What is a blog remains a popular search question on blogging. What started during the last century as an online journal with personal reflections and links, grew into something much bigger.
Sometimes, professional bloggers muddle the answer to this question because the term blog is used incorrectly to shorten the term blog post. Instead, to avoid confusion, we either use the full term, blog post, or shorten it to post.
In addition, there is also a mislaid emphasis on blogs being regularly updated. While this is a preferred characteristic of a successful blog, it’s not essential when defining or identifying one.
This article defines a blog and dispels confusion surrounding this modern term and related terms. We answer these common questions on blogging:
- What is a blog?
- What is the main blog page?
- What is a blog post?
- Is a blog a website?
- What’s the difference between a webpage and a post?
- How do you tell the difference between a blog and an article?
- What does a blog look like?
- What does a blog page look like?
- What does a post look like?
- How to tell the difference between a blog and a high-quality blog.
- Why do I need a blog?
- What are some popular types of blogs?
- What is a blogging platform?
- What advantages does blogging offer?
- Do all blogs make money?
What is a blog?
In Blogging Basics 101, we gave a brief introduction to blogging. We introduced the term blog as “a website or part of a website where a blogger publishes blog posts, such as articles”.
We stated the “defining characteristic of a blog is the log of individual entries or files called posts. Logs list posts, such as articles, in reverse chronological order on a dedicated web page known as the blog page”.
The blog page can either be a main page of your website or it can become your designated homepage. It contains posts listed in reverse chronological order. The basis of this definition comes from its origin, weblog (web log), which was shortened to blog in 1999.
When we combine these two concepts together, we get a standard modern definition for a blog:
“A blog is a website or part of a website where people publish blog posts, such as articles. It contains a list of the published log entries on a dedicated blog page, usually in reverse chronological order.”
The purpose of a blog, its topics, intention, quality, design, consistency, regularity and content do not define or identify a blog.
How often you post does not change how we define a blog. However, posting on a regular basis may support the success and quality of a blog.
A blog comprises a main blog page and posts or entries.
What is the main blog page
The main blog page lists published entries or posts in reverse chronological order.
A web administrator or owner determines which fields from every post appear on the blog page. A post’s fields include:
- The publishing date.
- The page title.
- An excerpt from the post.
- Related categories.
- Related tags.
- Feature image.
Some bloggers publish the full text of every post one after the other in descending date order on the main blog page. The most recent post sits at the top, with the least recent post at the bottom of the list.
iBlogyou’s Blog page is an example of a main blog page. It includes additional elements, such as a featured post and blog categories listed beneath the feature for ease of discovery. You can discover the standard post list in descending date order beneath the list of categories.
Some blogs utilise additional pages, such as archives, categories and tags.
What is a blog post?
A blog post is an individual entry or log containing text published on a blog.
This longform article you’re reading now, is an example of a post. It’s made up of text. Text, in a literary sense, includes words, images, photos, sound bites, podcasts, video, links, game and game elements. A post can use one or a combination of these elements.
Blog content can take the form of:
- An instruction or lesson.
- A personal reflection.
- A piece of writing or imagery.
- An online diary entry.
- A review.
- A poem.
- Music.
- Advice.
- A short story.
- A chapter or scene in a story.
- An abstract entry.
- A nonfiction article.
- A recipe.
- An interview.
- A news article, such as an opinion piece or media release.
- A newsletter.
- An observation.
- A list.
- Commentary.
- A conversation.
- An editorial column.
- An aside.
- A video.
- A note.
- An essay.
- A research paper or summary.
- A notice.
- An answer to a question.
- A survey, questionnaire or poll.
- A link or list of links.
- Code.
- Forms.
- An introduction.
- Step-by-step guides.
A post can have multiple formats. There are no universal rules stipulating what a post should contain. Although, all entries should have publication dates regardless of the content, quality, or process of creation.
The blog page may appear like a journal with visible or invisible publication dates.
What’s the difference between a website and a blog?
Blogs can be websites, but websites don’t need blogs.
A website contains a group of web documents accessed under a single domain name. These linked webpages often draw on information from a database and provide information about the domain’s purpose.
A registered business, organisation, government body, community group and an individual can all licence domains for any type of purpose.
Today, most out-of-the-box content management systems (CMSs), such as WordPress, have a section for a blog, but not everyone uses it. Some people use it as the main section of their website, while others create websites with pages and have no use for posts.
