legacy Blogger.
- Textrim features a scrollable horizontal menu! If you have many sub-topics, Textrim can handle it elegantly! It also offers the dropdown menu functionality.
- Automatic multi-related posts linker! You don't need to place internal links manually with Textrim v4. The placement is tidy and it won't interfere with the formatting!
- Pre-installed ad position! For those of you who monetize your blog with AdSense, Textrim v4 offers excellent and plenty of ad space for manual placement!
- Easy to customize! You can tweak your Textrim v4 colors, fonts, and other interfaces through the Blogger Theme Designer menu, without needing to fiddle with HTML!
- Lightweight and load the page super fast! You can check the PageSpeed Insight score and the GTMetrix on Textrim v4.
- The layout and the menu are easy to modify through the Layout menu! Again, no more fiddling with confusing HTML, anyone even a beginner blogger can set Textrim v4 easily!
- It has a sticky sidebar for desktop view and a numbered page feature!
- It is SEO-friendly with valid schema markup and complete structured data!
- Mobile-friendly
- Textrim is 100% FREE, all of these advanced features are available to everyone!
- Textrim v4 has a great core web vitals!
Things that I don't like about Textrim v4
I do like Textrim v4 a lot. It has a lot of potential. But nothing in this world is perfect. There are several aspects of Textrim v4 that I don't like.
While Textrim v4 is mobile-friendly, its mobile interface is not flawless.
Most modern mobile-friendly themes nowadays almost always feature a hamburger menu. But unfortunately, Textrim does not have it. This theme still relies on the scrollable horizontal menu and the dropdown even on its mobile interface. This design choice, while perfectly fine on the desktop view, is not very convenient for users to navigate with on a phone.
The hamburger menu is easier to navigate as it eliminates misclick. All of the menus can be displayed clearly in a collapsible sidebar. Meanwhile, the horizontal scroll navigation on mobile may hide some of the menus. Users may miss it, not knowing that they can slide the menu left or right.
The second thing I don't like about Textrim v4 is its dark mode. I am not a big fan of the color scheme and the implementation is not perfect. You may notice that the comment section (inside the iframe tag) may not get darkened.
Download Textrim v4 for FREE!
There are many free Blogger themes available out there. But usually, there is a catch! They only offer a demo version with advanced features locked behind a paywall. However, Textrim is not like that!
Textrim is actually 100% free! You get all of the advanced features without needing to pay. There is only one very minor difference. The free version has a credit footer. Just that. This is such a small thing that will not affect the site's performance.
Of course, you can delete the credit footer by paying for the $10 license. However, most bloggers do not need to do that. Just use the free version because it already offers full features!
Now, to get the Textrim v4, you can download it for free through this link!
To install it, follow Textrim v4 documentation!
What kind of blog should use Textrim v4?
Textrim is suitable for blogs with the following niches:
- Job Listing
- Education
- Health tips
- Song lyrics and chords database
Other niches will be suitable too but these topics that mainly focus on text would benefit greatly from Textrim's responsive imageless design.
Textrim is all about simplicity and clean design yet still maintains elegance and coolness factor. Like most modern themes, Textrim is also mobile-friendly and adaptable to various screen sizes.