Question About Blog Location
03.03.09
Monday Madness
Blogging. Should your blog be hosted on your website, should it be located at its own domain or should it be on a free blogging site? This question gets raised over and over again, so I thought I would get some of the mystery out of the way.
Hosted Blog vs. Your Domain
There are some great free web hosted sites for blogs, such as Blogger, WordPress, TypePad or any number of social media sites (including our local network InSide919).
Hosted Blog
Pros: inexpensive or free; easy to set-up; automatic upgrades; search engines typically index these quickly; part of a network which makes it easier for people to potentially find your blog
Cons: less customizable; usually can’t add advertisements (if this is something you’re interested in doing); limited templates and can be difficult to move your content to your own site (if you decide to move it)
Your Domain
Pros: you have total control over your content, widgets, advertising, etc.; can still find free platform (I use WordPress.org)
Cons: you have total control, meaning that if there are any problems with your website, you’re responsible for getting it fixed; setting up a blog on your own can be complicated; there are costs associated with the purchase of the domain, monthly hosting fees and if you aren’t technically savvy, paying someone who is when things don’t go well
You can always start with a hosted blog and move the blog later. However, if you get a large enough following, moving the blog could mean a loss of people during the transition. The other complication would be SEO. Changing the domain name would cause complications here.
Beyond Customization, Let’s Talk Strategy
Is there a strategic reason to have the blog as an element of your website or on a separate domain? Yes. At a minimum, you need to consider your goals for your blog, overall brand, and search engine optimization (SEO).
Goals
What are the goals for your blog? Who is your target market? If your goals are to complement your website with the content in your blog, then integrating it into your website makes alot of sense. If you goal is to make money with advertising on your blog, then I would separate that from your website not to detract from the goals of your website.
Brand
Will your blog reinforce your brand? Or, do you want to blog about items that don’t necessarily reinforce your website’s messaging?
If your blog will talk about your products, services or educate based on your brand, then keeping it on your personal website will only reinforce your branding message. However, if your blog content will detract from your website’s overall message, then it’s probably best to separate them.
There is one more reason to separate them. If you would like to set up a blog to focus on only one product or service that you offer (i.e. a new book that you’ve written), then starting a separate blog with a different domain is a great idea! At this point, you’re branding the book which has ties back to your website, but the book is the brand at that point.
SEO
This is a tricky section. Inserting a blog on your website and updating the content on a regular basis is sweet ambrosia to search engines. And, the more people that visit, comment and eventually link back to your blog and posts, the sweeter the ambrosia. However, this can also be obtained by separating your blog into a separate domain. This can be achieved by linking individual posts back to relevant content on your site.
For more information about SEO for your blog, I recommend Graywolf’s SEO Blog.
To sum it up…examine what your objectives are for your blog first, then you can make a decision about where to go.
Please leave your thoughts!
Deidre Hughey
More Blog Posts:
Get a BUZZ Started About Your Book!
2 Tips About Comments
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This article was helpful, but I have another Q. which I’ll get to … My blog will complement my site & will reinforce my brand & I already own a 2nd domain specifically for blogging (the name of this domain also reinforces my brand & site). With that said, should I use 2nd domain as a sub-domain under my ADImage site for blogging? Or is a “sub-domain” not necessary? I guess I’m still confused on how to connect my blog to my site. Thanks for any clarity.
Hiya Deidre! How do I get to be a Friend on Friend Friday?
Best, Leslie
If you’re going to attach your blog to your website, then there are two choices: subdomain or subdirectory. For the sake of clarification, look at this address: subdomain.thebuzzbuilder.com/subdirectory
In the case of a blog:
if it was placed in a subdomain: blog.thebuzzbuilder.com
if it was placed in a subfolder: thebuzzbuilder.com/blog
These subdomains and subfolders do not require the purchase of a “domain name”. Your “domain name” is already purchased…that’s your website. As for how the blog platform software gets loaded onto your web server that depends on whether you want the blog to be in a “subdomain” or in a “subfolder”. For ease of use (and the fact that subfolders have the added benefit of the SEO from the main site), you may want to choose to have your blog in a subfolder.
If you decide that you want your blog to be attached to your site and you’ve already purchased a domain name, that’s okay too! It doesn’t mean that you have to use it for the purpose of this blog. Another option is to start the blog on your new domain name and link back and forth (from the website to the blog and back again).
Hopefully that helps!
Deidre
“BUZZologist”
Hey Leslie,
There are 3 parameters that I consider when highlighting someone on Friend Friday:
1) You have to be connected with me somehow in the realm of social media (Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, InSide919, etc.)
2) Preferential treatment is given to subscribers of my newsletter
3) Preferential treatment is also given to Speakers and Authors
I also hold occasional contests that are announced in my newsletter.
I hope that helps!
Deidre
“BUZZologist”
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