A website’s key pages include:
- The homepage (sometimes this is the blog page).
- An about page.
- A location and contact page.
- Service or product pages.
- Pricing pages.
- A shop with related pages such as a cart and product pages.
- A blog (which may sometimes be the homepage) with a blog page and posts.
- Career pages such as a job vacancies, culture and training.
- Legal pages such as a privacy page, terms and conditions, cookies policy and disclaimers.
Some websites use a responsive template to create one page with all the information they want to share.
You cannot assume a business lies behind every domain or website. Individuals create websites to share experiences, express themselves and explore hobbies.
What’s the difference between a website page and a blog post?
Most website pages embody static content that is not updated regularly. For example the about page, contact page and services’ page should contain information that’ updated occasionally. An exception to this rule is the blog page, which contains dynamic content updated on a regular basis. The blog page lists and links to individual posts in reverse chronological order.
A blog post differs from a blog page, as it displays a single post entry or log for a specific date.
The style of writing on a website page differs from the style used for a post. Website pages use marketing copy to provide visitors with detailed information about a business or organisation. Whereas, posts make use of casual or conversational language to communicate reflection, insight, or answers to a specific topic.
The layout of content on a website page should differ from a post. Many posts use an article format, whereas a webpage has more visual freedom and should employ a user centric design.
What’s the difference between a blog and an article?
As has been noted under the section heading, What is a blog?, a blog is a website or part of a website. The main blog page lists posts or entries in reverse chronological order.
An article is a type of blog post focusing on written blog content. It can take the structure of several formats or blog post templates. It can be both an informal and formal piece of writing.
Blog articles range from around 300 to a few thousands of words. Some writers work towards a particular word count, such as 500, 800, 1,000, 1,500, and 2,000 words or more.
Depending on who you ask, anything over 1,000 words is a long-form article. Meanwhile, some bloggers suggest the word limit for long-form articles should be over 2,000 words.
Regardless of lenth, articles combining high-quality content with SEO do well in search engine rankings. However, there is more to writing blogs than choosing long-tail keywords for SEO. How you display the text, the images, video, sound, links and user experience matters.
Both good and bad blog articles exist on the internet. A quality blog article created with extensive research can appear authoritative. In addition, an editor’s or a blog writer’s background and experience related to the topic can improves the article’s authority.
There are no rules saying a post or article must use a third person point of view, although it may be true for some news articles and commercial writing. Many writers choose to write in first person, especially when sharing their personal experience and opinions.
About that article
An article, then, is a piece of fictional or non-fictional writing, often published in a magazine, newspaper or an online blog with other content.
When compared to a blog, it is a type of blog post, whereas a blog can be an entire website or webpage of a section of the website that lists all posts in reverse chronological order.
What does a blog look like?
We’ve learnt a blog can be an entire website or a section of a website.
Sometimes, it’s difficult to tell if a website is a blog, because publishers obfuscate the design and platform. However, if you find a page with a list of posts or entries in reverse chronological order, you may be looking at a blog page.
A typical WordPress blog has five basic parts. These are the:
- Main blog page with posts listed from most recent to least recent.
- Blog posts.
- Archive page.
- Category page.
- Tags page.
What does the main blog page look like?
A blog page, with no additional design features, contains a list of posts. It may or may not be your website’s homepage.
First, the top of the page contains the header with your website’s identity, such as your logo, blog name, and tagline. Then, it may also show your website’s menu and an optional search feature. The overall design depends on your chosen theme.
Underneath the header is the list of posts in descending date order. Some content management systems, allow you to choose how your posts look on the blog page.
For each post in descending date order, you can link to the full post and show the:
- Feature image.
- Title of the post.
- Original publication date.
- Introduction to your posts, or several words from the opening or the whole post.
- Link to your entire post.
- Category links.
- Tag links.
Some bloggers choose to show the entirety of each post on the main blog page, so that when you finish reading a post, your eyes drop to read the next article.
What does a blog post look like?
A blog post is a single dated entry dedicated to a topic idea or question. Bloggers publish content using different types of formats, such as:
- Traditional articles with a beginning, middle and end.
- Guides on how to do things.
- Asides.
- Video content.
- Podcasts.
- Links.
- News articles using a journalistic style.
- Event notices.
- Interviews.
- Announcements.
- Lists.
- How-to.
- Infographics.
- Recipes (an ideal post format for a food blog).
- Essays.
The list above is not exhaustive and different people and organisations will have different processes and templates for producing different types of content.
