What Is a Blog? Is A Blog Or Niche Website Better To Make Money From?
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What Is a Blog? Is A Blog Or Niche Website Better To Make Money From?
Often people use the terms blog and website interchangeably. While all online blogs are websites, not all websites are blogs.
Blogging started off as a way for people to share their thoughts, experiences and opinions.
Nowadays blogging is so much more than just an online journal.
Blogging has become so popular in recent years for people to grow a brand and make an income online. People start blogs to express themselves, connect with others and share their thoughts and experiences.
But what exactly is a blog and how does it differ from other online content?
A blog is basically a website/online platform where the author can publish written content. This is done most often in terms of posts. Usually the latest post is most often shown first and the rest following in reverse chronological order.
Blog posts can be about anything the writer chooses. This could be on a very specific topic/answering a specific question, or on a broader topic!
Blogs themselves are of a similar nature, in that they can be about anything the writer chooses.
This could be a topic (or topics) the writer is interested in, or wants to share information on.
A niche website is similar at this level as it again is a website on the internet for the author to share specific information.
You may be wondering which is best for you and your business. I will explain the main differences so you can make the right choice for you.
There are differences between the two though which I will explain below!
What Is A Blog And How Does It Work?
As mentioned above, a blog is a website where someone can publish their own written content.
One of the key features of a blog is the interaction a writer can have with their readers. Blog posts often have a comments section where readers can share their own thoughts, engage in discussions or ask any questions they may have.
This can create a sense of community and can help you get to know your readers, while also letting your readers get to know you.
There are so many different types of blogs, all with their own unique style and purpose!
Blogs can be on a large range of topics, or niched right down to a very specific topic. You may find some are a lot more personal than others, or cover a much larger range of topics than others. The beauty of blogs is that there are no set rules as to what you can or should write about.
Of course there are guidelines and strategies to follow if you want to turn your blog into an income stream but purely for content creation purposes, there are no set rules.
Some blogs may be a lot more image/video heavy than others. This is again personal preference as to how the author decides to layout their posts!
There are many reasons why someone may have chosen to start a blog. The reason behind it can be personal or a strategic business reason.
The interaction with readers and constant addition of information is what can make a blog more appealing than a static niche website to some people.
Bloggers often have chosen to have a blog over a niche website for exactly those reasons – especially the interaction they can get with their readers and others who are interested in the topics being shared.
What Is A Blogger?
A blogger is someone who creates and maintains a blog. Someone may have bought an established blog or created their own.
Bloggers may work on their blogs part time or full time, and may make an income from their blog or not.
Often bloggers will write about their chosen topics in the form of blog posts, or videos embedded within their blog posts.
Blogging can be done for personal reasons, as a hobby or a way to express themselves. This can be as a profession, to promote an established or growing business, as a hobby, or a mix of all of these reasons.
If you own and run a blog, you can be called a blogger whether you make an income from your blog or not!
Sometimes people who make a full time income from their blog will call themselves professional bloggers. Other times they just stick with the term “blogger”!
What Is A Self Hosted Website?
The term “self hosted website” can cover a huge range of websites – including blogs.
For a website to be self hosted, it means you are paying a hosting company to give you a space on the internet where your website is accessible.
Your hosting company provides server space, storage and bandwidth, together all of which enable your website/blog to be viewed online.
Hosting companies offer a variety of other services also. This will all depend on your needs and your blog/website needs. Often you will be able to upgrade your hosting plan if your website requires more bandwidth. Or you can upgrade to add multiple websites onto your hosting package.
For beginner hosting for one website, you should be able to get your hosting for as little as a few dollars/pounds a month.
There are free options which are not self hosted. The free options are websites like Blogger and WordPress.com. All you need to do here is sign up with a free account and you are given a free blog to use as your own.
Free blogging websites are good if your blog is purely personal or you don’t want to monetise your content. You don’t own your blog on a free platform, but they are a good way to get thoughts out online on a smaller scale.
For the majority of bloggers and aspiring bloggers though, self hosted is a must.
Make sure to choose an affordable but reliable hosting company and you then own your website too.
Many bloggers choose to own their own blog with external hosting and owned websites. An example here would be to choose a hosting company, buy a domain name and choose a platform, e.g. wordpress.org.
A high proportion (I’d guess nearly all) of bloggers making an income from their blog are on a self hosted blog.
Making money with a free blog isn’t impossible but is a lot harder and more limiting. If you are wanting for your blog to earn you money, a free blogging platform isn’t recommended.
Advertisers aren’t keen on putting adverts on free blogs, plus they often look a lot less professional so aren’t as attractive to brands.
You can make a free blog look beautiful and for personal reasons this can be the best choice for you if that’s what suits your needs. It’s all about going down the right path for you and your blog!
If you choose to have a self hosted blog, you would first choose your domain name (the URL of the website). You then choose a good and reliable hosting company, and pick your blogging platform! (I would recommend WordPress.org but there are other options.)
