It is no surprise that there is some difference between a blog and a website. But still, some tend to think that they are the same due to certain similarities. However similar they might be, we assure you that there is a few difference between them nonetheless.
Sure, you can use them for similar purposes like business, earning income, digital marketing, and so on. But, in other aspects, a blog and a website are slightly different from one another. In this article, we are going to explain the blog vs website difference and end this conflict once and for all.
Blog vs Website Difference – Overview
What is a Website?
A website can be any collection of webpages with multiple types of content that can be found on the internet. The content added on the websites may be texts, images, videos, or any type of other illustrative information.
The information presented on a website isn’t as frequently updated as that of a blog. However, they are updated whenever necessary after a while from the website administration.
A website usually consists of a homepage. Most of the vital details of the website are presented on this page. Various elements like header, footer, menu options, buttons, post sections, and so on are used to display the details.
Then, it consists of a number of other webpages that can be viewed after clicking links for it. If a blog is included on a website, the links to the articles as well as the entire blog can also be presented here.
How did Websites Begin?
Websites have been here for more than 25+ years and it has come a very long way since its invention. It all started in 1991 when the first website, CERN went live which was completely text-based. The tags used were just the <table> tag from HTML as not much was developed back then.
However, with the development of the first search engine, ALIWEB, and the first landing page MTV, it was getting better for websites. With further enhancements of JavaScript for pop-ups and Flash for web animations, people started to build more creative websites.
Online marketplaces like Amazon saw its birth in 1994. This would really shape up the future of eCommerce websites.
Similarly, the launch of Google in 1998 saw a revolution in the history of websites. Online transactions were also made conveniently possible after the launch of PayPal in 2000. Now, the internet and websites were beginning to feel like the ones we use today.
Later, WordPress took the blogging industry by storm in 2003 and many blogs started to appear on the internet. Then, people started to see more potential of websites and also made groundbreaking sites like YouTube, MySpace, and Facebook.
A lot of business-oriented websites could also be seen from then from the initial years of websites itself. They were very effective in promoting their business and this practice went on with immense innovation from website creators through decades. Hence, we finally saw websites and the internet the way it is today.
What is a Blog?
A blog is a type or a part of a website where contents about particular topics are presented. These content may be referred to as “blog posts” or “blog articles” and are shown in the order from newest to oldest. The blog posts are frequently updated whether by editing the existing ones or by simply creating new ones.
The blog content or the blog post may contain any type of information. It can be news, articles, tips, tutorials, lists, collections and so on.
A typical homepage layout of a blog includes a series of most recent posts and some additional sections. The recent posts are displayed with general details like title, author, published date, or brief description. However, the additional sections might include a search bar, social media platforms, categories, promotional posts, and other random posts.
How Did Blogs Begin?
The early stages of blogs date to 1994 from the site called links.net created by Justin Hall. It was just a simple website created with HTML used to release some of his personal notes.
Then in 1997, the term for blogs started catching up as “weblog”. It was until 1999 that the world started referring to the term “blog”. It was the same year that blogging opportunities increased with the launch of blogging platforms like Blogger and LiveJournal.
The history of blogs would continue with the development of blog search engines in 2000 and Google Adsense in 2002. Then, after the launch of WordPress in 2003, the blogging industry went through a revolution to rise significantly. Since then, many blogging platforms were developed and blogs soon evolved and modernized to what we view them as in the present.
Why Create a Website vs a Blog?
Why do People Start a Blog?
Business:
Blogs can be useful for providing additional details of the products and services like tutorials and comparison posts with competitors. Sometimes, it might be inappropriate to display them on homepages or any other pages of the website. The details about sales and major discounts on your website can also be well-elaborated with the help of the blogs.
SEO:
Blogs can help with SEO to rank your blogs which will help the website to rank too. They are frequently updated, keyword-oriented, and contain internal and external links which are very important for SEO. The external links can further help in bringing more backlinks to the website as well.
News and Information
There are many blogs that provide valuable information and news about various things. Adding news to a blog will also help the website to be frequently updated. This can grow the audience’s reach as more and more users would start getting engaged with the blog.