A post can use a variety of text. Text refers to any object that can be read, and it includes:
- The design or layout.
- Images.
- Video.
- Sound.
- Links.
- Other interactive content, such as forms or HTML5.
- Comments.
- Likes.
How to tell the difference between a blog and a high-quality blog
There are several factors that make successful blogs stand out. First, check if the blog is active. What was the date on the last few posts? Some bloggers hide the dates on their entries when they’re not blogging often.
Successful bloggers:
- Post on a regular basis.
- Post relevant topics on the blog’s subject matter.
- Publish meaningful information that is factual, relevant and authoritative.
- Engage with readers’ comments.
- Have a blog strategy and follow an editorial calendar.
- Use a variety of post styles.
- Promote their blog on social media platforms.
You don’t need to post every day to become a successful blogger. Posting once a month is okay, so long as it is consistent.
What else makes a great blog?
Knowing what a blog is and does isn’t enough. To create a successful blog, you also need to know what key elements make it effective. Well-designed blogs are notable for:
- Consistent and seamless user experience (UX) that is accessible across all devices, such as PC, mobile and tablet.
- Secure, fast loading page experience.
- A planned and executed design.
- Organised, engaging and educational content.
- Content that fulfils user intent by providing a solution to the question they’re asking.
- Original information backed up by research, experience or analysis.
- Reader-friendly text presented in bite-sized, scannable information.
- Inviting headings to attract readers.
- Content, both old and new, updated on a regular basis.
- Supportive, meaningful and original images.
- Shared content for social media sites.
- Authoritative, dated content.
- Interactive text.
- Reader feedback, so you can keep on interacting and improving.
What is the purpose of a blog?
The general purpose of a blog is to inform and engage an audience.
A blog contains personal, professional, commercial, creative, educational, informal and formal information. People use blogs for personal and creative expression and to create an online presence.
Personal
Personal blogs often function as diaries for the inner thoughts of a person’s daily life, hobby or interests. Sometimes, posts share a personal experience like going to a theatre or cinema event, their interests and passions, memes and answers to casual questions.
Personal blogging encourages informal or casual writer-centric entries that are short and delivered with a conversational tone.
Professional
Professional blogs focus on a topic or area of interest that a person or group of people have qualifications or experience in. An organisation may maintain professional blogs, such as a university for educational purposes.
Professional bloggers maybe able to monetise professional blogs and produce content for a target audience.
Commercial
Commercial or business blogs also seek a target audience. Organisations maintain a blog as a section of their website to attract new leads and engage existing customers. Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) plays an important role in attracting new customers.
Creative
Creative blogs differ from professional blogs maintained by artists to promote their work.
A creative blog is, in itself, an artistic expression. More than one artist may develop it to create a user experience. It includes blogs focused on published stories, digital art adventures, games or geofictions.
Overall, you may start a blog to:
- Express your feelings on life or topics you’re passionate about.
- Share information about a topic ideas and become an industry expert.
- Attract visitors to your site for lead gathering and sales.
- Bring people together and create an online community.
- Create online content for email newsletters.
Popular types of blogs
Blogs cover any subject, theme, sector, industry, or interest.
- Commercial blogs, also known as business blogs, provide organisations with a platform for content marketing where they keep customers informed of news and information about their business.
- Travel blogs mix personal life with professional blogging. Professional bloggers get paid to write about the places they visit and the people they meet.
- Food blogs include topics on gardening, composting, cooking, recipes, nutrition and fine dining.
- Fitness blogs promote health clubs, personal trainers and group fitness instructors.
- Health blogs require well researched text approved by a medical or health professional before being published.
- Sporting blogs support sporting teams and players, and provide commentators with a public platform.
- Tech blogs require bloggers with a prior knowledge of the industry or those who learn quick and source information from contacts and write up peppy product reviews.
- Beauty blogs publish a large amount of imagery to support the review or launch of the subject matter. It can provide a source of income through sponsorship and affiliate links.
- Finance blogs cover several topics, such as income generation, finance markets, trades, cryptocurrencies, superannuation, investments, retirement and savings strategies.
- Hobby blogs share a personal passion, such as knitting, arts and crafts.
- Art blogs promote the artist and their work with some websites acting as an online viewing gallery.
- Music blogs highlight artists or bands and share a passion for different styles of music.
- Culture blogs champion multiple artistic disciplines such as music, art, design, film and fashion. They also promote fine dining, attractions, tours, carnivals, events, local history, customs and people.
