If you are new in the online business world, you might want to know what is the difference between a blog and a website.  Lets look at the meaning of each term and their purposes before we finally differentiate a website from a blog.

Meaning of a Blog

The word “Blog” is gotten from the combination of the words “web log”. It is more of an online interactive platform that seeks to inform a particular target audience using well written, researched and unique article about a select topic (niche).

According to professional bloggers, they define blogs as a type of regularly updated website where articles are posted on various topics of public interest. He further explained the character of a blogger as one with consistent and determined mind who can thoroughly research and write with the motive of disseminating valuable information on a particular niche to a well defined target audience.

Another thing you should know about blogging is that it can be setup with the motive of making money online or not to make profit. Examples of top popular blogs in Nigeria that runs on Joomla and WordPress platforms are: naij, nairaland, Nigerian Infopedia or news sites such as buzz feed, tech crunch, life hackers or news magazines such as the new York times BCC, CNN etc, that publish stories on daily basis or even sites run by individuals on a specific niche.

What Is A Blog And Why Are They So Popular?

What is a Blog? What is a website? Does these two terms mean the same thing? What is the difference between the two?

This was his Answer.

Everyone has a different opinion of how to explain what a blog is. I like to explain what a blog is by contrasting it to a “normal” website, since essentially a blog is a website (so there you go, that’s all a blog really is – a website). Blogs are websites with a few very key differences, namely:

1. Articles are listed in chronological order with the newest article at the top

This is a very consistent element of every blog I have ever come across. Articles are listed with a title followed by the body content, starting at the top of the page with the most recently published article followed by the next most recent, and so on.
This format is a legacy of the “journaling” aspect of blogging. The term blog is derived from “weblog” which essentially means online diary or journal. Diaries have entries made by date and that is how blog posts work too. An important point to make, despite the journalistic style history, is that blogs today are not all diaries and are not only about the personal lives of the authors.

Some blogs still are the thoughts of one author – my blog is, but I don’t talk about my cat or what I had for breakfast. I stay on my chosen topics, Internet business and blogging, and people who are interested in those two topics come to read my blog.
Blogs today can be about any subject, written by one or many authors and certainly are not all personal diaries. Personal reflection, opinion and tone all have a place in blogs, but that doesn’t affect the breadth or scope of topics covered.

2. It’s easy to add new content

Normal websites have one chronic problem that kept everyday people from creating one – they are just too technical. Even with sophisticated content management systems, website creation was out of the reach of your average web surfer.
Blogs changed things. They provide a content publishing system so easy to use that the average net surfer, with some practice, can become a blogger and publish content to the World Wide Web. When content publishing became as easy as writing email, the barriers to entry were lowered enough for it to go mainstream and we now have a world filled with millions of blogs.

3. Content is updated frequently

Another major problem that plagues traditional websites is their static nature. Most websites never change and you always come back to the same pages with the same content. The reason for this is point two above – it is too hard for the average person to add content to a website. Sure, many popular sites were updated frequently before blogs came along, but they have the backing of large organizations with technical staff and writers, or are managed by people who understand things like HTML, FTP and web servers. Most people do not speak this language and until blogs became available it was hard for the average person to publish their ideas online.
Blogs lower the barriers to publishing enough so the average person can do it. As a result the Web is inundated with content producers (bloggers) writing and publishing articles on a regular basis, sometimes multiple articles per day. Websites have never been as dynamic as today’s blogs.

A spin-off effect has been the rise of blogs in search engines. Search engines like Google reward sites that publish valuable content on a consistent basis. Blogs, by their nature, do this (assuming motivated bloggers are running them) and so rise high in search engine rankings.As a result of blogs “stealing” top search engine rankings, they receive even more attention, capturing the focus of Internet marketers and business owners as they look to blogs as potential marketing tools for their products and services.

4. Blogs allow people to leave comments

A significant evolution when comparing a traditional website to a blog is the addition of the comments function. Each article published to a blog has an input box to allow any person from the public to leave a comment on that article.
This enhancement turned websites from one-way broadcasting devices, to two-way communication tools. Readers can directly communicate with the author of the content, carry on the conversation started by the article and essentially turn a blog into a community. This last point is more powerful than you think, and here’s why

5. People “trust” blogs more than normal websites because blogging is a conversation

If you combine all the elements above – the personal journal style of writing, the ease of adding content leading to frequent updates, and the ability to interact with your readers – you have a formula for a very natural communication tool.

Blogs, by their nature, are considered trusted sources of information. They foster a more human relationship and, as evidenced in countless blogs today, some bloggers are perceived as respected experts, whether they are or not, purely on the back of their successful blogs.

This final point is the most significant, yet subtle element that distinguishes blogs from normal websites. If people trust the words written on a blog, if people come to like and identify with the person writing the blog, you have all the elements necessary to create a popular community focused on the creative output of just one person.

This is why any person with a passion, a hobby, or a skill, and enough motivation to produce content on a particular topic, can build an audience, keep people coming back and ultimately, monetize that traffic, establishing the potential for professional blogging.

I think you now know what a Blog is? and why Blogs are more better.

Blogs are websites with a few very key differences, namely:

1. Articles are listed in chronological order with the newest article at the top
2. It’s easy to add new content
3. Content is updated frequently
4. Blogs allow people to leave comments
   
5. People “trust” blogs more than normal websites because blogging is a conversation.

What is a website?

Wikipedia defines a website is a collection of related web pages usually owned by corporate individuals, brands and companies with the purpose of creating awareness of such brands, companies or individuals that own them including their products and services so that visitors can patronize them. You should also note that a blog can also be part of a website. Examples of websites owned by brands and organizations include: Ikhanconcepts.com, olx.com, konga.com, etc.

Shoutmeloud defines a website as anything on the internet presented in HTML/CSS or Java/Javascript/Python/Php, etc. It is more advanced than a blog and would cost more in terms of building one. One who creates a website is usually called a Web developer. You build your own wordpress website, you must practically have the technical knowledge to do so.

The Major Differences Between A Blog & Website

What differentiates a blog from a website is the content. The major content of a website remains the same for a long time or is updated as the organization or brand releases new products or services. A blog on the other hand posts new/fresh content on daily or weekly basis since it is an interactive platform.

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) techniques are mostly used in a blog than a website. When you check the internet for a particular keyword phrase, you would see a lot of website listed online. Those topping on search results for such keywords use SEO techniques to outrank their competitors, thereby attracting 70% traffic to their blogs or website.

A blog’s articles are organised by categories and tags,  this is a method of sorting the blog’s content and grouping them with specific keywords to enable viewers find whatever they are looking for with ease, while a website’s content isn’t displayed in such order but in the order in which whatever products or services posted on it are displayed.

Also, because a wordpress blog is an interactive platform, it allows the viewers to post comments on the page, but a website doesn’t have that option because basically, the primary function of a website is to create awareness on a brand or company, and so all forms of communication are carried out through the use of newsletter subscription or livechat options enabled by the website owners

The key difference between a blog and a website bothers more on how data are presented in both. It is true that there are millions of websites and blogs scattered on the internet in various countries, one has to understand the differences between the two to know the direction, technicality and strategy to take to be successful in it.

Final Conclusion

Now you know the differences between a website and a blog and their various purposes, which ever you choose would strengthen your online business and reputation. However, to achieve results, you would need patience, consistency, determination and hardwork.

You can also read : How to become a YouTube Millionaire (Verified Simple ways)

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