Blogs or Websites - Which is Best?

Internet writers have several different ways to present their internet articles to the world. I've mentioned different writing websites in the past that will publish your work and pay you for it. However, they take "their cut" of your earnings. That is the main reason I prefer having blogs and website. Of those two, blogs and websites, which is best for the internet writer?

The answer to that depends on the writer and the purpose of the blog and/or website of the internet writer. There are pros and cons to both that much be weighed carefully before making a decision. As with everything here, I really on my experience and the experience of other internet writers that I trust. This is my take on the blogs or websites debate:

Blogs work well for niche writers who have narrowed down their niche to something quite small. My standard example is gardening...A blog works great for a niche writer who writes about their garden. It is a small topic that can be written about for years. Pages are limited on blogs so the internet writer can dedicate specific pages to their flower garden, their vegetable garden and their herb garden. Links can be added to your niche blog that will take your readers to your internet articles on writing sites.

Websites work well for niche writers who have a broader niche. An internet writer who writes about rose gardens or gardens that do well in certain areas would benefit from having a website instead of a blog. There is more "room" to expand on the topic. Pages can be created for specific types of roses and then "sub-pages" can be created for the care of each of those roses, where they grow best and other information. Links can be added that will take your visitors to other internet articles you have written.

Blogs work well for non-niche internet writers, especially those wanting to promote their internet articles on writing sites. The "Day In the Life of" blogs are excellent for building links to the internet articles you want to promote. Websites are difficult for non-niche internet writers to write copy for. Don't even think of copy - try to find a URL and title for your non-niche website. It is probably hard to even know where to begin.

Websites and blogs work well together. My website, Travels Oklahoma, has a "companion blog" that goes with it. My website is the "business side." I write about all the wonderful places to visit in Oklahoma. My blog, which has the same name, is the "personal side." I write about my personal experiences as I travel Oklahoma. I provide links between my website and blog to my readers can see both the business and personal sides of traveling in Oklahoma.

Blogs are a full-time job. You must post several times each week to attract more followers and readers. You must also do this to stay on the first page of search engines and increase your page rank. Do you have the time every week to devote to a blog? A blogger's job is never done. There is always another post to write and more links to create.

Website can be difficult to create, much harder than many blogs. You must decided if you will have the skills to create a website. I recommend OfficeLive. They are economical (an annual fee instead of monthly) and their support staff is great if you have problems creating your website. The good news is that once your create your website, it is done. You will need to go back to add information and tweaking, but the website is finished. You will need to create links to your website to increase traffic and it's page rank.


Do you want to know about the money? I know that money is often deciding factors in whether to go with a blog or website. There are a lot of factors to consider when it comes to the money you could potentially make.

Blogs can be more difficult to monetize. There is limited space and you don't want your blog to be covered in ads. Blog hosting sites may limit the type of ads or number of ads you can place on your blog. Some do not allow you to monetize your blog. Be sure to read all the fine print before you decide which blog host to go with.

Websites can be easier to monetize. You have several pages where you can place ads. Usually, you can use as many different ad programs as you like. Of course, you want to make sure those ads do not interfere with your copy. Affiliate programs, such as LinkShare, have large, bold ads that looks best on websites.

Blogs are usually free and websites come with a monthly or annual fee. I suggest that you start with a free blog. If your blog earns enough to cover the fees of having website, you can always create a website based on your blog.


Once again, I have made things as clear as mud. There are so many variables to consider that each internet writer must think long and hard before making a decision between having a blog or a website. They both have wonderful attributes and disheartening drawbacks. Decide which is best for you and run with it.

SEO - On-The-Page Help

One of the ways that search engines decide how to rank your internet articles is by what they find in your internet article. Improving your page rank can be as simple as editing your internet article to improve it's SEO. These are just a few ideas that will help you increase the SEO value of your internet article:

• Keywords - Remember to always use keywords in internet articles. It is best to plan your internet article ahead of time so you know which keywords you will be using. Use these keywords as "tags" or "labels." This will help the search engine "spiders" to find and index your internet article and increase the SEO value of your internet article.

• First 50 Words -Search engines love the beginning of your internet article. In fact, many search engines pay more attention to the first 50 words your work than the rest of it. It is important that you include your keywords at least once in the first 50 words of your internet article. Those first 50 words not include the the title or the header of internet article.

• Keyword Density - Keyword should be between three and six percent. That means you should use your keywords three to six times in every 100 words. Check your keyword density to ensure that you are getting the best SEO available. I wrote more about this topic in a previous post entitled Keyword Density-Finding the Right Mix for Your Online Article . I also wrote about using Keyword Analysis Live in this earlier post.

