The Difference Between a Blog vs Website, Why You Need One and Which One is Right for You

So I’m discovering that some people still don’t see the importance in having a blog and still don’t understand the difference between a blog vs website. To be honest, I didn’t realize that people were still confused. I was under the impression that when you look at some of the big companies out there like IBM, McDonald’s, Nike, and Chevron, just to name a few, having one was a no brainer. But apparently there are newbie biz owners out there who have not caught on yet.

Ok, so what is the difference between a blog and a website?

I get questions about this all the time. They ask; exactly what is the purpose of a blog? Why do I need a blog when I have a company replicated website? Do I use it to share my random thoughts and opinions about different subjects? Or is there actually a method to the madness?

Let’s take a moment and see if I can shed some light on the subject…

Blog Vs Website: A Brief History

The term “blog” in our blog vs website scenario was coined in 1997 by Jorn Barger, the word “Blog” originates from the combination of the phrase, “Web Log“. The overall structure of a Blog resembles that of a regularly updated journal or diary that is posted on the Internet by the writer.

Now, I remember hearing about Blogs growing up in the 90’s, but back then it seemed the topics mainly consisted of political topics or some kind of breaking news report that you would not necessary hear about from mainstream media.

I wasn’t impressed…lol

Today, you have a multitude of bloggers and topics ranging from the rants of a disgruntled customer or employee, all the way to the fashion advice from the super cool “fashionista”. Also, with the growing popularity and success of online marketing, blog site have become a “must have” tool for any business looking to gain more exposure and thus more sales.

Why?

Because of the ridiculous amounts of people you can actively reach blogging on the net from all over the globe. I just had visitors from Brazil on my site! Crazy!! =)

A Blog vs Website Examined

A Website is basically a free or hosted site that is formatted in a specific way that is distinctive from the web log of the past. Unlike a Blog, websites utilizes both Pages and Posts. Pages are normally static in nature and are used to provide basic information on a particular subject, which usually never changes however, updating pages frequently can help boost “rankings” in Google.

An example of a page would be a Home page, Contact Me page, product / resource page or an About Me page. This structure is great because you can give more personal and detailed information about who you are and what you do to your visitors.

A Post on the other hand, sometimes used as a Home Page or as a separate page within your site, is one of the main elements that differentiate a traditional blog from a website.

Blog posts are made up of ongoing and updated articles from you the blogger, typically called a “Blog Roll” and also provides a section for the reader to comment and have a rapport with you. The main purpose of having a blog is to develop a relationship with your readers and if you have a business, it gives you the ability to build a list of potential prospects; people who like what you have to offer and ultimately buy from you.

Blog post are also highly and easily shareable!

Meaning you can share your awesomely valuable articles as content on your social media pages to attract your ideal audience. Doing this will also drive traffic to your website when they click to read it which in turn, boosts your ranking in Google and get more brand awareness to you and your business.

I’ll talk about Google ranking in another post. =)

The topic of these articles is determined by the type of blog site you have. In other words, subject matter is usually directed to a specific demographic or niche depending on your intentions and/or products you are marketing.

If you sell shoes for example, you can talk about the types of popular shoes on the market, or how to choose the perfect shoe for a particular event. Your job is to find out what your target audience wants in terms of shoes and provide the answer to their problem in your blog. 

How do you actually sell “shoes” on your blog  in this example? 

Great question! 😉

You would add at the bottom of every one of your post what we call a CTA or Call To Action. A CTA is simply a line of text that says something like, “if you would like to know how to get access to high end shoes at a discounted price Click the link below.”

From there, you would simply provide a link to where they can buy! 

Simple right? It really is! =)

Now, having just a website which doesn’t include a page for blog posts is considered passive marketing. It’s really more a kin to an online brochure with or without a shopping cart. Nothing wrong with this model, it’s just harder to reach your audience using a website alone. Websites that don’t have an attached blog don’t rank very well on Google.

In fact, you will have to work 10 times harder to drive traffic to your website which means it’s 10x harder to make sales. Your website is one of gazillions out there; you have to connect with your buyer if you want them to buy and having a blog page does this perfectly!

