There are many out there who will use the terms website and blog interchangeably. The difference between the two is not as clear as one might think. It probably doesn’t help that many blogs are hosted on personal websites. However, there is a BIG difference between a website and a blog, although the line is a little fuzzy.
A website is your internet home, containing information about yourself and your various projects. The pages are static, occasionally updated to reflect changes. It will contain the most up-to-date information about your work, assuming that you actually keep it up to date.
A blog, on the other hand, is like a diary. It will be constantly changing with whatever content or other information you choose to share with the world. In some respects, a blog will contain even more up-to-date information about your work. However, the information on a blog quickly gets buried, depending on the frequency at which you post. This means that you can’t rely on your blog as a marketing tool for older works.
If a reader visits your site, they want to be able to find your books, products, or whatever quickly — and with little effort. This is the key point that distinguishes a website from a blog.
Where a blog is hosted blurs the lines
A large number of bloggers host their blogs on their websites, either as the home page or as a separate menu item. However, some elect to have a different site constructed to host their blogs separate from their primary site. All are acceptable options but serve different purposes.
My personal website (judylmohr.com) uses the blog as the home page, but that’s what I want those who visit the site to see. On this site (blackwolfeditorial.com), the focus is about the editorial services that I provide. The blog is just a part of that, giving away some of the tips and tricks that I use myself, but the blog is a minor feature of this site. However, there might be a business reason why one might want to completely separate their blog from the primary website. This is common for agents and publishing-house editors.
The primary site might be for the agency or publisher. If there is a blog on the site, it will be for business posts: the latest client signed or book deal, the latest publication, etc. However, agents and editors will have their own thoughts about what is happening in the industry that they’ll want to share. For professional reasons, they’ll have a blog elsewhere that links back to the agency or publishing house.
You do not need a blog
Not all writers will have a blog. Some loathe the idea entirely. If you happen to fall into this category, don’t EVER let anyone bully you into having a blog. However, ALL writers seeking publication, traditionally or self-published, NEED a website.
For those writers that elect to have a blog, I personally feel they would be better served to have a blog hosted on the same site as their other writing stuff. From an SEO perspective, this will boost activity of a site, increasing SEO ranking. However, do make sure that whatever content you include in your blog matches the primary use of the site. If it’s a business site, then keep the content professional and your rants somewhere else.
This tip is one of the many tips found in Hidden Traps: A Writer’s Guide to Protecting Your Online Platform by Judy L Mohr.
Hidden Traps of the Internet (Judy L Mohr)
Building an online platform is an overwhelming and daunting task, with many pitfalls and horror stories surrounding the internet. It’s not surprising that many writers shy away from online activities, putting that online presence into the do-it-later category. But to survive in today’s publishing industry, a writer needs to be online.
This book focuses on how to build an online platform in a safe manner. Judy talks you through the various components of an online platform, showing you the tricks to staying safe online, carving out your own little corner of the internet while building that author platform.
More info →
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© Copyright, Judy L Mohr 2017