Connect with Visitors
You can connect with a large portion of your website visitors. Once they read your blog, they can share them on social media if they like it. Similarly, if they want to learn more, they can even ask about the blog posts by contacting through emails or comments.
Entertainment Purposes
One of the growing uses of the internet has been for entertainment and it’s been the same with blogs too. Whether it’s about celebrities, movies, humor, games, music, or even art, blogs can also be used efficiently. This can be a really good start for a blog, as it is a human nature to love or need entertainment.
Personal Use or Hobby
Some blogs are just used for personal use or as a hobby. Most people who have a keen interest in writing do tend to start a blog to write about their personal thoughts. This was also one of the major reasons why blogs started becoming popular at an early age.
Infact, depending on the purpose, there are many types of blogs as well. Some of the most popular types are fashion, food, personal, lifestyle, travel and technology. But, people do start a blog on whichever topic they wish or want to share their knowledge to the world with.
Examples of Popular Blogs:
- Moz Blog: Moz Blog is one of the leading blogs for creating content to improve the SEO of a website. Although it is a blog included in a website, it has been able to be one of the most popular and successful blogs.
- HuffPost: The HuffPost is one of the most successful content creators not only in blogs but throughout the internet. However, it is also a news aggregator.
- Engadget: Engadget is one of the most popular blogs based on technologies. They create many content and news on various technological gadgets and services.
Why do People Start a Website?
Although the reasons to start a website are quite similar, there are some differences on how they impact the audience. Some of the popular reasons websites are created are:
Why do People Start a Website?
Although the reasons to start a website are quite similar, there are some differences on how they impact the audience. Some of the popular reasons websites are created are:
Business:
As established earlier, websites are great for businesses. As a matter of fact, websites have come this far because they are good for business. A business website can be created for anything, from small agencies to large corporations to online stores. They can provide vital information about the products and services provided by the business on the website itself.
Digital Marketing:
Websites have been a good source for digital marketing for years. How can’t they not be! With conventional marketing techniques, your services might be limited to just a certain area. But with the help of websites, it can be grown outside from international boundaries and reach around the world very quickly and efficiently.
Professional and Social Networking:
There are far too many networking websites nowadays that can help you connect to people professionally as well as socially. Some of them include Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, etc. Furthermore, you can even build your own portfolio website or use job vacancy websites which can be very helpful for your professional career.
News and Information:
Similar to blogs, websites are also created for giving news and information. People are relying on them day by day to get the latest news and information about any subject matter around the world. So, it is very logical to start a news,informative, or a knowledge-based website nowadays.
Online Communities and Forum:
People can really learn or gain a lot from online communities and forum websites. They can meet new people as well as discuss various informative topics. These websites can also be beneficial for professional knowledge.
Entertainment and Multimedia:
People mostly use websites for entertainment and multimedia more than anything on the internet. Even one of the first landing pages was based on entertainment purposes. So, there is no harm in making a website for it. Many websites like Youtube, SoundCloud, Spotify, and Netflix are used for this purpose and some are quite informative too.
Considering these reasons to create a website too, just like blogs, many types of websites are created. Some of the common ones are business, blogs, photography, portfolio, news, and knowledge-based.
Examples of Popular Websites
- Google: Google is a search engine and perhaps the most popular website in the world.
- Yahoo: Yahoo is a website that provides multiple web services throughout the world.
- Facebook: Facebook is one of the most widely used social networking websites all over the world. You can connect with people through the internet but it is also somewhat effective to grow your business.
Starting a Blog vs a Website
The process of creating a blog or a website is also very similar. In fact some of the tools used for building a blog vs website are also the same. But where the differences between the blog and the website in installation appears are in the platforms used and the cost.
If you consider creating a blog within a website, there is likely to be no difference at all. You just need to add a blog section to your website. And after that, start adding the blog posts.
But if you want to create an entirely different website for a blog, there are some differences.
How to Start a Blog?