What Is The Difference Between A Blog And A Niche Website?
While a blog and a niche website may seem similar at first glance, there are some key differences between the two.
A blog, as mentioned previously, is typically a website that’s updated regularly which provides information or expresses thoughts to their readers.
In contrast, a niche website is usually more focused on one specific topic. While there is often written content provided, it may also include other types of content too. This could be primarily videos for example.
Niche websites can be a good choice for niches who want to post up a lot of information on a topic but then not have to worry about posting much once all the information is up. They are also a good option for those who have a team to run their website so aren’t personally able to connect with their readers.
A blog is a much more personal style of website, but neither would be classed as “better”. It all depends on your niche and what you are looking for from your website.
You can make money from both blogs and niche websites.
It all just depends on what you want from it, and how often you are looking to update your blog or website.
Evergreen content does really well on a niche website or a blog. Whereas thoughts/information on currently trending topics would be better placed on a blog. This is due to the fact that on a blog people recognise that the information is being updated regularly. But also accounts for the fact that older posts may have more outdated information.
As an example this could be beauty related product opinions/reviews when that product may stop being produced in a matter of years. This information would be much better placed on a blog. That way you can put a note advising that it has been discontinued, or remove the post.
Niche websites are more often nearly all evergreen content. While this information can get updated, it usually requires less maintenance than the information potentially posted to a blog.
Some niche websites have a blog option where the blog is off-set from the main website which can be a perfect solution if your website is a shop, offering services or for business promotional purposes etc!
That way businesses can still have the personal element and engagement of a blog, but just as a section within their main website.
What Is A Blog Post In Comparison To A Website Article?
There are a few differences between a blog post and a website article.
They are of course both there to provide information to the reader, but a blog post is often written in a more personal way.
That’s not to say that blog posts are always less professional than a website article! Oftentimes the opposite can be true.
It’s more to do with the tone. A blog post is more likely to have a more conversational tone and come from a first person point of view. Whereas an article on a website may be written more in a third person point of view.
Blog posts are often published more frequently than website articles. Especially over a longer period of time.
Website articles are more likely to all be information based whereas a blog may have personal updates or experiences/opinions.
Neither are right or wrong! It’s all about what your preference is, and what experience you want your readers to have.
Is A Blog Or Niche Website Better To Make Money From?
If your goal is to make money from your blog or website, the only one I would truly avoid would be a free blog option.
Both blogs and niche websites require a lot of work and patience, but they also require a plan or strategy.
Depending on your niche, and whether your website is a niche website or a blog will depend on the strategy you take to monetise your website.
Neither is inherently better than the other.
Niche websites may end up as a more passive stream of income as you don’t have the time spent on all updates, new blog posts and interactions. But on the flip side, unless you have a very authoritative presence on the internet, your niche website is in danger of not being found as easily as a blog, due to the limited posts/pages within it.
Having a solid monetisation plan and strategy in place for your self hosted website – whether a niche website or a blog – is what’s key here.
Either option can be a good way to make an income online – if that’s your aim!
Ultimately, whether you choose to start a blog or a niche website will depend on your interests, goals, and audience. Both can be effective ways to share your expertise and connect with others online, but they each have their own strengths and weaknesses.
For me personally it was never in the equation to have a niche website. I wanted the sense of community, the interaction, to share thoughts and knowledge and to be able to help and answer questions where I can!
Years ago I actually I did start a free blog! But after literally just a few days I realised that it wasn’t the right path for me. I knew I wanted to take it seriously, and needed to be secure in the knowledge that I owned my blog.
For me, I wanted to choose my own domain names, choose my own hosting, have everything as customisable as can be. So swapped to self hosted at that point and never looked back.
Self hosted is the option that will really open doors for you down the line!
Whether that’s in the form of a blog, or a niche website.
If you want any more information on getting yourself set up, check out this post:
What made you choose a blog over a niche website or vice versa?
Did you start off on a free blogging platform or did you opt straight for a self hosted website?
If you’re like myself you will highly enjoy the more personal feel to a blog! That alongside the interaction you get!
Speak soon!
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56 Comments
Chocoviv
These are excellent points!
Katherine McLee
Thank you! I’m glad you like it!
Aisling
Super helpful post! I’m currently trying to niche down but find it so hard to choose!!
Katherine McLee
Thank you! It can be so hard to choose! If you know a rough niche, you can start off with this and niche down as you go!
Pearl
Very comprehensive introduction to blogs, great resource. I do prefer niches, not having a defined niche is also just fine
Katherine McLee
Thank you! Absolutely, it’s all about doing what’s best for you and your website! Your website is beautiful!