• Internal Links -As you can see from my previous paragraph, I used the keywords of this blog post in the actual hyperlink. This will increase your SEO. Instead of the typical "click here" hyperlink, I used my keywords to direct my readers back to a previous post. Search engines will notice that and it will increase the chances of my posts being indexed by search engines and the page rank of my entire blog.

• Original Content - The best way you can take advantage of SEO is to use original and quality content in your internet articles. Search engines work hard to "weed out" duplicate content. Despite what you might have heard, there aren't really penalties for duplicate content - other than not getting indexed and lower page rank. With all of the internet articles it can be difficult to create completely unique copy. When you write for a writing site where the articles often have the same titles, use synonyms as often as possible. Move your paragraphs around to make your internet article as different as possible. Whenever possible, change the title as much as possible.

These SEO tips may seem quite basic, but many internet writers forget to use them. I am guiltiest of not using my keywords as my hyperlinks. So, we all have specific areas that need a little work. Use these tips increase your SEO and see how much it will help you get your internet articles indexed by search engines. Then, watch as your page rank increase.

Consider Writing an Online Article Series

Niche online writers seem to have it much easier than those of us whose online articles tend to be about various topics. Niche writers have found a way to tap into specific topics. However, as a "non-niche" writer, I have found a way to get take advantage of certain topics; I write a series of online articles pertaining to that specific topic.

Writing a series can be quite simple. Write a broad online article that includes all the information you have on the topic. Write it as if it will be the online article you will publish. Include the all the details; leave nothing out. Then break the long and detailed article down to several smaller articles. Use the detailed information to write those articles. Depending on the topic, you may be able to get several online articles out of the one.

Of course, you must be wondering how this will benefit you. There are many reasons for writing an online article series. These are just a few of them:

• Links - When you write an online article series, you will be able to link all of articles in the series together. Links will help you get indexed by search engines quickly. For more information about lists, see my previous post about using links to our advantage.

• Quality and Quantity - By writing an online article series, you will be producing both quality and quantity. Stretching one online article into several online articles will add to your online portfolio. As an online writer, you can never have enough quality articles. Of course, online writers need as many articles available to readers as possible.

• Becoming an Authority - Writing a series of online articles gives online writers a more authoritative voice. Instead of giving readers a single "shot in the dark," it provides a foundation for online writers. Even though the same amount of information could have been used in one online article, by writing a series it amplifies that information and causes the reader to believe they are getting even more information.

• Attracting Readers -An online series will attract more readers. The more readers you have, the more likely it is that you will get ad clicks. This will increase your earnings. If you are writing for an online writing sites that pays you for page views, your earnings will also increase.

Whenever possible, write your online article series on different writing websites. When you do this and link your online articles together, it will give you exposure on all the different writing sites. You want your readers to know where to find you and all of your work.

Online articles series are easy to write and will be a great benefit to all online writers. Take advantage of this - using it to increase your visibility online, your readership and your earnings. It is a win/win situation and can make a huge difference in your success as a writer.

Using Links to Our Advantage

As writers, we want the world to read our work. The wonderful creation of the internet has made that possible. Any writer with access to the internet can publish their articles. Getting the world to read our online articles is the issue. We need to ranked high on search engines. Getting on the first page of search engines, such as Google and Bing, isn't easy. However, it is possible to use links to help you get the first page ranking.

To clarify, a link is when you add the URL of another website to you work. This can be done in the body of your online article. By using "hyperlinks" that many online writing sites and blogs, you can copy/paste the URL of another website. An example of this would be the following: You will additional tips about using links here. Other times, you may have to type out the URL for the site you are linking.

These are just a few tips to help get your online articles to the world by using links to your advantage:

• Relevant Links - Make sure all of your links are relevant to the online article you are linking it to. If you wrote an online article about weight loss, you wouldn't link it to website about pets. You would link that online article to other websites and online articles about diets, healthy foods, exercise and such.

• Similar Links - Remember to link your articles to similar links. I am currently working on a humorous series for List My Five about rednecks. I am linking all of those "redneck lists" together, even though each list is on a different topic. This gives the reader to opportunity to read more about rednecks. And, to sweeten the process, the reader will be reading MY redneck online articles.

• Highly Ranked Websites Links - Do your best to link your online articles to highly ranked websites. You want to link to places that are on the first page of the major search engines. By doing this, you will help increase your own page ranking with those search engines.

• Traffic Boosting Links - Link your online articles to your own work as often as possible. This is extremely helpful. Not only are you boosting your page ranking to all of your online articles that are linked together, it can also help you create a fan base. Readers will see your style of writing in each of the linked online articles and, hopefully, fall in love with your work. They may start searching for other online articles you have written and read those as well.

