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Ghost keeps most day-to-day customization inside Admin. Knowing which lever to pull saves you from breaking updates or maintaining a fork you never wanted.
Level 1: Built-in settings (no code)
Start here every time:
- Design / Brand — Logo, icon, accent color, publication details.
- Navigation — Primary and footer menus.
- Theme-specific options — Many premium themes (including Zora) expose toggles and style choices in the theme panel.
Level 2: Code Injection
Use Settings → Code Injection for analytics, fonts, or small CSS overrides. Keep snippets documented so you remember why each block exists.
Good uses
- Privacy-friendly analytics script
- Custom font link from a CDN
- Narrow CSS fixes for one component
Risky uses
- Large layout rewrites that fight the theme
- Duplicated functionality the theme already provides
Level 3: Editing the theme
Clone or download your theme, edit .hbs templates and package.json theme config, then zip and re-upload. This is for structural changes: new sections, different post layouts, custom routes.
Practical rule of thumb
- If the theme author anticipated it, use settings first.
- If it is site-wide and tiny, try Code Injection.
- If it changes HTML structure or multiple pages, plan a theme edit and version control.
Premium themes like Zora are designed so most publishers never leave Level 1—freeing you to write instead of maintaining templates.
