Website vs Blog, which is better? Which makes your entrepreneurial ambitions more successful? Which is more worthwhile to invest time and labor?
I will gladly answer this query in this post with my experience.
This post is for you if you want to decide whether you need a blog, a website, or both.
A blog and a website both require time and money. Before choosing between the two options, you should carefully assess which solution best meets your business objectives.
Above all, which option will provide you with the most value? Not all websites are blogs, but not all blogs are websites.
So let’s get this party started…
See also: Is blogging a profession?
What Is The Difference Between A Blog And A Website?
We need to know exactly which type of online presence is ideal for you. So, what precisely is the difference between a blog and a website?
What is a blog, exactly? What distinguishes it from a website?
You should know this first: A blog is a website, but not all websites are blogs. A blog makes data (texts and images) easily accessible to users.
A blog, on the other hand, has a unique property that is attributable to its structure. Unlike a traditional website, a blog is intended to offer items in chronological order. So they’re organized by release date.
As a result, blogs were traditionally utilized solely as a type of digital diary. Bloggers documented their experiences in a diary-like format.
Visitors could browse through the experiences chronologically, just like in a diary.
Blog platforms are now being used for content marketing. As a result, marketing initiatives rely on frequently releasing new, informative content to create visitors.
See also: How to use blog for marketing.
What is the definition of a website?
A website is made up of individual pages that visitors will see as a representative of your company.
Business websites frequently include
- A landing page where the visitor is briefly introduced.
- An “About Us” page that provides information about the company.
- Product or service pages that explain what the company provides.
- The legally required pages, such as the imprint, the data protection notice, and perhaps the general terms and conditions.
A news section is sometimes included on a website. There are frequently 2-year-old reports that no longer interest anyone.
At some point, all pages, photographs, and texts will be uploaded to the website, and the site will be complete. Texts are only added or modified when needed.
Website vs Blog: Which should you use?
It may not always make sense to want to start a blog:
1. If you provide items or services in any form, i.e., rely on new clients.
2. If you wish to supplement your income from your current employment.
3. If you have information that you can share to assist others and attract new customers.
4. If you are willing to provide content to your blog on a regular basis. (I’ll explain why later.)
Using a blog gives you a significant competitive edge as a small or medium-sized business.
Blogs are not a new concept, but few businesses use them.
Instead, all businesses concentrate on social media platforms, squandering vast amounts of energy, time, and money on creating Facebook posts and Instagram stories.
Social media platforms are popular but don’t bring you long-term traffic and thus generate only a few new clients.
A post on Facebook or Instagram only reaches individuals for a few hours. Then it gets “pushed down” in the news feeds by new posts.
A good blog post can bring you, visitors for years.
Why Do People Blog Instead of Creating Websites?
Websites are an excellent choice for a well-established company. However, it is inappropriate for those who are just starting and do not have a product or service to provide (let alone an audience to market to).
If you are a wedding photographer, you should start with a static website rather than a blog.
However, you are also regarded as an independent business. You can use your website to attract new consumers by creating pages explaining your hours and services.
If you don’t have a product or service, you should start with blogging.
You may wish to share your passion for French cooking with the rest of the globe. You don’t have a cookbook or established your own cooking class.
So you start posting your recipes, photos, and recommendations on your blog.
You may engage your audience using social media platforms such as Pinterest and Instagram and begin accumulating email subscribers and repeat readers to learn from.
What Makes Blog Such An Irresistible Draw For Visitors?
When we look at a typical website’s traffic, one thing sticks out: it is only normal and will remain. I’ll explain why right immediately.
This is due to the fact that it has a restricted amount of content that does not scale. This content ranks on Google for a specific quantity of keywords, attracting only a few visitors.
To simplify things, let’s take a look at a website with simply three pages:
- Ranking on the first page of Google for a term that up to 50 people search for each month.
- Page 2 ranks for a keyword with up to 30 monthly searches.
- Page 3 ranks for a term with up to 70 monthly searches.
If all Google searchers clicked on the page, this website would receive a maximum of 150 monthly visitors.
Important: What can we do to increase the number of visits per month? Correct: add more pages or content.
The more content on our site we have, the more keywords we rank for. The more keywords there are, the more visits there will be.
This is when the blog comes in handy.
A blog is a wonderful platform for regularly publishing fresh content and connecting it via internal links.
So, rather than remaining with our dreary few pages on our website, let us extend our digital presence with new content on a regular basis.
The best part is that blogging is scalable. The more content you publish and regularly update your blog, the more search terms you will appear on Google.
The sky is the limit when you clench your buttocks and write new blog articles.
In a separate tutorial, I detailed how to get to the front page of Google.
How Websites Earn Money Versus How Blogs Make Money
Now it’s time to weigh the pros and cons of how websites earn money versus how blogs make money.
How websites earn money
If you have a website, there are only a few options for earning extra money.
Most often, by selling your physical or digital items and services (to your existing client base) and hope that more people discover your site through search engines or paid advertising campaigns on social networks.
How blogs make money
Conversely, a blog can produce money in various ways, including the strategies mentioned above, while also growing your prospective audience along the way.
While there are other ways to make money blogging, the following five stand out:
- Advertisement
- Associated program
- Physical as well as digital products
- Sponsorship
- Offering services
Advertisement
Advertising is one of the first methods that bloggers consider making money online.
