5 Benefits of a Blog That Looks Like A Website
June 21, 2008
There are many, many benefits of using a blog to promote the work that you do, but there are downsides too. Blogs can look unfamiliar to those who aren’t regular blog readers (or writers) themselves. They might turn away if they are looking for the information you provide but expecting a conventional website.
The good news is that blogs don’t need to look unfamiliar: it’s perfectly possible to integrate them into a site so the whole thing looks and feels like a conventional website to the casual or first-time visitor.
I’ve just set up a new site for Absorbing Writing - workshops I run in Sardinia - and it brought home to me the benefits of combining a blog with a website, giving you the best of both worlds.
Here are 5 of the reasons why.
1. All the information is on the front page
I’ve used the Essence Theme from iThemes, which creates a visually appealing front page. Everything a first time visitor needs is here, including drop down pages to highlight each of the workshops we’re running.
2. It works for all readers
The home page with tabbed menu at the top is a conventional lay out, and one that’s very easy to navigate. No ’special knowledge’ of blogs and how they work is required. (Blog savvy readers meanwhile can easily find the page with news, articles and updates because they know that’s what they’re looking for.)
3. The news is to the side
We needed a place to provide news, articles and updates - and that’s where the blog comes into its own - but that’s not the primary purpose for the site. It’s not likely to be the first thing our visitors and clients are looking for. This blog that looks like a website allows you to put the blog to the side, with pride of place going to the most important information: the services that you’re offering.
4. There’s an easy way to post updates
Once the site is up and running it’s easy to add updates. It runs like a blog which means you just write the article, hit publish and your new, up to the minute information is there for all to see. Easy, simple, no extra cost and entirely within your own control.
5. There’s room for visitors to connect
Some readers and visitors just want to get the information and go again (and that’s the benefit of having a traditional looking site). But others will want to comment, to sign up for updates, to be prompted to come back when there’s some new information or a new product on offer. Setting up the site with blog software makes that a doddle: things like an RSS feed and comment functions come ready made with the system, and provide an easy way for visitors to provide feedback and ask questions.
Stand alone blogs work for some purposes - but don’t or can’t meet every business need. A website without a blog will limit what you can do: it becomes out of date very quickly, and chances are you’ll find it tricky (or expensive) to keep it fresh, topical, interesting and relevant. Combining the two together and you’ve got an extremely heady mix… and the best of both worlds.
How about you? Do you enjoy reading, visiting or maybe writing at a blog, a static website, or a combination of both?
Want to create your own web presence for your small business, group, or coaching practice?
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17 Responses to “5 Benefits of a Blog That Looks Like A Website”
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[...] of our Essence Theme customers has a great post titled 5 Benefits of a Blog That Looks Like a Website. Joanna of Powerful Web Content shows how she used the Golden Essence Theme to create her Absorbing [...]
Joanna, excellent case study that shows how someone can leverage WordPress to run their website and accomplish their objectives … thanks for the link!
Cory Millers last blog post..Case Study: Using Essence WordPress Theme To Run Your Business Website
Introducing Powerful Web Content…
The focus on purpose this month has seen me reflecting on my own purpose: writing, blogging, business, personal, life purpose - and how they do, or don’t, support each other. I’ve also been distilling and applying the learning points from…
Joanna,
Congratulations on your new site and new endeavor.
I have been using the Revolution theme for most of the Web sites I’ve done recently and agree with all your reasons for integrating a Web site and blog.
Cory, well thank you for helping me to get started with such confidence! I’m loving the theme, and learning so much from the tutorials and forum support on the site.
Lillie, thank you so much for following me over here. Your work with clients and use of Revolution (I recall you talking about this at Yvonne’s place) has been part of my inspiration to do this.
Joanna,
Congratulations! Very nice, clean, and powerful site.
You’ve got me thinking about my own site progression. Usually, when I go to a blog, I just want to read the post, but you’re right about the non-blogging reader. I’ve noticed two television commercials in the US that mention blogging — as an aside, not as the topic. I remember when my husband and I used to get exciting seeing the very first web addresses shown on television during a commercial because we knew the ball would keep rolling faster and faster. I think the same will happen with blogs.
Hi SpaceAgeSage
Thanks for the feedback, and for following me over here
I think it very much depends on the purpose of your blog and site. I’m going to convert Confident Writing to WordPress and clean up the design (soon) but it’ll still look like a blog - that’s what it is, and I’m very proud of it.
But it is very much of and for other bloggers - and as I learned from Liz Strauss and others at SobCon, it’s important to get clear on the distinction between traffic, readers, and clients.
I agree with you that the blogging ball is going to keep rolling and websites without a blog are soon going to look very dull, static and unengaging.
Good luck with your own site progression
Joanna
Joanna, congratulations! The site is beautiful. I love this theme, it has the clean look I love but also has just the right amount of color and depth to create visual interest. I completely agree with you and it’s one of the many reasons I’m pulling my blog back into my site. I advise new clients seeking to create a website to go with blog as site for all of the reasons you stated. I am excited about your new venture!
Karen xxoo
Karen Swims last blog post..Belief + Preparation = You Taking the World by Storm
Hi Karen!
Thanks for the feedback and the shared excitement
I think there’s also sort of exciting potential in combining a website with a blog. The field keeps on changing and we need to change with it - or maybe pioneer those changes. That’s a nice thought!
Joanna
Discovering this post has come at the perfect time for me as I’m just about to commission a designer to create a new blog for me.
I hadn’t thought of this issue before but now I’ll explore a few examples of website layouts.
Very timely, so thank you.
Scott, it’s great when we stumble across things at just the right time isn’t it?
It’s definitely worth having a think about the layout, structure and overall effect before you commission the design - and have a look round to see what’s possible.
Joanna
[...] can read more at the site about the benefits of a blog that looks like a website but I have to say my decision to go down that route was influenced a lot by the discussion we had [...]
Very nice article, and very nice web site. I am trying to setup a blog/website for a music production company for a friend I work for, and your site is very clean. I can’t find a perfect theme, but a static front page should do the trick. Just trying to figure out how to easily link latest posts now.
Dragon Bloggers last blog post..Rock Along Productions - Burning Up the Night was a Success
Hi Dragon Blogger
Thanks for the feedback. I haven’t found a perfect theme yet either - it probably doesn’t exist! - but this is very good for promoting a small business. It’s nice and clean as you say and the static front page does help. The theme gives you the chance to highlight your latest posts - with more customisation options than I’ve yet got round to incorporating.
Good luck!
Joanna
Really clean site. Moreover your content is precise and provides relevant insight into the changing demands of personal and commercial internet users.
As a website designer, I’ve been relying more and more on blogs with themes like “Essence” to push my clients niche, product or service. There are so many advantages.
Bob Colemans last blog post..Organization… A Key to Success In Internet Marketing!
Thanks for the feedback Bob. I also think Essence provides a powerful framework for producing that kind of clean and useful site. I’m definitely going to be using it over and again!
[...] text styles in a template is trickier and requires some understanding of PHP and CSS.) You can even make a blog look like a regular website, but still have all the advantages of a [...]