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You might wonder why recipes often contain articles or why a company needs to post weekly articles about their new software. This is because blogs can be an important factor when it comes to growing a business, brand, or personal audience.
Blog Definition
A blog is an online platform where one or multiple people can contribute content related to a particular topic.
Blogs now serve many purposes, but they started as an online journal format to share ideas.
Fig. 1 - Blog with the most recent post visible.
Blogs evolved from being online diaries to being a platform to post any type of content you want. There are no restrictions on topics to write about, so it’s no wonder blogs are incredibly popular.
Where did the idea for a blog come from? Blog is shortened from the word “weblog”, a term that was coined in 1997 by a programmer and blogger named Jorn Barger.1 Barger called his websites “weblogs” to describe his process of logging the web as he surfed the internet. He created his weblog page to make posts about his interests and pursuits, hoping he would gain followers.
Difference Between Blog and Essay
An essay is created with the intent to inform. You would usually gather information on a certain topic and then offer a structured analysis and conclusion on that information. The audience for an essay is usually someone in an academic role – because of this, an essay could be used as a legitimate resource for information if it is well-researched. An essay would be published in a classroom setting or in an academic journal.
A blog is quite different. A blog tends to be more casual than an essay because there are no set rules. Some blogs may be informative, and some can be more personal.
A blog is going to be published online by the author – or blogger.
Difference Between Blog and Website
A blog can be an entire website on its own. This means that the website is dedicated primarily to any blog content being posted. The focus of the website is uploading and maintaining blog posts as opposed to offering services for a business or just information on a static site.
So how can you tell the difference between a website and a blog? Here are a few scenarios:
1. The whole website is a blog
It’s important to note that you can still call your blog your “website” because technically, it IS a website!
2. The website has a blog within the website
For example, on this business’s website, you can buy services, but they also keep a regular blog so customers can read various information the company wants to share. The website's main focus is selling services, not maintaining the blog. This website features a blog, but the blog is just a page created within the website.
Fig. 2 - A blog within a website.
3. A website is just a website
- There is no blog. There might just be services listed or information about a company.
Fig. 3 - Website without a blog.
Notice the difference between the two examples above. A website that has a blog doesn't show the blog posts on the front page, but as a tab that you can select. A website without a blog describes the company’s products and services and nothing else.
Types of Blogs
Since moving past the idea that blogs were just journal entries, more types of blogs have evolved. Some of the most popular types of blogs are business and personal blogs.
Business Blogs
This type of blog serves the purpose of informing readers about the company’s products or services. Businesses will hire writers that write in a way that reflects a company’s tone, values, or identity.
Fig. 2 - A blog within a website.
Personal Blogs
A personal blog can be started for any reason. Maybe you need a creative outlet and want a place to share your thoughts, pictures, videos, or art. Maybe you want to meet like-minded people so you create a blog similar to others you follow. You could create posts that talk about your life experiences, opinions, or ideas you have. It's not required, but it can be helpful to come up with a niche for your blog if you're stuck on what to write about.
Niche writing is writing that focuses on a specific topic.
Ideas for Personal Blog Niches
Health and Fitness
Travel
Food
Music
Crafts
Art
Importance of a Blog
The importance of a blog depends on the intent of the blog. Why was it created in the first place? Are there business objectives such as selling more products? Are there certain topics that an individual or company wants readers to know about?
Importance of Business Blogs
As we saw before, not every website or business has a blog. But many businesses choose to have a blog because they help build the brand.
A blog can direct customers to a business’s website. This in turn helps businesses sell more products and services.
Blogs can create trust among clients by sharing valuable or helpful information
Businesses can reshape a blog post for a social media post. This can be beneficial for reaching more customers.
Importance of Personal Blogs
The importance of a personal blog can be a little harder to pinpoint. This is because the purpose of this type of blog is entirely up to the creator. A personal blog can be as important as someone makes it. Here are some reasons why it could be important to the creator:
It gives the writer a platform to find other people with similar interests
To be expressive or creative in some way
Creating a personal blog helps you learn new technology
To some, making money is important when starting a personal blog
Blog Example
What would a blog look like if it had a healthy food niche?
Starting a Blog
First things first, why would someone want to start a blog? Reasons can vary, but the first step to starting a blog is determining the blog's intent. A company might start a blog to funnel traffic to its website and products. Someone might start a personal blog to share life stories, or because they want to earn an income by blogging.
Whatever the reason, there are a few steps you’ll need to take before you can start sharing content.
Find a website builder, such as Wordpress
Pick a name for your blog
Design your blog
Pick a theme or niche (optional)
Start creating content!
Fig. 5 - A food blog.
How Blogs Earn Money
How much money can you really make from a blog? That depends, but it can be anywhere from a few hundred to thousands per month. With that in mind, do bloggers earn money as soon as they make their first few posts? Usually, no – but a few things can be done to start seeing a larger stream of money from a blog.
Build an audience
The more traffic you get to your blog, the more potential there is to earn money
Find a profitable niche. Here are some common ones:
Finance
Marketing
Health
Lifestyle
Food
Post regularly
Integrate SEO tactics into your blog
This means creating content to reach the first page of a Google search
Newsletters
Since a blog needs more views to make more money, the author might ask for readers’ emails so the readers can be notified each time there’s a new post
Run ads
You will earn money if readers click on the ads on your page
Affiliate marketing
You make money by promoting other businesses' products
You might be wondering what type of content is needed to start a blog. This of course varies depending on the type of blog created, but the structure might be similar.
Blog Structure
There is no required structure for a blog. However, following the basic guidelines below can help your blog's readability. Blogs are sometimes formatted in reverse chronological order, meaning you'd first see the most recent post when going to a site, but that isn't required. Here is a guide to how each individual post can be structured:
Grabs the reader’s attention and signifies what the topic is about
Introduction
Uses a hook to draw the reader in and gives the reader a reason to keep reading
Body paragraphs
Shorter and more frequent paragraphs to hold the reader’s attention
Logical progression of ideas
Conclusion
Ties back to the introduction and makes a decisive point
Blogging has created endless opportunities for both businesses and individuals. Next time you visit a blog, think of the ways that particular blog is helping the individual or company.
Can you think of ways the blog could be different or improved? Or maybe you'll be inspired to create one of your own.
Blog - Key Takeaways
A blog is an online platform where one or more individuals post content related to a particular topic.
Popular types of blogs are personal and business blogs.
Blogs are important because they have the potential to drive traffic to a business’s website and have the potential to earn money.
Starting a blog requires finding a website builder, picking a blog name, and figuring out the blog's intent.
Making money from a blog can be done through running ads and affiliate marketing
1. Caroline Forsey, What is a Blog, and Why Should You Create One, 2020
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Frequently Asked Questions about Blog
What is a blog?
A blog is an online platform where one or more individuals shares content that's informative or personal.
What is an example of a blog?
Some popular blogs are personal or business blogs. A personal blog is run by one person and a business blog may be run by multiple people. A personal blog may be used to share personal stories, opinions, or ideas. A business blog will usually makes posts that update readers on the business, talk about some of the business's products or technology, or talk about content that relates to the business in general.
How to start a blog?
To start a blog you'll need a website builder, a blog name, and to determine the intent of your blog.
What is the importance of a blog?
It can help drive online traffic to your business and increases the potential for earning money.
How do beginner bloggers make money?
A blogger can start earning money by running ads and affiliate marketing on their website.
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