A Blog, Website or Both: Find Out Which One Is Right For Your Online Endeavor.

‘Do I need a blog or a website or both?’ A friend of mine (Mr Hank) asked me that question a few days ago. Whether to start a blog or a website is a real dilemma for a lot of web publishers. This is because there is still some confusion between websites and blogs.

Blogs and websites have lots of similarities as well as differences. And it is important to understand these, in order to choose the right one for your online endeavor. I hope this post helps clarify about the similarities and differences between blogs and websites.

So, Let’s get straight to the point.

What is a Blog?

I know many of you already know what a blog is but for those of you who do not know, a blog is a series of posts that is organized usually by date and categories where the recent post shows first. This site is an example of a blog. Blogs got their name from the phrase ‘web logs’ which originated as a form of personal journalism.

Interaction with your audience is a breeze with blogs as they come equipped with comment forms. Another great feature about blogs is that they are very easy and cheap to set up. You don’t need to be proficient in any programming language (HTML, CSS, PHP,..) or web page creating software like Dreamweaver. Blogs also come with a built in RSS Subscriber which allows your audience to subscribe your blog’s contents. The top two user friendly blogging platforms are WordPress and Blogger. WordPress is by far the best content management system where you can store and publish your contents with ease. You can also use WordPress to build a website. In fact, this is the fastest and the cheapest way to get a website up and running.

What is a website?

A website is a collection of webpages with contents just like a blog but is not usually organized by date or categories. To create a website, you need to learn about HTML, CSS and other programming language, unless you use WYSIWYG editors like Dreamweaver or Yahoo sitebuilder. Do not let the programming language and the codes scare you. Dealing with codes is how I started my online endeavor and it is not as bad as it sounds. Basic knowledge about programing language is going to help you in the long run whether you choose a blog or a website.

The benefits of having a website is that you have more control over the layout of the website. However, some of these web designing software can cost a fortune. And sometimes you might need a FTP program to publish the content you have created. Many web host, nowadays, usually provide you with free FTP software. If not you can use free software like Filezilla. On the other hand, you don’t need the FTP software and can publish your contents with the click of a publish button while using blogging platforms like WordPress.

So a blog, website or both ?

This really depends on you and your online endeavor. Contents in a website is usually static while blogs need fresh contents. Since search engines love contents, blogs thrive with the search engines. You can always upgrade a static websites and include a blog in it. Blogging may not be the right choice for you if you do not have contents. If you can not provide quality contents on a regular basis then your audience will loose interest in your blog. But if you can write regularly about the topics you choose then you should definitely start blogging.

If your plan is to make money in the internet, keep in mind that it is not going to be easy, either with a website or a blog. It takes hours and hours of work for months, sometimes even years to get significant traffic to make any money online.

If you have any questions or want to contribute your thoughts about the topic…Please leave comments below…

Here’s to your successful online endeavor!

-Adam Paudyal

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