There are many blogging platforms that you can use to start your own blog. We even have detailed comparisons on them like WordPress vs Blogger vs Wix and Medium vs WordPress.
These comparisons can really help you make the best choice to start your blog.
Most of the platforms have their own blog themes and templates to help you save a lot of time. You can just use them and start editing your blog so that you don’t have to create it from scratch. Additionally, some even have amazing blog plugins and extensions to make your blogs even better.
How to Start a Website?
Creating a website is not that much of a big deal nowadays as there are many website builders to get you started on it. We also have comparisons like Wix vs Weebly vs Squarespace vs GoDaddy vs Jimdo vs WordPress to make your best decision for it.
You can even find tutorials on how to create a website with these platforms to help you create a website.
There are also some awesome themes, templates, extensions, and plugins included with these website builders. They can also help you to create a fantastic website in no time.
Cost of Starting a Blog vs Website
While considering the cost of creating a blog vs a website, there might be some difference as well. Since most of the blogging platforms can be used as website builders too, the cost can be determined on it. The cost can vary on the blogging platform or the website builder that you choose.
But, depending on the website, it is most likely that you will have to spend a bit more while creating a website. A website might need some additional charges for more services like speed and storage. However, this can only be the case if you are considering the same tool to create a blog as well as a website.
You might also need to spend some additional cost in web hosting too; both for a blog as well as a website. But if you want to use the self-hosted platforms, you might not need to spend a single penny on hosting too. It all depends on the needs and necessity of the blog or website.
Blog vs Website: Which is Better for Making Money Online?
Whether you create a blog or a website, both are amazing sources to earn you some money. Like most of the points mentioned above, they have similar ways of creating a source of income as well.
Blog vs Website for Affiliate Marketing
In affiliate marketing, affiliates are rewarded by bringing a customer or a visitor from a business they are affiliated to. Both blogs and websites are well suited for affiliate marketing and can be done using affiliate links.
But in most cases, blogs can earn more on affiliate marketing compared to websites. As mentioned earlier, blogs have a wider range of contents that can be added to websites. Therefore, some contents on the website might be inappropriate for affiliate marketing whereas they can be mentioned in the blogs.
If a website starts adding the affiliate links on certain webpages, it might seem a bit misleading to the website visitors. But in the case of blogs, certain content focusing on the affiliated business can be created for affiliate marketing.
Website vs Blog for Business
We know that business is one of the common purposes to start a blog as well as a website. So it is quite obvious to generate some revenue from them too. Although they can both be beneficial for business in their own way, websites might have a greater and direct benefit from it.
Blogs can be great to promote the services or products of a business and can earn from affiliate marketing too. But even if they are a part of the same website, they cannot earn as much as the website. This is because all the transactions usually go through the websites itself even if a customer was redirected from the blogs.
Blog vs Website for Advertisement Opportunities
Advertisements are another source of income that can be brought from websites as well as blogs. But the income you generate from advertisements majorly depend on your advertisements and SEO strategies.
Some of the best practices for advertisement are Google Adsense or featured posts, offers, products, or reviews.
The Google Adsense approach would mainly depend on the amount of traffic on your website or blog. It doesn’t have a specific amount, but higher traffic can lead to a higher income and vice versa.
However, the featured posts, products and reviews might differ between a blog and a website. The featured posts, products, offers, and reviews all can be included on a blog along with paid guest posts.
But, It is very unlikely to advertise them anywhere on the website except for the featured products. You can merge featured offers on certain circumstances in your website, but the blogs have much more opportunities.
Conclusion – Blog or Website, Which Is Better for You?
We hope that you are now clear about the blog vs website difference. But, to answer which is better for you, it all depends on what you need and want on your website. If your needs match more with blogs, go for blogs. If they favour more for websites, go for websites.
Final Verdict:
We can see that blogs and websites are nearly similar to each and every aspect presented in this article.
The major difference narrows down to the sources of income between a blog and a website. But even though blogs have more opportunities for earning, the amount earned by few opportunities from websites can be almost identical. Since they both can generate nearly similar earnings in their own ways, you can go with either one that you need.