- Pet blogs are very popular with animal lovers. They provide a wide range of pet-based topics, from discovering which pet is right for you to all the facts, opinions and feel-good pet stories.
- Shopping blogs combine social media influencing with the shopping experience.
- Parenting blogs draw on the experience of mums, dads, guardians and other parental figures to share information and support for families.
- Book review blogs attract readers, authors, editors and publishers.
- Personal blogs cover a variety of topic ideas based on personal experiences. Be prepared to open up about your life.
What is a blogging platform?
A blogging platform is a type of content management system (CMS) or software application where users can create and manage a blog without having to code.
Features may include free and paid themes and plugins to enhance bloggers’ and readers’ experiences.
You can install a CMS on your own website and domain. If you don’t have a self-hosted domain, blogging platforms, such as Blogger.com and Wix, provide free and paid blog services.
Some multi-author blogging platforms allow users to focus on writing and reading without the added stress of website management. Multi-user platforms, like Substack and Medium, do not appear like traditional blogs. However, both have user pages with a list of articles in reverse chronological order.
Popular platforms include:
- WordPress.
- Blogger.
- CMS Hub.
- Medium.
- Substack.
- Wix.
- Drupal.
- Squarespace.
- Joomla.
- Droopal.
- Tumblr.
What advantages does blogging offer?
Blogs are an ideal platform for sharing information. Aside from communicating content, they drive organic traffic from search engines. But there are more benefits than improved SEO.
By leveraging information, bloggers promote people, organisations, products, services, experiences and ideas. They can entice a reader to take action such as to follow a link, fill in a form, read another article, and purchase a digital or physical product and service.
Blogs:
- Contribute meaningful answers to common questions.
- Drive traffic to a website.
- Share stories, company news, thought-leadership and useful information such as step-by-step guides.
- Promote company culture and attract new employees.
- Share thoughts, reflections and experiences.
- Contribute helpful or entertaining information that adds value.
- Convert visitors into readers into sales, leads, followers or communities.
- Provide an outlet for the blogger’s creativity.
- Assist email marketing.
- Support income generation.
Posts also provide a rich content source for a associated emails and newsletters. You can create an online community by connecting with readers through a form on your post pages. The online form collects readers’ email addresses for email marketing notifications and updates.
When people willingly subscribe to an email list, they want to be kept informed of website content and updates. Email marketing and notifications encourages readers to return to your blog.
Do all blogs make money?
Many blogs make no direct or passive income. However, it is possible for most types to be monetised.
A blog can make money from advertising by using a service such as a Google Adsense. It’s challenging to open an account if you have little to no content. Nevertheless, you can seek out advice to help you create a successful blog with relevant content.
Some bloggers use affiliated marketing to generate a blogging income. When a blogger joins an affiliate program they add affiliated links to their posts. Then, when a reader clicks on the link, it opens up a page on the affiliated website. After the reader makes a purchase, the referring blogger receives a commission.
With this in mind, blogs using any form of affiliate marketing, sponsorship or advertising in their content need to inform their readers of the association.
Other types of monetisation
Another example of monetisation is when bloggers raise sponsorship deals and advertising to help support their writing.
Creating and selling digital products online is another method of monetisation. Digital products include online courses, digital art, music, software, ebooks, virtual goods in games and printable material.
Commercial blogs do not need to monetise as they already sell products and services. Instead, blogging is used to attract new and repeat customers, promote brand awareness and business and engage with prospective clients and employees.
What’s more, organisations hire commercial bloggers with SEO experience to write for them. As an employee or freelancer, you can earn a few dollars to hundreds of dollars writing for others. The amount you earn depends on your experience, where you live, and the agreement you accept.
Finally, writers on Substack earn money by encouraging readers to sign up for paid subscriptions. While on Medium, writers earn money based on the article’s popularity, and how long a person spent reading the article.
About that Web Log
Without a doubt, blogging has grown into an extraordinary online publication tool. An effective post can continue generating traffic to a website for years. Indeed, if you post regularly, search engine bots should continue to visit and process your website.
In any case, there is a whole other side to blogging that is unquestionably more important than aiming to rank high in a search engine’s pages. Ultimately, it focuses on who are you writing for and why.
But these are questions for another post.
In summary, a blog can be a website or a section of a website where posts, such as articles, are published and listed in reverse chronological order. Join the discussion below.
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