Often people think about what a blog, and how it is different from a website?
If you are thinking about starting a blog or a website, then understanding these terms will help you meet your goals.
In this beginner’s guide, we will give you a clear definition what a blog, and what’s the difference between blog vs websites. We will also talk about usage scenarios, with real-world examples, and their benefits.
What is a blog and how is it different from a website?
What is a Blog?
A blog is a type of a website where the post is presented in reverse chronological order (newer content appear first before older content). Blog content is often referred to as entries or “blog posts”.
Blogs are typically run by an individual or a small group of people to present information in a conversational style. However, now there are tons of corporate blogs that produce a lot of informational and thought-leadership style content.
A blog page showing posts
Most of the blog posts also have a comments section where users can respond to the article.
History of Blogs
Blogs evolved from online diaries and journals in the mid-90s. At that time, internet users were already running personal web pages where they published regular updates about their personal lives, thoughts, and social commentary.
The term web log was first used during the late 90s, which later became ‘weblog’, then ‘we blog’, and finally just ‘blog’.
Due to the growing number of such web pages, several tools started to appear, which made it easier for users to create online journals and personal blogs. These tools helped popularize blogging and made the technology accessible to non-technical users.
In 1999, the popular blogging website Blogger.com was launched, which was later acquired by Google in February 2003.
The same year, WordPress released its first version as a blogging platform in May 2003.
Today, WordPress is the world’s most popular blogging platform powering over 45% of all websites on the internet.
What is The Difference Between Blog and Website?
Blog is a type of website. The only real difference between a blog and other types of website is that blogs are updated on a regular basis with newer content, which is displayed in reverse chronological order (new blog posts first).
Typical websites are static in nature where content is organized in pages, and they are not updated frequently. Whereas a blog is dynamic, and it is usually updated more frequently. Some bloggers publish multiple new articles a day.
Sometimes blogs can be part of a larger website. Often businesses have a blog section where they regularly create content to inform and educate their customers.
You can use WordPress or blogger to create both, a website and blog, that’s why a lot of business owners use WordPress to build their small business website.
In simple terms, all blogs can be a website or part of a website. However, not all websites can be called blogs.
For example, OnlineBillonaires is a blog and a website. Our website has other content which is published in a non-blog format like glossary, about us, and contact pages.
Non-blog content on a blog website
Now, let’s take a look at another example. This time a website called Awesome Motive. It is a business website and belongs to OnlineBillonaires’s management company.
Blog or Website – Which One is Better?
As a beginner, you may be wondering whether you should start a blog or publish a website, which one is better? To be honest, the answer to this question really depends on what your goals are.
Many small businesses around the world have traditional websites made up of just pages and no blog. Such small websites are often made to create an informational web presence for a business, organization, or individual.
On the other hand, more and more businesses are realizing the potential of a blog in their overall marketing strategy. Business owners are adding a separate blog section to their traditional websites and using it to get more traffic from search engines.
That’s because blogs are proven to improve search engine optimization (SEO).
Blogs also come with a RSS feed feature which allows users to stay updated with your latest posts. When a new post is published, the RSS feed is updated automatically.
Smart marketers often connect the RSS feed with an email newsletter or web push notification to send their users a notification alert about recent posts, product announcements, and more.
Whether you are a business, a non-profit organization, or a professional, adding your own blog to your website can help you attract your target audience, grow your email list, and sell products.
What is The Difference Between Blog Posts and Pages?
WordPress is the most popular blogging platform and a powerful content management system. By default, it comes with two content types: posts and pages. Often beginners get confused between the two.
Blog posts are displayed in a reverse chronological order (newest to oldest) on your blog page because they are timely content which means your users will have to dig deeper to view older posts.
Static pages are “one-off” type content such as your about page, contact page, products or services landing page, home page, and more.
Pages are usually used to create a website structure and layout. Even blogs can have pages alongside them.
Why Do People Start Blogging? What are The Benefits of Blogging?
Each individual blogger has their own motivation for blogging. Many of them use it as an alternative to keeping a diary or journal. Blogging sites provides them with a venue to share their creativity and ideas to a wider audience.
Top brands and businesses create blogs to educate their customers, share news, and reach a wider audience. Blogging is an essential part of online marketing strategy for many businesses.
Following are just a few benefits of blogging.
Provides an avenue to organize your thoughts and ideas
Allows you to showcase your skills, creativity, and talents
Help individuals become an authority in their industry
Helps you socialize with interesting like-minded people online
Many bloggers make money blogging using various monetization methods
Businesses use blogging to bring more potential customers to their websites
Non-profits can use blogs to raise awareness, run social media campaigns, and influence public opinion
How Do Bloggers Make Money?
Usually, people think of bloggers as hobbyists. While some people have lifestyle blogs, a large number of bloggers make money from their blog websites. This enables them to focus more on their blog, quit their day jobs, and build successful online businesses.
The more successful blogs can make six-figure, seven-figure, and even eight-figure incomes in a year.
Below are a few ways that most bloggers use to make money from their blogs:
The most common and probably the easiest way to make money online is by displaying ads. However, as a new blogger, you will not be able to contact advertisers directly or manage them on your own.
This is where Google AdSense comes in. It takes care of finding ads, displaying them, collecting payments from advertisers, and sending you those payments for a small cut.
Many bloggers also make money through affiliate marketing. Basically, they recommend products on their websites and earn a commission when users buy those products. For example, you can share your favorite Amazon products and earn a referral fee when users purchase using your link.
Other common monetization methods include memberships, selling online courses, or adding an online store (eCommerce) to the blog.
Can Anyone Start a Blog?
Yes, anyone who wants to start a blog, can easily do so.
In the early days of blogging, users needed HTML and PHP coding skills to even update their blogs.
Now, there are plenty of blogging tools like WordPress, Tumblr, Medium, Blogger, Wix, Squarespace, etc that allow you to easily create your first blog without ever writing code.
Basically, if you can point-and-click, then you can build a blog within minutes.
With that said, choosing the wrong blogging platform to start a blog is the most common mistake that beginners make. But, since you are here, you will not be making this mistake.
We recommend using WordPress. It is the world’s most popular blogging platform and website builder. Over 41% of all websites on the internet are built using WordPress, just so you can get an idea of how popular it is.
There are two types of WordPress: WordPress.com, which is a limited hosting service, and WordPress.org also known as self-hosted WordPress. See our guide on the difference between WordPress.com vs WordPress.org for more details.
We recommend using WordPress.org because it is open source which means you get instant access to all the powerful WordPress features. It also allows you to easily make money from your blog without any restriction.
Want to learn more about WordPress? See our complete WordPress review for detailed breakdown of its functionality.
You will need the following things to start your own WordPress.org blog or blogger.
A domain name (This will be your blog’s address and what users will type in their browser to visit it. For example, wpbeginner.com)
Website hosting service (This will be home of your blog’s files)
20 minutes of your time
Normally, a domain name will cost you around $14.99 per year and website hosting $7.99 per month. Now if you are just starting out, this seems like a lot of money.
Thankfully, Bluehost has agreed to offer OnlineBillonaires users a free domain and discount on web hosting. They are one of the biggest hosting companies in the world and are officially recommended by WordPress.
Basically, you will be able to get started for $2.75 per month.