Allison Ware
Great post! Thanks for sharing 🙂
Katherine McLee
Thank you! 🙂
Emily Withrow
Very informative. My blog is still fairly new and as it grows more I’d like to move away from WordPress so this information is definitely helpful. Additional food for thought, I will say that I don’t love going to blogs that have a million pop up ads while you’re trying to read the content. That really bugs me! So there’s definitely a fine line between when the advertising disrupts the creative content, in my personal opinion. I’m less likely to go back to a “busy” blog!
Katherine McLee
Thank you! Yes absolutely! I left a larger ad network as I wasn’t keen on the amount of ads! I think there’s a happy medium!
LaToya Rachelle
Wow, never really thought about the differences. Great questions and answers!
Katherine McLee
Thank you! I’m glad you liked it!
Cosmina Manea
Great and useful post! I agree that free domains are not a good option. I personally prefer blogs more than niche websites because of their incresed personal touch.
Zandra
I saved many of your articles to my Pinterest board blogging for beginners
Katherine McLee
Thank you so much! 🙂
Katherine McLee
Thank you! The only real plus side of free blogs is that they are free, but they are so limiting! Self hosted is absolutely best! I completely agree, the personal touch of blogs is a plus point!
Tina Riegelnegg
It’s such a difficult decision! I started a blog but I’m still thinking if I should have done a niche site instead, I guess only time will tell if it was the right decision 🫣
Katherine McLee
It can be, and people sometimes don’t realise the difference between the two either! I personally much prefer the personalised feel of blogs but it’s all preference! 🙂
Marline
Wow this is so informative. Thank you for sharing this useful information
Katherine McLee
Thank you! I’m glad you found it useful!
Julie Russell
Enjoyed reading about the differences between a niche website and blog! I look forward to reading more articles!
Katherine McLee
Thank you! I’m so glad you liked it!
Debbie
Great information covering the differences between blogs and niche websites. I think a lot of people don’t fully understand the differences of blogging or what all goes into it. This really sheds some light on the topic.
Katherine McLee
Thank you! Absolutely, and some niches are better as a niche website over a blog and vice versa!
Sharonda Jackson
Very informative!! Thank you!
Katherine McLee
Thank you!!
Tiffany | Tiffanydoesitall.com
These were super helpful! I never thought about the difference between a blog post and a website article before this.
Katherine McLee
Thank you! I think a lot of people don’t realise the difference, and that one may be more beneficial over the other!
Aisling
This is such a great, through, well written post!!! Thank you!!
Katherine McLee
Thank you so much!
Christina Four Tickets
You have great information! Thank you for sharing it with us!
Katherine McLee
Thank you so much!
Liv
Another great read. I know you mentioned avoiding free sites? Is that due to ads? What’s your opinion on putting google ads on a paid site?
Katherine McLee
Thank you! Free sites are only really the best option if the blog is (and only ever will be) purely for personal reasons and never to make an income. Advertisers most of the time won’t allow you to place ads on a free site. On a self hosted website Google ads is a fab way to start earning some income!
Payton F
Such a helpful article!
Katherine McLee
Thank you! I’m glad you found it helpful!
Whitney Stewart
This was a great post for sturing up some innovative ideas for any kind of blog! I’m just mainly doing this for fun right now; but one of these days I’ll be riding it into a secondary source of income. Thanks so much for sharing! It definitely got the wheels in my head turning!
Katherine McLee
Thank you! A lot of people start off doing it for fun before using it as a source of income. Getting set up properly from the start is key as it makes the transition a lot easier!
According to Chren
This is a very informative post! Thanks for sahring!!
Katherine McLee
Thank you! I’m glad you like it!
Bre White
This was so informative!! Thank you for taking the time to share this information!
Katherine McLee
Thank you! I’m really glad you found it helpful!
Fransic verso
I started with a free on blogger platform from Google but then changed to self-hosted. This is great for new bloggers.
Katherine McLee
Self hosted is absolutely best! Thank you!
Allison
Very informative article, great points that you have made here for someone who hasn’t made up their mind which is for them yet.
Katherine McLee
Thank you! I think people don’t often realise that there is a choice as one choice may suit their niche better!
Zandra I Castillo
Your blog is very informative.
Katherine McLee
Thank you so much!
Anita
This is really great information. I didn’t realize the distinction between a blog and a niche – I never thought of it that way. It was eye-opening to me to fully realize the differences between the two and learn that one isn’t necessarily better.
Katherine McLee
Thank you! Absolutely! Some styles of website may be better suited to some people/niches. I personally love the personal side of a blog!
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Nicolle
I always LOVE your blog posts, they are easy to read and always so informative, Thank you so much! Shared this one with a friend of mine who is about to start out on her blogger journey 😉
Katherine McLee
Thank you so so much! ❤️ I hope they find it helpful too! 😀
Earl K. Miller
Amazing blogs, advertising needs to support creators, but never at the expense of reader experience. It’s great that you’re thinking about that as your blog grows.
Katherine McLee
Thank you! 😀