A common question I hear from people who are just getting started in their side hustle journey is, “Do I need to start a blog, or do I need to build a website?”
And so I thought I’d record this pep talk to help you understand the difference between the two and which one will work best for your business.
Before we dive in I want to make sure you don’t miss tomorrow’s episode where I’m going to break down exactly how bloggers make money. Go ahead and hit the subscribe button if you’re not already subscribed so that you don’t miss an episode.
Okay, so the first thing to know is that from a technical perspective, ALL BLOGS ARE WEBSITES, BUT NOT ALL WEBSITES ARE BLOGS.
So if you ask me how to set up your blog, I’m going to tell you the exact same set of steps I’d tell you if you asked me how to build a website.
- I highly recommend using self-hosted WordPress, which sounds more complicated than it is. All you gotta do is buy a domain and hosting – I recommend Bluehost because you literally choose how many years you want to pay for upfront and in a few clicks you have a blank-slate WordPress site set up waiting for you to customize it. And as an affiliate I have a special arrangement with Bluehost where I can get you hosting for just $2.95 a month when you commit to three years, so pause this podcast, scroll down into the show notes and click my affiliate link to get that deal.
- Then you install some plugins for things link security, SEO, analytics and collecting email addresses, which also sounds more complicated than it really is – all you do is search for them from inside your WordPress site and in a few clicks they’re installed.
- Then in another few clicks, you install a theme, and most of your time is spent customizing the theme and then writing your home page your about page and adding your graphics.
So whether you’re starting a blog or a building a website, those steps are all the same, and as a side note, I walk you through all of those steps with tutorial videos inside of my Free 5 Day Website Challenge which you can sign up for at https://shannonmattern.com/5day.
And then in WordPress, there are two types of content – Pages, and Posts. Pages are what show up on your navigation menu, and posts are blog posts. They show up in chronological order on a blog page, typically with a title, an image and an excerpt of what the post is about, and then you can click through and read the whole article. That’s a blog post.
You rarely create new Pages, but you’re creating new posts on a pretty consistent basis.
So here’s what makes your website a blog: If the homepage of your website is set to display your latest blog posts, then you’d refer to your website as a blog.
But if your website’s homepage is set to a page that has content that never changes, then you’d refer to your website as a website. Maybe you have a link in your navigation menu to a Blog where your latest blog posts are displayed, and then you have a Blog on your website, but your website isn’t just a blog. Maybe you don’t even have a blog. Then your website is simply a website.
So why does it matter? From a technical perspective, it doesn’t. It’s the difference between a single setting in WordPress, whether you want your homepage to display a static page or your latest posts.
But from a marketing or strategic business perspective, there is definitely a difference and it does matter!
When you’re a blogger, your main objective is to create consistent content and get as many eyeballs on it as possible. Bloggers talk in page views. That’s the main metric by which they measure the value of their blog when they are going after advertising and sponsorship dollars. The more blog posts that are on the blog, the more a reader of that blog can read and every time they click from post to post to post, that’s counted as a page view.
The more pages and the longer that reader’s eyeballs are on that blog, the more money sponsors and advertisers will pay.
That’s why you want those blog posts right there on the homepage of the website so that there are 5-10 pages right off the bat for someone to read.
I’ll break down exactly how bloggers make money in episode 150, so if you’re not already subscribed go ahead and do that now.
But for me, I have a website, and I have a blog on my website, and I create a new blog post every week, but I’m not a “Blogger”. The purpose of my blog is to create consistent, actionable content that position myself as an expert, to build trust and build relationships so that I can sell my own products and services. I don’t care as much about page views. I’m not after sponsorships and advertising dollars. I’m a CONTENT MARKETER, and blog posts are my content. That and podcasts too!
So my website has a homepage that’s designed to do one thing, get you to sign up for my Free 5 Day Website Challenge where I’ll show you how to set up the technical foundation of your blog or website, and then it has a blog in the navigation menu where I create consistent content to engagement my existing audience attract new people.
Bloggers also create consistent content to engagement my existing audience attract new people, but they are not necessarily selling their own products and services like I am (although many of them end up monetizing their expertise at some point as another stream of revenue). They are typically blogging about a very specific topic, whether it’s their own lifestyle or a hobby or interest.
So at the end of the day, when you ask me the question “Do I need to start a blog, or do I need to build a website?” my answer is BOTH.
The tech setup is all the same whether you’re a blogger or a service provider, it’s a difference of one setting in Settings > General > Reading in WordPress – either putting your blog on your homepage for more page views or your email opt-in on your homepage for more subscribers.
And that depends on your goals. Are you wanting to create income from sponsorships, ads and affiliates, or from your own products and services – or a mix of both, like I do?
And the beauty of WordPress is that you can change at any time. Literally at the click of a button.
Today’s pep talk is brought to you by Bluehost. Go to www.shannonmattern.com/bluehost and get 36 months of web hosting for just $2.95 a month. That’s less than one trip to Starbucks a month – and if you’re anything like me, you’re at Starbucks more than that!
Then you can sign up for my Free 5 Day Website Challenge at www.shannonmattern.com/5day and I’ll show you step by step how to get started building your new website for your side hustle.
