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Website vs. Blog for Small Business
Clients often ask whether they should have a blog or a “regular” website for their business. And it’s a great question. The answer is “yes”!
Before we get into what a blog is versus a website, let’s think about why you should have an online presence in the first place. The main reason for going online is to give your customers an opportunity to get to know you before they even pick up the phone. And in fact, studies have shown the majority of your new customers are going to go online to check you out before they ever pick up the phone to call you – even those responding to an ad. So your web presence may very well be your first opportunity to make a good first impression.
So back to the original question, blog vs. website. I almost always say both. Here’s why.
“Regular Website”
This is what most small business owners think of when they think of a website; a home page, about us, maybe location, etc. It’s a bunch of static pages that act as an online brochure. And this information is important to have on your website.
These pages should answer the questions your customers’ ask before they ask them.
Blog
A blog was originally a sort of online diary (the word comes from mashing up “web” and “log”) and few business owners could see how this fit into their marketing strategy.
But these days a cleverly developed blog offers small business owners the opportunity to engage their visitors in conversation (think comments to a post), update their content more frequently (think increased content relevancy and better search engine results) and lower maintenance costs (think updating yourself vs. paying your developer each time).
Blog vs. website really isn’t an either/or scenario. Your blog is part of your website and your site contains your blog and they should work in concert.
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I used to say blah, blah, blog… Now I say, lets talk! I do find that my blog is a great way to engage my customers. Thanks!
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That’s the great thing about blogs; it’s a way to build new relationships and strengthen existing by having a back and forth conversation. I find, however, that many business owners get scared off by the very term “blog” which is unfortunate.
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Blog vs. website real isn’t an either/or scenario. Your diary is break of your website and your site contains your journal and they should transmute in concert.
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Joseph
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Very good point; they should work in concert. But as I said to Ann, many business people still perceive blogs as the realm of the fringe – or say “I’m not a writer therefore I’m not a blogger.” But the truth is it’s a great way to build on your “static” content and build a dynamic connection to your audience.
In fact, I wrote a follow-up post about “When Is A Blog Not A Blog” more recently.
Thanks for commenting.
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Jann, My “small business” is a small non-profit that mainly serves youth with experience in the foster care system. Our finance director wants us to switch from a website to a blog b/c we don’t have the IT support to update our website and the blog is free. I worry we won’t be taken seriously. From other posts I see this might be an “old fashioned” view. However, he does not plan on us keeping the website and adding a blog, simply replacing. What are your thoughts on this?
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I think you can both have your way; and how often do you hear THAT?
When you say your IT director is looking for a blog “b/c [you] don’t have the IT support to update it…” it makes me think its not so much the “blog” that he’s looking for as a content management system. A CMS allows you to update and edit your site content without knowing any technical knowledge. Though he’s right, many blogging platforms do this. (Check out our past posts for more info about CMSs)
WordPress – which this site is built on – started life as a blogging platform but is now widely used as a CMS. I’m a big fan because edits are easy and don’t require any technical knowledge. It is also hugely flexible and allows static pages (think “about us”, “about our programs” etc.) as well as blog posts (think “in the news”, “sign up for our event”).
If you do go in this direction, be careful to set up the new site so that information is easily accessible to your readers. The disadvantage of a pure “blog” setup is information can get buried as new posts push down older posts. This can have an adverse effect on usability particularly as it relates to information that doesn’t change frequently like your mission statement and programming strategy.
So, yes, I think you can safely look at using a “blog” platform to replace your existing site. Just be sure that as you build it out you are doing so in a way that maintains your level of professionalism and continues to project a positive reflection of your organization.
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