=== Niche Blog ===
Contributors: FahimMurshed
Tags: blog, custom-logo, e-commerce, rtl-language-support, post-formats, grid-layout, one-column, two-columns, custom-background, custom-colors, custom-header, custom-menu, featured-image-header, featured-images, flexible-header, full-width-template, sticky-post, theme-options, threaded-comments, translation-ready, wide-blocks, block-styles, footer-widgets, portfolio, left-sidebar, right-sidebar
Requires at least: 5.5
Requires PHP: 7.4
Tested up to: 6.9
License: GNU General Public License v2 or later
License URI: http://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-2.0.html

== Description ==

Niche Blog is a modern and minimalist theme for your company's business blog or a personal journal website. Niche Blog fast, fully customizable & beautiful WordPress theme suitable for blog, personal portfolio website. Easy to use, clean and minimalist theme that allows your reader to focus on your content, build especially for daily or hobby bloggers who love to share their stuff, whether it’s about lifestyle, fashion, travel blog, entertainment, beauty or just a simple personal blog. Niche Blog theme best for single niche or multi niche blogging.  It has a highly SEO optimized code, resulting in top rankings in Google search results.

Features:
### **Advanced Customizer Controls**
You now have a robust set of options in the **Appearance > Customize** menu to control the look and feel without coding:
*   **Header Settings**: Choose between **Left**, **Center**, or **Right** alignment for your header layout.
*   **Sidebar Management**: Granular control to set the sidebar position (Left, Right, or No Sidebar) specifically for:
    *   Blog Home
    *   Single Posts
    *   Archives
    *   Pages
*   **Post Grid**: Adjust the number of columns for your blog grid (from **1 to 6 columns**).
*   **Page Layout**: Set container width to **Default**, **Full Width**, or **Narrow**.
*   **Blog Meta Toggles**: Option to hide specific elements like **Category Links**, **Posted On Date**, and **Entry Meta**.
*   **Excerpt Length**: Slider to control the length of post excerpts (5 to 100 words).

### **Performance Suite**
A dedicated **Performance** panel has been added to the Customizer with extensive optimization tools:
*   **Core**: Lazy Load Images, Disable Emojis, Reduce Layout Shifts.
*   **Instant Navigation**: Prefetch pages on hover for near-instant loading.
*   **Caching**: Built-in Page Caching and Resource Prioritization (preloading).
*   **Minification & Loading**: HTML Minification, Defer Scripts, and Delay JavaScript execution until user interaction.
*   **Fonts**: Google Fonts optimization (combining requests and using `swap` display).

### **Social Media Integration**
*   Built-in fields to add and manage links for **Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, GitHub, YouTube,** and **TikTok**.

### **Gutenberg / Block Editor Support**
*   **Theme Color Palette**: Custom brand colors (Blue, Green, Orange, Black, Grey) available in the editor.
*   **Custom Gradients**: Vivid predefined gradients.
*   **Block Styles**: Added a "**Fancy Paragraph**" style.
*   **Block Patterns**: Added a "**Hero Section**" pattern for quick page building.
*   **Editor Styles**: The backend editor matches the frontend font and width.

### **Technical & Developer Features**
*   **SVG Icon System**: Lightweight, scalable icons used throughout the theme.
*   **Mobile Menu Fixes**: JavaScript improvements for reliable mobile navigation.
*   **Accessibility**: Added `skip-link-focus-fix.js` for better keyboard navigation.
*   **Translation Ready**: Fully localized strings (`niche-blog` text domain).

== Installation ==

= How to install Niche Blog theme=
1. Login your WordPress dashboard.
2. Go to "Appearance" -> "Theme" and click on "Add New" button.
3. Click on "Upload Theme" button and choose the theme's (niche-blog.zip) zip file you have downloaded.
4. Click on "Install Now" button.
5. Activate the theme.
6. Now go to "Appearance" -> "Customize" to configure theme options.

Alternatively,

1. Login to your WordPress dashboard.
2. Go to "Appearance" -> "Theme" and click on "Add New" button.
3. Search for "Niche Blog".
4. Click on Install and Activate.

If you need any help or assistance we'd be happy to help. Just drop a line here- http://fahimm.com/contact

== Copyright ==

Niche Blog WordPress Theme, Copyright 2025 Fahim Murshed
Niche Blog is distributed under the terms of the GNU GPL

== Image for theme screenshot ==

* Screenshot image by https://stocksnap.io [CC0] (https://stocksnap.io/license)
** Logo https://stocksnap.io/photo/L6YVQ85CKY [CC0] (https://stocksnap.io/license)
** Post Image https://stocksnap.io/photo/HWA50BLS52 [CC0] (https://stocksnap.io/license)
** Post Image https://stocksnap.io/photo/business-woman-FPQIEQBMPA [CC0] (https://stocksnap.io/license)

== Resources ==

Underscores, Copyright 2012-2017 Automattic
License: GPLv2 or later
Source: https://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-2.0.html

Customizer Pro, Copyright 2016 © Justin Tadlock
License: GPLv2 or later
Source: https://github.com/justintadlock/trt-customizer-pro

Font Awesome
License: GPLv2 or later
Source: https://fontawesome.com/docs/web/use-with/wordpress

normalize.css, Copyright 2012-2016 Nicolas Gallagher and Jonathan Neal
License: MIT
Source: https://necolas.github.io/normalize.css/

SVG Icons, Copyright 2016 WordPress.org ( https://github.com/WordPress/twentyseventeen )
License: GPLv2 or later
Source: http://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-2.0.html

WPTT Webfont Loader, Copyright: 2020 Ari Stathopoulos, WordPress Themes Team	
License: MIT
Source: https://github.com/WPTT/webfont-loader

== Changelog ==

= 0.1.3 =
* Updated WordPress latest version affinity.

= 0.1.2 =
* Fix responsive menu style.

= 0.1.1 =
* Added Block Style and Block Pattern.
* Updated WordPress latest version affinity.
* Preparing PRO version.

= 0.1.0 =
* Updated WordPress latest version affinity.

= 0.0.9 =
* Updated WordPress latest version affinity.
* Updated some design styles.

= 0.0.8 =
* Added Footer menu feature.

= 0.0.7 =
* Fix CSS issue.

= 0.0.6 =
* WordPress Block Editor Compatibility.

= 0.0.5 =
* Fix Widget Search box width issue.

= 0.0.4 =
* Adding more features and it will release on next version.
* Added credits that this theme get some ideas from Cube Blog theme.

= 0.0.3 =
* After revewing the theme from "Accessibility" team I will add the tag again.

= 0.0.2 =
* Added Font Awesome 6 icons support.
* Removed Font Awesome 4 icons support.
* Added homepage grid layout.

= 0.0.1 =
* Initial release.