The quick answer today is there is no difference between a blog and a website.

How we got here

One of the original blogging platforms is WordPress. In 2003 when WordPress made its debut, it was used by those who wanted only to blog. It was clean and simple and gave them a platform without having to hire a developer. At the time, most people had a website with a link to their WordPress blog. Today, WordPress powers thirty-two percent of the websites out there, and a blog is now just one part of a website.

The way in which a WordPress website looks depends on its “theme.” In layman’s terms that means its design. I started using WordPress in 2010 and I found most of the pre-designed themes to be limiting and downright ugly.  To overcome this problem, I continued to design websites in Dreamweaver and then through a software program online, converted each design into a custom WordPress theme. Today, all websites are built directly in WordPress, by using a page builder.

What is a page builder?

Page builders are tools that allow you to build your website without having to manually code it. You drag and drop what element you want and place it where you want it. My WordPress choice in the page builder world is Divi by Elegant Themes. I’ve tested others but ultimately found Divi to be the most complete.

Are there other page builders out there?

Yes. The most known are Wix, Weebly, and Squarespace. I don’t recommend any of them. Their software is proprietary. This means they own your website design and its content. Essentially, you are renting space from them. If they go out of business or decide to shut you down for some reason, you immediately lose your website and all of its content.

While they advertise that you can build your website in an afternoon, and it’s free, neither is true. All three listed above have steep learning curves, and if don’t want their advertising on your website, why would you, you’ll be paying for a hosting plan. The price of their hosting plans is comparable to a regular hosting company.

Can’t any hosting company shut me down?

Yes. The difference is that if you have a WordPress website, you can back up your website and download that backup to your computer. If your hosting company goes out of business or decides to shut you down, all you have to do is find a new hosting company, install a copy of WordPress, and upload your backup. This can be done rather quickly.

Conclusion

Whether you want to blog about specific topics or are incorporating a how-to section, image gallery, etc. it’s a website and your blog is just part of it. The best platform to accomplish this is WordPress. I mentioned earlier that I didn’t care for the predesigned themes. Today, that’s different. The best phrase to describe them now is, “They come a long way baby.”

Are you currently on Wix, Weebly, or Squarespace and want to have your website? Then take a look at Ready.Set.Launch.! A program that will have you up and running with a website you own in a week.

Do you still have questions on whether it’s a blog website, or the different platforms that are out there, then let’s chat?