33 replies to this topic

[bizmord]

To get better rankings with google and others we want to start adding more content to the site since the service we sell needs to be explained and people who visit the site want to learn more.

Now ... 2 options.

1. We start a blog and link to it from the home page ... inside the blog we place some content links back to the site and so on.

or.

2. We place all this content on the site ... 1 link away from the home page ... and also in the copy of that content have links pointing to the home page.

From your experience ... what would be more beneficial to us from the SE point?

Thanks.

[RyanBlank]

I don't think it's going to make a difference either way as far as SEO goes.. the reason why a blog is helpful isn't because it's a blog, but instead because it's a simple content management system that allows one to add content regularly and easily.. it seems to me that the two scenarios you described are pretty much the same, except one uses blog software and the other does not..

choose whichever option makes things easier for you and the people looking for this information..

[rohgan03]

If you are not planning to use a blog as a blog (to add content frequntly that fits blog writign style) go with regular HTMl pages. I personally find it better suited for articles. A dead blog looks pretty pathetic on a site.

[Karri]

Another angle ...

I would say to use a blog if relationship building and/or generating an interactive environment with your firm would in any way benefit your marketing strategy, seeing as blogs provide the opportunity for others to openly comment/post (don't they?).

And as someone said, blogs do lend themselves to a more casual get-to-know-my-true-colors kind of environment whereas articles posted on HTML pages are a tad (or a lot) more formal.

Something to think about.
Karri

[jehochman]

There's a serious question buried here: Which tends to rank better, a carefully crafted HTML page, or a page generated by a Content Management System?

Blogs may allow visitors to add content to your site. If you are not going to take advantage of that feature, does it make sense to use a Blog for content management?

I have my feelings, but I'd rather hear what others have to say.

[Karri]

And ultimately, which format is more likely to generate sales in the end? That of course depends on what you are selling and who you are targeting.

Will your target market be willing and able to add interesting, relevant content to your blog? Is trust building important to your particular line of business? If the answer is yes to both of those questions, then I think you have your answer.

Otherwise, a blog could just eat up your time for no good reason whereas articles posted to your site and possibly other places on the net might be more appropriate if your market simply wants the information in a static form.

Karri

[MarketingHelpers]

Blogs may allow visitors to add content to your site. If you are not going to take advantage of that feature, does it make sense to use a Blog for content management?

This is a really excellent point jehochman. I think in small businesses Blog are an excellent way to implement a relativly cheap CMS.

I think careful consideration needs to be taken to wheter a blog work for your Web site.

If your not going to update it regularly and provide useful, interesting information your probably better of designing some highly target HTML pages.

[davidfromraleigh]

I lean more towards fresh content added without using a BLOG, but I want to keep reading the thread to see what others have to say. There may be someone who can speak from BLOG experience.

David

[torka]

Well, count me in the camp that considers blog software to be a cheap (as in free -- thank you, Wordpress!) content management system. I'm in the process of converting all my sites over to Wordpress. Not as blogs, as regular websites.

I'm disabling comments and new user registration, because although I'm using "blog software," I'm not creating any blogs in the usual sense of the word. However, I've left the code in the template so should I decide to enable them at some point down the road, everything's there and ready to go.

I'm coding custom templates, using some of the excellent templates that are already available as starting points and customizing them to fit my specific design needs.

This will enable me to post additional articles and update the text on existing pages very easily, from any computer with web access. I can start articles when the idea strikes me, and leave them unpublished until I've had time to flesh out and refine the text, then just press a button and they're live.

Since display is template-driven and content is database-driven, changing the look and feel, or the organization of information, or pretty much anything else about the site in the future should be relatively easy. Certainly less work than what I've had to go through in the past with straight HTML pages. And using a ready-written blog like Wordpress is much less work than trying to roll my own CMS from scratch. (I started down that path at one point, but decided it was way too much trouble and I was just reinventing the wheel anyway.)

When I'm done, I suspect most people who aren't closely familiar with Wordpress will not be able to identify that this is what I've done. To all outward appearances and for all intents and purposes, my pages will be just plain old garden-variety website pages.

But for me, they'll be exceptionally easy to maintain, and new pages will be exceptionally easy to add. I can't believe I didn't do this ages ago.

--Torka

[bwelford]

I'm with you, Torka. I use Blogger on my blog, The Other Bloke's Blog, and it works exceptionally well. Blogs are just natural link creators, both internal and external. My blog is hosted within my website domain, but has a higher Pagerank than the website. It's first anniversary is coming up shortly, whereas the website has been around for more than 7 years in different locations and different formats.

After all there really isn't such a thing as a website. All you have is a collection of web pages that have links among them. If you see it like that, you get much more relaxed about where you put things.

[Jill]

When I'm done, I suspect most people who aren't closely familiar with Wordpress will not be able to identify that this is what I've done. To all outward appearances and for all intents and purposes, my pages will be just plain old garden-variety website pages.

What an excellent idea!

Hmm...maybe that would make a good workshop for you to deliver at the HR Seminar?

[MarketingHelpers]

My blog is hosted within my website domain, but has a higher Pagerank than the website.

This is really interesting because whenever I do a search (BTW I only use Google for searching) when I am doing research, whether it be for SEO or something with I'm trying to fix with my computer, I generally end up at a Blog or a Forum.

I know many people will disagree with me but I just feel search engines, especially Google, like blog's and forums better than regular Web site pages. I attribute this to the fact that the content is constatntly being updated and changed.

bwelford, it would be interesting to know how often you chang the content on your site, verusus your blog. I bet it's a big difference.

It all makes sense if everytime a spider vists your Web site the content is the same and everytime is visits your Blog it is different, which would make it more relevant in the eyes of the spiders, and rank higher of course.

-----Ramblin' On------

[roberto24]

You should think creating a subdomain with all your pages from that blog, after that create a 301 redirect to your new site. This way you avoid sandbox. You transfer the PR from your subdomain to your new site

[Jill]

After that create a 301 redirect to your new site. This way you avoid sandbox.

Actually, that won't work. A 301 will put your new domain right in the sandbox and keep it there until it's time is up.

[bwelford]

Re your question, MarketingHelpers, something in the website will change at least every two weeks and a major article is added once a month. Blog entries are on average every few days. So there's not a whale of a difference. However my theory is that the blog creates an incredible network of links, both internally and externally.