How can you decide whether to start an author blog, or a website, or both? If you already have one (or more), should you consider updating it? In this post, I’ll share some history of my own experiences with websites and blogs, and then some pointers to help you decide what format would work best for you.

The following are the topics I’ll be covering more indepth in separate posts in this series; I’ll add links as I post them:

1. Is Author Blogging Dead?
2. Blog or Website or Both?
3. Social Media
4. Author Blogs
5. Connections and Audience
6. Content Tips
7. Goals
8. Layout
9. Types of Posts
10. Specific Pages
11. Promoting Your Blog
12. SEO
13. Ideas for Posts
14. E-Mail Newsletters
15. Author Blogs: My personal conclusions – and series resource list

BLOG OR WEBSITE OR BOTH?

WAY BACK IN THE DAY…

Way back in the day (pre year 2000) I took courses in HTML on how to code so I could make myself a website. I was homeschooling my children at the time and wanted a space to share what I was learning about that adventure. I posted my site up on a free website platform called Geocities (Never heard of it? Bit of history here: https://wiki.archiveteam.org/index.php/GeoCities ). It was later bought out by Yahoo, but finally closed down permanently by 2009. Geocities was extremely basic in terms of today’s sites, but was really exciting for its day. And for many of its users, it was a strong community; in fact, Geocities was then the 3^rd most-browsed site on the World Wide Web (despite the animated gifs, LOL!).

WEBLOGS ARE INVENTED …

In the final years of the 1990s, people started to share their personal lives online, and in 1997 the term “weblog” was coined; a year later, a new platform called Open Diary introduced a community approach that allowed members to comment on others’ work; in 1999 “weblog” was shortened to “blog” and other platforms started to be developed. In 1999, the platform Blogger was launched, and soon WordPress, TypePad, Tumblr, and others were launched. Around the same time, it also became possible to host advertising on your blog. And it became possible to combine a straight blog-post format with other “pages” so as to have a combined website and blog.

MY OWN WEBSITE AND BLOG ADVENTURES

Since my Geocities/Yahoo site needed updating, my interests were changing somewhat, and I liked the idea of communicating with others through blogs, I did some experimenting. I started a blog on the platform Blogspot. That blog is still there at https://normajhill.blogspot.com/ though I rarely update it now. But I still sometimes get likes, new followers, and some conversations happening there all these years later. In fact, one of those posts has had well over 10,000 views and is still attracting readers a dozen years later. (I’ve written about why I think that post has been so popular here: https://normajhill.com/2020/02/06/my-most-popular-blog-post/ ).

When I started my own tutoring/homeschool coach (and later editing) business, I decided I needed a website that included a blog. So, I set up a website on WordPress.org, hosted through BlueHost, under the moniker of my business name, PenAndPaperMama Services. Also, being a “Jill of all Trades,” I started to set up a variety of blogs on WordPress.com on a variety of topics of personal interest, as well as helping author friends set up simple author websites and/or blogs, and helping tutoring students start their own blogs, too.

Most of my “personal interest” blogs are still “live,” although to be honest, I haven’t updated them much in the past couple years due to some unexpected life events—so this series on “blogs” is a result of my research as I decide what to do next blog-wise. I did end up moving my PenAndPaperMama.org blog, which had become a “hub site” for my other sites, to WordPress.com, and I split it into two sites, PenAndPaperMama.com which focused on tutoring and other educational items, and NormaJHill.com which focused on my editing and other writing interests.

SOME EXAMPLES OF MY SITES

In case you’re interested, and to show you some possibilities for your own sites, some of my blogs and websites include:

• https://penandpapermamatoo.com/ — “odds and ends” drawn from my original Geocities/Yahoo site plus a variety of other stories, articles, and poems
• https://penandpapermama.com/ — tutoring and educational topics
• https://normajhill.com/ — writing and editing blog
• https://pentictonpedestrian.wordpress.com/ — photography, short articles, and some poetry based on my wanderings around my home community of Penticton
• https://haidagwaiibuildingbridges.com/ — explorations of my life as a non-Indigenous woman married to an Indigenous man, and being the mother of our 5 kids and many grandkids
• https://thehillgang.wordpress.com/ — a site I set up for our children and grandchildren with stories of our family’s growing-up years, featuring stories and photos. (For a time, when our kids were teens and not sure they wanted these stories told to the world, it was set up as a private site for our family only—another option you have as a WordPress blogger).

Heard enough information about my own website/blog history? Want some “facts” about blogs, websites, and combinations? Maybe the following will interest you.

COMPARATIVE FACTS ABOUT WEBSITES AND BLOGS:

A site may be either a website OR a blog OR a website with a blog embedded in it! The following aspects of blogs and websites can help you decide which approach you want to make.

