What is a Blog, and How is it Different from a Website?

John Smith
Email/ UX expert

The difference between a website and a blog confuses most people, including marketers and entrepreneurs. In the real sense, the difference isn’t that big as both are websites, and you can accomplish similar things with them; however, there are some key differences. 

 

This article will highlight what websites and blogs are and what differentiates them.

What’s a Blog?

Blogs are websites wherein the content is usually in reverse chronological order, and the content is usually in blog posts or entries form. They are generally presented in a conversational style and are relatively informal. 

 

Unlike regular, static websites, blogs are dynamic, and updates happen often; some bloggers post multiple entries daily. The first blogging platform, Blogger, was inaugurated in 1999, and Google acquired it later.

 

Blogger was the first site dedicated to blogging, making it a de facto option for early bloggers. Nevertheless, the launch of WordPress in 2003 completely changed the blogging game. 

 

This is because it’s open source, thus allowing developers and users to change the code—currently, 30% of websites run on WordPress. 

 

Some popular blogs globally include: 

 

  • TMZ: 30 million visitors per month
  • Huffington Post: 110 million visitors each month
  • Mashable: 24 million visitors per month
  • Business Insider: 25 million visitors every month
  • The Daily Beast: 15.5 million visitors every month

What’s a Website?

A website refers to several multimedia content and landing pages under a single domain. Websites are hosted over hosting services that allow the content and pages to be axed over the internet. 

 

Internal sites that can only be accessed via a secure LAN (Local Area Network), like corporate intranets, are also categorized as websites. 

 

Websites are used for various purposes, for agencies and governments, or personal or business reasons. 

 

While they have many uses, websites serve one primary purpose, to provide audiences or visitors with information. A website is more or less an online brochure for organizations. 

What’s The Difference Between A Blog And A Website?

A blog is a website where entries are updated frequently, while a website is usually organized into pages and is static.  

 

Blogs can either be part of a larger website or on their own. In the early blogging era, blogs were used as online personal journals. However, companies started tapping into blogging’s potential once audiences began growing. 

 

Most organizations currently use blogs to give their customers product updates and update them on events as part of an SEO strategy to engage them with fun stories. 

Difference Between Website and Blog Content

Contentwise, a website has pages similar to sections in a brochure. The pages are classified based on content; for instance, the homepage has general details about the company, while another page can have service or product descriptions. Another page can include contact details such as phone number or email. 

 

In contrast, blog content is referred to as posts with unique perspectives or updates with one or media like social media feeds, images, a text, or a text article. 

 

WordPress categorizes content a user wants to post as pages or posts. Posts are published, authored, and dated to a user’s blog feed. At the same time, pages are placed in the background unless a user references them in prominent places, such as the navigation bar. 

Reasons To Write Blogs 

Blogs are an excellent medium to share your ideas or unique perspectives with a large audience. For companies, blogs are a perfect avenue to update and inform their customers. Most bloggers use blogs as a way to express themselves. 

 

The best thing about blogging for companies and individuals is that this is an opportunity for audience engagement. Blogs typically have a comment section where readers can engage the author, making it a social outlet. 

 

Blogs create communities, draw audiences, and can generate income. 

How To Earn With Blogs

Most of the time, people perceive blogging as a hobby or personal journal. While there are people who blog for fun, there are also others who do it to earn an income. 

 

Here are some ways you can earn through blogging: 

 

  • Displaying ads: You can use Google Adsense to display ads on your blog; you’ll get paid each time a reader clicks on the ad. Many sites, such as eBay and Amazon, pay bloggers commissions for each product bought from promotions in a blog. 
  • Affiliate marketing: You can become an affiliate by reaching out and forming a relationship or signing up for a company’s affiliate program. 
  • Charging subscriptions and memberships: This is a challenging way to earn, but it works for niche products in which information is difficult to obtain.
  • Sell blog-related services, products, and merchandise: You can create themes and sell them or design apparel and shirts related to your blog. Alternatively, you can write an ebook and sell it through your blog. 

Guide To Becoming A Blogger

Starting a blog isn’t difficult; you don’t require any technical skills, and starting is as simple as signing up for a free online platform. Get blogging software like WordPress to make a website-blog hybrid or a personalized blog. 

 

To start blogging with WordPress, you require a web host, which costs $8 per month, and a domain name, which costs $15. 

 

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