One word of caution about using links: Be careful when linking your online work to other sites that have ads on them. You want to get as many ad clicks as possible without sending your readers somewhere else to click on the ads there. I do everything I can to avoid doing this. With only a few exceptions - writers I know personally and whose online work I really enjoy and writers who promote my online work. As a writer, I am just as competitive, if not more so, than other writers. Despite this, I know why I am now able to support my family with only ad/traffic revenue - help from others writers along the way. I return that favor as often as possible!

Using links correctly in your online writing will result in an increase in your page ranking. This is what all online writers want. As I've said before and will continue to say, "You can have the best online articles ever, but it means nothing if they are not read." You must do everything possible to increase your readership. Adding links will do this for you. It is quick, easy and painless. All you have to do is add the links and reap the rewards.

Writing Teasers for Promotion

Although I am (almost) famous for being "The Queen of Useless Information," I've been told that I may soon become "The Teaser Queen" as well. That is due to the fact that I writer "teasers" to promote my online articles. I have found that my teasers increase my page views and, in turn, helps to increase my ad revenue.

Writing teasers is relatively easy when you keep your goal in mind. The goal of writing teasers is and should always be to get readers to read your online articles. The goal of teasers should never be to trick readers into clicking on your work. Once that happens a few times, readers tune out your teasers and the online work you are trying to promote will be ignored. These are a few tips to writing successful teasers that will draw in readers to your online articles:

• Know Your Online Article - Fully understand your online article. Keep in mind the keywords that you used. Know the purpose of your online article. Was that particular online article's purpose to inform readers of something? Was it suppose to entertain them with your wit? Was the online articles purpose to cause your reader to take some sort of action? Use the keywords and your online article's purpose to write a successful teaser.

• Understand Your Target Audience - Think about who you wrote your online article for. If you wrote it for anybody and everybody, what type of person do you think would be most likely to read your online article? I'm not just talking about demographics, but also the "emotional side" to your reader. Write a teaser for that person that will make them want to write more.

• Use Humor When Appropriate - Almost everyone likes a good laugh now and again. Teasers can be humorous, if your online article is not serious. Make sure that your funny teasers do not mislead your readers into thinking they will be reading one thing and it turns out to be something completely different.

These are a few of the most successful teasers I have used.  I'm not going to tell you what online article they will lead you to. I'm going to "tease" you into clicking on the links. Use these ideas to write your own teasers.

• I sleep in chains. I even have a list of favorite chains to use.

• It isn't my fault if you start humming.

• Get them off the dog and have some fun.

• Read past the first paragraph before you judge me.

• There is a hyperbole in my lap.

Now that you have a few ideas, start writing some teasers to promote your online work. Remember to always be honest and never mislead your readers. As you begin to write and use teasers to promote your online articles, you will see an increase in your traffic and revenue.

The Art of Promoting Your Online Writing.

You now know enough about keywords to be relatively confused. You also know enough about making money that you are generating your own ideas about the best way to go about that. Now you must tackle the mother of all problems - getting your online work noticed. Just like with writing, there is an art to promoting your online writing. There are several ways to do go about promoting your writing. These are just a few that I have found to be successful.

• Twitter - Twitter has been a great little money maker for me. I "tweet" all my URLs and my followers click on them. The first time I tweet them, I use the title only. That seems to help them get indexed by search engines such as Google, Yahoo and Bing. The second time I tweet them, I add a "teaser" to the URL. I'll devote an entire post to "teasing." I also interact with other writers there who seem to be more than willing to retweet my work.

• Facebook - Facebook is another way to promote your online writing. Updating your status is a great way to spread the word about your online writing. There are many other writers on Facebook and many will repost your URLs. Also, consider creating a "Fan Page" for yourself. You can promote your online work there and use your regular page to schmooze - get others interested in you and then in your online writing.

• Redgage - Redgage is a site where you can post links to your online work. In addition to promoting your online writing, you can also earn money when you submit your links. It is free to use. Not only will your increase your page views, you can also make a little money promoting your work.

• Links - Adding your links is a great way to promote your online work and increase your traffic. Add your links to forums that pertain to your topic. Read other blogs and ask the blogger if they would include a link to your online work, offering to do the same for them.

• Comments - Make comments on blogs and forums, leaving a link to your online work. Visit sites such as "Yahoo Answers" and see if any of the questions can be answered with your online articles. Write a short answer and add "for more information" and then your link.

• "Add Your URLs" Sites - Use all of the available "pinging" sites to promote your work. Most of them are free to use. Remember to add your URL to search engines as well. Pinging and adding your URLs to search engines is easy. Simply follow the directions and you will have sent them the necessary information for them to add your online articles.

Promoting your online writing is certainly an art form. There are so many different ways to promote your work, you will never get bored. However, it can be hard work. You must continue to promote your online articles, even if they show up first on all the major search engines. Promoting is a never-ending job that must be done in order for you to get the traffic you need.