[bctt tweet=”In Essence, a blog is a more personal and intimate look at YOU and your brand” username=”AprilLRay”]; whereas a traditional website focuses mainly on your business, product or organization. If making money online through your products or services is a goal for you, then in order to be competitive these days, you will need to develop a dynamic online presence that separates you from your competition.

People like to do business with someone they know, like, and trust.

Incorporating a blog that showcases YOU the individual, gives people the opportunity to get to know who you are and provides a platform for branding yourself as well as your products.

Blog + Website Instead of Blog vs Website

How do you incorporate a blog that showcases you? By combining the brochure like website with a blog page. This is currently the most common type of websites out there now though, you will still find people with just a blog (personal blog) or just a static website here and there. 

Whenever I use the term Website I’m always referring to a website with a blog attached. 

Blog Vs a Website Defined A bit More…

A Personal Blog is for those individuals who just enjoy writing or story telling,( Student Blogs are good examples) or feel they have something important to share with others but are not trying to sell anything. If this is you, you should go with a free hosted site like WordPress.com where you can be up and running and ready to start blogging in no time flat!

If you are a small business owner, coach, online marketer, or network marketer then a Branded Marketing Blog is for you. This kind of platform, which combines web pages that focuses on who you are, what you do, how people can reach out to you and much more… acts as your hub for everything else that you are doing in your business.

This is your headquarters, of sorts.

Having this type of site is also important because you’re not depending solely on social media to house your business.

Why is that important?

Because you don’t own social media and any information you add to social media platforms becomes their property. They can shut you down and out at anytime with no explanation.

It happened to me and many other marketers that I know personally!

So basically having this type of site is a perfect combination of a passive website and active blog.

It gives you the ability to leverage the Internet in order to promote your business more efficiently and economically. It affords you the capability of attracting potential clients and customers, as well as the opportunity to share something valuable of yourself to your blog readers, thus creating lasting relationships. If you don’t have a product of your own to promote at present, don’t be afraid to take advantage of using affiliate marketing products, or if you’re interested in multiple streams of income. 

5 Steps to Getting Your Blog Readers Coming Back to Your Website Over and Over Again!

If you think a Branded Marketing Blog is for you….

…Then you will want to invest some time and money into a self hosted blog format like WordPress.org which allows for both a blog and website in one. You don’t want to go with free here like wordpress.com, you would use that platform if you just want a personal blog. WordPress.org is free but you would need to host it yourself with a service like Hostgator which is what I use.

Both are  extremely user-friendly, hostgator is super affordable, and can be set up quickly getting your business off the ground in record time. It’s also yours, meaning you own it and like real estate, you can sell it. It means that you can do whatever you want with it. If you’re a business owner, you never want to use a free option because you won’t be free to do what you want.

Understand that investing in and creating a blog does take a bit of time and effort on your part, but you can also have someone design and build it for you. Once set up, your blog must be updated regularly to keep your readers engaged and coming back for more. But, it is well worth the effort!

Oh, by the way… If you saying to yourself that you don’t like to write… no worries! Use a recorded video or one of your Facebook Lives as a post. You can share these out everywhere to expose people to your videos and your website at the same time.

That’s it!

Having a branded website that showcases you and your expertise is the ultimate way to build your business and sell your products. A blog vs a website alone is not as effective but, when they are combined?… It is the key to success and will be working for you to get more leads 24/7! 

If you have been playing with the idea of starting your own marketing blog, or you have one but want to learn how to start making serious income with it… Click Here Now to get access to a jam packed blogging course that will walk you step by step into the process of building an amazingly lucrative website. You’ll learn from one of the most successful bloggers in the industry today!

Get Access Here to Learn More!

‘Til Next time…..

April

P.S  If you're feeling stuck in your business even after you did everything your upline told you to do... Take a minute to Check out my 3 Step Marketing Blueprint to learn how to start marketing your business without feeling like a pushy salesman. CLICK HERE TO WATCH

"As an introvert entrepreneur I don't particularly enjoy chasing strangers online, networking events, talking about myself on social media or anything else you can think of that involves selling! But, because I learned how to market online the right way, I don't have to do those things."

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