Blogs Versus Websites
Posted on 07 / 08 / 10
I just read a great article over on Inman News by Bernice Ross. The article is titled “Why Agents Ditch Websites for Blogs.” My gut reaction to the title was, a blog is a website!? Then as I continued to read the article, the discussion she was starting was more about the advantages of hosting a blog on your own domain, with the rest of your site, versus using a separate blogging platform from your static website. There are some arguments on both sides and she presents them well. I won’t restate them here, you can just go read her article.
I am a big fan of WordPress. It is my favorite way to create websites, and one of the most powerful platforms. I am especially happy with the release of WordPress Version 3.0. Probably the only real arguments for using a separate blog platform is cost, and ease of setup. Otherwise, there is no reason you would not benefit more from having all of the great, dynamic, fresh content you are writing show up on your own website. Dynamic content is great for search engine optimization (SEO) as well as for attracting, impressing, and converting visitors into leads. Having these advantages tied directly to the other content of your website makes the most sense.
So back to the concerns, cost and setup. These do not have to be as expensive as you might think. A completely custom WordPress installation and theme setup with a new website design starts at $1,000 and can go up from there (that is where I start anyways, you can spend a lot more). However, if you want a blog integrated into your website, this is not your only, or cheapest setup. You can have your own domain setup, with a premium WordPress theme (very professional, but not 100% original) and everything you need to get your website up and running starting at $200.
Bernice’s article mentions Michael Krisa of ThatInterviewGuy.com who suggests that you can get a completely customized site on a blogging platform for about the same price. But setting this up also means doing the work yourself. You may not need to understand HTML or PHP to get the blog running, but it will take many hours of your time. Also, to me, it just seems like a crime to have all your best, most dynamic content, separated from your website.
For most people, their website is their last step in online lead generation. They may participate in online, email, or snail mail marketing, print ads, social media, etc. but that all usually leads back to a phone call or a website visit that hopefully converts into a lead. While the blog can, at the very least, direct traffic back to your site, why would you not want it integrated, removing one more step between a reader and a client. Why create separation for your readers to cross?
The complete design and customization of a WordPress installation can certainly run thousands of dollars, and if you can afford that, it offers even more fine-tuned advantages, however, a simple configuration that will give you your own site, with an integrated blog on a professional theme, can be had for as little as $200. Please contact me if you are interested, or go right to my hire me page!






