A common question frequently asked by clients is whether or not to get a website or blog for their businesses. There is really no clear-cut answer to this. I will explain shortly. But first, let us distinguish between a website and a blog.
A website contains static pages, which can be used as an online brochure for your business. Its purpose is to communicate who you are and what you do in a focused and summarised layout. The goal is to establish credibility and get a visitor to call or ask about a service you offer.
The tone of communication is usually professional for most websites and the content is generally kept short, crisp and straight-to-the-point.
A blog is actually derived from the two words – ‘web’ and ‘log’ – representing a series of web entries, more like an online diary. A blog is usually not as formal as a website and though it can also act as your online brochure, its main focus is to create a two-way communication between you and your customers.
Blogs are usually updated frequently to create a rapport with your fans or customers and build an online following.
Having defined both terms, let us get down to this question: which will benefit your business more? A website or a blog?
My answer is both. While a website may present your company’s information in a clear and concise way, a blog’s main focus is not to hard-sell, but to create a foundation of trust and awareness for your business. A website’s main focus is to convince a customer that you exist. In fact, most people who hear about your business for the first time will usually check if you exist online before reaching out to you.
Also, research has shown that most people form a first impression of your business – whether or not you have a website (not a blog), if you blog as well, if your website is clean and not cluttered up or shoddy; and if there are multiple ways to contact you.
You may argue that it is difficult to keep a website and a blog at the same time, especially if you are not used to updating content regularly. My answer is to combine both on a single platform. Some content management softwares, such as WordPress, offers you the opportunity to have a blog running on your website at the same time.
Here are the advantages of having both in one place:
Optimisation for SEO
According to Wikipedia, the SEO – or ‘search engine optimisation’ – or simply the process of affecting the visibility of a website or a web page in a search engine’s “natural” or un-paid – “organic” – search results. To break it down further, search engines like Google, Yahoo, Bing, et cetera, work on a complex process at their backend which enables them rank pages, depending on the quality and quantity of optimised content on your web page. So when you do a search on Google and a website appears on page 1, the meaning is that the website has the most relevant content to your keyword search.
Having a website and blog in one place can help you achieve the above as content is pulled from all individual pages. It can help you rank higher in search engines. So, when next you are considering whether to ditch one for the other, consider having both in one place.
Identical presentation
If you are thinking of having a blog now and developing a website later, your major fear may be the duplication of your brand’s look and feel on both pages so that you do not have to deal with non-identical pages. Consider running a website and blog in the same place to eliminate your worry. That way you do not end up confusing your clients on the personality of your brand.
Ease of transition
Rather than shuttling back and forth between websites, having both in one place can ease that transition as all you need to do is move between pages. This comes in handy, especially for content updates.
Ease of content update and maintenance
Rather than maintaining a website and a blog separately, having both in one place offers you the flexibility, ease of maintenance and the opportunity to update your content as regularly as you want. Another great advantage is that any customisation you do affects website and blog at the same time. So customisation is seamless and drives your objectives.
Conclusion
As a business owner, you can never have too many online web pages; only too many ‘poorly managed’ ones. To fully optimise your content and create a long-lasting impression on your visitors online, it is best to have a website and a blog in a central location to help drive traffic to your front door, or at best, manage both independently.
Comments
Post a Comment