The entry barrier is relatively low, and you don’t need a lot of traffic to produce cash, which is important until you have to organize hundreds or even thousands of people.
Consequently, if you have a lot of traffic and are part of a good ad network, you may generate money by producing fresh content.
Associated program
Affiliate programs are another simple method to start earning money from your site. Every specialty blog you can think of has an affiliate program.
The basic concept of affiliate marketing is that you include a link advocating a product in your blog posts, and when people buy through your link, you receive a commission. (and at no additional cost to them).
Products, both physical and digital
Physical and digital products are also excellent ways to make money from blogging.
Digital items are much easier to launch because you can create them yourself (such as an online blogging course) and advertise them to your followers.
Creating a new brand for physical things takes a little more effort and money.
You can, however, begin with dropshipping, in which you build an online store (through a new page on your blog) and do not have to maintain things in stock. Any truth.
You can also collaborate with a wholesaler to create your brand by pasting your logo on white-label products given by the wholesaler.
Sponsorship
When a blogger works with another firm (for a price) to advertise their product or service, this is known as sponsorship.
This may be a one-time sponsored blog article or an ongoing engagement with regular promotions.
While it may take some time to receive sponsored possibilities, sponsors expect a rate of return on their investment.
Providing services
Services can range from selling your freelance job to teaching someone through a similar professional path you’ve created for yourself.
Can A Blog Be Used Instead Of A Website?
A blog is always the best option, especially if you have a limited marketing budget, must do a lot of things yourself or without the help of an agency, and want to get the most out of your efforts.
The answer is unequivocally “yes.” A blog can be used instead of a website.
Note: A blog is a website, though not all websites are blogs
Install/insert a blog onto your website.
Integrating a blog into an existing website is easier than you believe.
However, before beginning the project, you must determine which blog system is most suited. And the selection is enormous.
In my article “Best Blogging Platform,” I go into greater detail about the various systems.
To summarize, I always advocate a self-hosted WordPress system.
- WordPress is the world’s most popular content management and blogging system.
- Regular upgrades keep the system generally safe from intruders.
- Thousands of plugins make it simple to expand your blog. Whenever and however you want it.
If you already have WordPress installed as a system,
If your website already uses WordPress as a content management system, you have everything you need to launch a good blog. WordPress is frequently used as a system for traditional websites and may also host a blog.
I utilize a single WordPress system to run both my website and blog.
Follow these instructions if you want to add a blog to your website.
I’ll presume you’re using WordPress for your main website.
First and foremost, we must consider how your new blog will be accessible. A subdirectory or a subdomain are the two options.
Don’t worry; I’ll explain everything straight immediately.
What is a subdirectory?
A subdirectory is also known as a subfolder. It is a directory or folder that is contained under a domain.
Consider the server where your online space is located to be similar to your home computer. Like your computer, such a web server contains directories in which you can create and store files.
The main folder is always the folder containing your actual website.
If you install WordPress in a subfolder, you can access your new blog at www.financebode.com/blog/. Of course, how you name your subfolder is entirely up to you.
What is a subdomain?
A subdomain (sometimes known as a second-level domain) is a type of subaddress that can be added to your main domain.
Sounds perplexing. So let me give you an example:
Your blog would have a subdomain at https://blog.financebode.com.
If you want to add a blog to your website, use the subdirectory.
Google treats a domain and a subdomain as two distinct websites. You need to optimize two websites rather than one and improve their authority to get good search engine optimization.
This is unneeded if you install the blog in a subfolder of a website, as the blog will automatically help your “normal” website content with its SEO strength.
I could go on installing a WordPress system. But this is not what this blog post is all about.
Conclusion: Website vs Blog
The query “website vs blog” does not really arise because I believe a blog should always be part of an online marketing strategy.
You will be well on your way to more visits and hence more customers if you can commit to providing fresh content regularly.
Because the formula for successful blogs is simpler than you think: fresh content + staying power = 100% success.
If you want to learn more about creating a successful blog, follow my advice in the post “How Do I Turn My Blog Into A Profitable Business?”
FAQ
Blog or Website, which is better?
As a starter, you may wonder if you should create a blog or a website. The answer depends on your ambitions.
Many small businesses worldwide only have a website and no blog; these websites frequently offer introductory content about the firm.
On the other hand, an increasing number of organizations see the value of blogging in their marketing strategy, adding a dedicated blog area to traditional websites and leveraging it to increase search engine traffic.
Adding a blog to your website is useful in most circumstances, whether you run a business, a nonprofit, or any other organization.
What’s the difference between a Blog Post and a Blog Page?
The term blog post and blog page sometimes create confusion.
They are both types of content that can be found
on a blog, but they have different purposes and characteristics.
Blog posts are shown on your blog page in reverse chronological order (newest to oldest). They are typically used to share news, updates, and other timely information.
Blog Pages, such as an about page, contact page, product or service page, home page, and so on, are static pieces of content.
Why do people blog, and what are the advantages of blogging?
Each blogger will have a different reason for blogging; many use blogging to make money, while some use it as a diary or journal.
Is it possible to make money blogging?
“Yes, the answer is yes.” The world’s best bloggers earn between $10 million and $250 million annually.
Of course, these blogs have been around for a while and have a dedicated, long-term following and a significant number of experienced workers.
As a result, you can begin constructing your blog with relevant, quality content and gradually gather enough to produce income from this route.