BLOGS

A blog is community oriented and may be quite casual and social. While blogs reflect the personal approach, voice, and perspectives of the blogger, they are also consciously oriented to the readers’ interests and needs. Readers often visit for the sense of community. Community can be extended through email newsletters, links to social media sites, and other blogs, as well as in-person interaction. Interactive conversation, commenting,  frequently updated information, and dynamic content build community. So do interactive aspects such as commenting and discussion forums. Blogs are relational, with fresh, friendly posts.

Blogs feature regular posting on specific details related to details of the blog’s general topic or niche. The posts reflect a variety of purposes related to the owner’s interests or goals. Each new post is at the top of the blog; earlier posts are below, in order of when they were posted. Search engines love fresh, frequent content, so a blog can help a website rise toward the top of a search engine request.

WEBSITES

Websites tend to be more formal and professional. Readers visit from time to time when they need specific information such as an author bio or specific book information. Websites are more oriented to the person (or company/group) owning the site. They include “static,” straightforward information that doesn’t change too frequently, such as basic FAQs, services, and product information. There is emphasis on authority, brand and products. Websites are usually not very interactive unless they include a blog. Website interactivity basically focuses on marketing—making sales of products and/or services.

Websites focus on static pages with occasional updates as required. Their purpose is more often to communicate products and services. Pages are set up to present a fuller amount of information at one time. Separate pages are provided for each aspect of the site’s topic. If a website does not include a blog, the owner needs to focus more directly on SEO (search engine optimization) which may require more technical knowledge than a blog’s frequent content provides.

COMBINED WEBSITES AND BLOGS

Blogs are usually hosted on a “blog platform” like WordPress, and are generally easily updated with minimal technical skills. The “Fill-in-the-blank” format tends to be easy for even a total beginner to operate. Websites may be published separately from a blog, and are often designed and published by a website designer (webmaster/tech) who uses special coding to reflect the author’s brand, such as colours, logos, etc. On the other hand, a number of platforms now offer a “combination” site with the blog as a part of the website; the blog may be the “main page” where readers enter the site or may be a separate page accessed from the site menu. Most author sites now are a combination of “website” and “blog.” The articles in the blog are referred to as “posts,” while the other pages which feature more “static” information are called “pages.”

FOCUS ON AUTHOR BLOGS AND WEBSITES

Author websites, especially those that include blogs, are the central hub of all your book marketing and are the cornerstone of your online presence. Social media platforms go in and out of style, and their algorithms change with the weather, but your author website is entirely yours. Your “brand” might align with your personality and you as an individual, but whatever style you decide upon, you are writing the content, deciding how to present yourself and your work, and in the case of author blogs and/or websites, promoting your wonderful books.

Besides the platforms mentioned previously, you might want to check out other possibilities such as Wix and Squarespace, or PubSite which calls itself “the best DIY platform for hosting author and publisher websites.” You can choose to build your site yourself on a platform or hire a web designer to build a totally unique site; you can make edits, changes, and updates yourself if you choose; and blogs, whether stand-alone or part of a website, are especially easy to update frequently yourself.

Whichever approach you decide on, website or blog or a combination of both, your author site should include some or all of the following:

• An author bio (usually on an “About Me” page or an “Author” page)
• Information about your written works—whether they be books, magazine articles (online or off), your other web/blog sites, works in anthologies, plays, scripts, and so on. If you have multiple books and/or other products, you may have a separate page for each one, or may combine “series” on their own pages.
• Either provide the ability to sell your books and related products right from your website (with e-commerce software), or link to online bookstores where they can be purchased
• Share examples of your writing: a sample chapter or two from your book(s), some articles or poetry or short stories, or other writing
• Include a link to allow readers to sign up for your e-newsletter (aka mailing list), if you choose to have one (more later on that, in this series). Also include the ability for readers to sign up for blog notifications, and/or to “follow” the blog.
• Reviews and testimonials—social proof—to promote your brand and your book(s)/writing.
• A contact page so people can get in touch with you
• Links to your social media accounts (Facebook, Twitter/X, LinkedIn, Instagram, YouTube, and many more possibilities)
• A page that lists events you will be involved in, with dates and locations, and/or information on your past events such as book launches, conferences and workshops you’ve attended and/or facilitated, and so on
• Be sure to include photographs and other illustrations. If you wish, you can also create videos, podcasts or other audio, online classes, and other technology right within your site, or link to other online locations where you have these items
• A media page with a professional headshot, images of your book covers or other products, and links to any interviews, podcasts, and media/press you’ve previously been involved with
• Any other pages that suit your purposes: for example, in a couple of my blogs, including this one, I have a “Table of Contents” page which groups posts on a similar topic together, with links to each post.

WHAT NEXT?

I’m sure you’ll have lots of questions based on the above outline post about websites, blogs, and combined website/blogs, especially for author. Be sure to sign up to follow this blog for post notifications as the other, more in-depth aspects are explored in this series.

And Share Your Thoughts in the Comments!

Are you debating about creating or building your author blog? What have been your experiences with blogging? Click on “Leave a Comment” in the top left corner 🙂 Let’s chat!