What is a blog, and what is its function?

What is a blog, and what is its function? We always have a friend who likes to write or who knows about technology. Because of this, they use the internet to document their knowledge, either in a space known as “Blog” or in a social network.

We can say that a blog is a webpage, but its focus is on displaying publications. They can be posts or articles as if it were a personal diary. This sets it apart from the rest of “normal” webpages.

One of the characteristic aspects of blogs are comments.

Usually, at the end of each article or post, there is a comments section where readers can leave opinions and ideas. In there they also answer the questions that the author made in the post, add something to what they have read, and even generate debates.

Here, the author can reply to the comments. As you can see at the end of each post. Thus, the blog can become a two-way communication channel between the author and the readers.

What is a blog?

A blog is a website in which we can publish content from time to time in the form of articles or also called posts. Likewise, we can sort them by publication date, so the most recent article will appear first.

Where does the term “blog” come from?

In 1997, Jorn Barger used the term weblog for the first time to describe the act of “logging the web”.

Later in 1999, Peter Merholz spreads the word in “weblog”.

Thus, from then on it ends up being abbreviated as we know it today, “Blog”.

In the same way, we can use the blog as a digital diary where we can “record” our content by date.

From there come the following terms:

Blogging:

We can use this term to refer to many things such as the fact of having, writing, or managing a blog.

It’s also used to refer to things related to blogs, such as “the world of blogging”.

Which it interprets as “blogosphere”.

Blogger:

This refers to the person who writes, has, or dedicates to the world of blogs.

It also refers to the name of the blogging platform (Blogger.com).

Owned by Google or a blog created on it.

What are the parts of a blog?

Like any website, it comprises different parts, and they are:

Headboard

This part of the blog is usually at the top of everything.

This is where the logo, the title, and the main menu with the sections that the blog has are usually put.

It’s also where the description of the blog or links to social networks or advertisements are.

We can also use the header to highlight the identity of the blog.

This way the reader can navigate through the main sections or categories that it has.

Main column

This is the main part of the entire blog and is usually on the left side.

It can also occupy the entire width, the latter happens when there is no sidebar.

This is where you see the content of the articles or posts.

It can show the title, a prominent image, the date, the author of the article, the text, announcements, subscription forms, or comments.

Sidebar

This is a narrower column than the main one.

This is usually on the right side, although some blogs also place it on the left side or don’t put it directly.

The well-known “widgets” are usually placed in the sidebar.

These can be links to social networks, subscription forms, a search box, advertising, special menus, or the most popular posts.

Footer

This is at the bottom and usually occupies the entire width of the blog or the same width of the main column.

We can place information and various links here.

These can be legal notices, privacy policy, information about cookies, and copyright.

Likewise, it’s often used to introduce links to social media or contact information such as an address, email, or telephone.

Background

This occupies the entire area behind the blog and on which we use the rest of the elements.

In most cases, people use one color for the background of the blog.

However, we can use several colors, gradients, images, videos, and even patterns.

Blog types

• Personal blog: 

This is possibly the most common type of blog.

This is logical.

As we know that blogs began mainly as a kind of personal diary where you can tell experiences, ideas, or thoughts.

• Professional blogs: 

This type of blog is becoming extremely popular.

The reason for this is that companies seek to enhance their personal brand.

Now, many decide to publish content that could help them.

For example, to attract customers for their business or even that the blog is their own business.

Every professional blog could offer information and objective data.

Likewise, it should also have a personal footprint, since this is what will set it apart from other blogs.

• Corporate blog: 

We gear this type of blog towards businesses, corporations, and brands.

Here we also try to take advantage of the benefits of the blog and most times “humanize” the image of companies.

Later you’ll see more examples of companies and organizations that use blogs.

They do this because it can add value to users. Blogs can also help you to build trust and attract potential customers in a much less invasive way than classic advertising.

• Thematic blog: 

This is blog focuses on a specific topic.

Likewise, it’s usually about films, music, sports.

A specific author, a current problem, a product, or service.

Thus, this type of blog can include many categories.

What is a blog for?

You can find an infinite number of blogs about almost any topic and find a different type of blog for almost any objective that comes to mind.

All this because the advantages of a blog are huge. And, although there are also videos, podcasts, and social networks, today, a blog is still one of the channels that generate the most trust. Thus, this is key to achieve your goals.

But the best you can do is see for yourself what can you do with a blog. For that, we will leave you these 7 functions with examples.

Make money with a blog

Yes, it’s possible.

Although many people don’t believe it, you can use a blog can to earn money.

Also, the blog can be your own business.

Be careful though, as this isn’t an easy task at all, no matter how much some want you to believe otherwise.

It takes many hours until you can hit the necessary key.

Generate sales with a product or service blog

Within the web, you will receive a greater influx of traffic, and you will promote within each article.

Thus, people will be more likely to buy your product or service.

Another advantage of having a blog is that, if one day you become recognized in your sector, you will be able to write ebooks or create courses and sell them to your users.

It’s a great way to show how good you are in your field and also to monetize it.

Membership

Believe it or not, affiliation is a widely used way to monetize a blog.

Here, an affiliate will promote the product or service of an advertiser.

Then, it will take a commission from the affiliate for each conversion they have through their blog.

This way, the affiliate will provide its users with a link to the landing or sales page.

There, if it converts, the blogger will receive money or whatever was agreed in the previous contract.

Advertising and Blog Ads

There are different advertising channels.

They can be through direct collaborations with the advertiser, or through a system called Google Adsense.

In the last one, you will receive the money based on the clicks you have on the banner or ad.

In general, when you visit a website or blog, you can see in the top or sidebars the products of stores that you recently saw or visited.

Get leads

When you get to a web page, they can ask us for our phone, email, name, or other information.

In the vast majority of cases, if you don’t receive something in return, you will probably end up leaving the web without giving what they request.

With a blog, it’s much easier to get that information.

This is because, thanks to email marketing platforms such as Mailrelay, you can send our users emails with valuable content.

If we only send corporate or sales content, they will probably end up being unsubscribed from our lists.

And that isn’t what you want.

Personal branding with a blog

If you want to teach the world what you know and show that you are a professional in what you do, with a web without movement, it will be very difficult to do it.

Likewise, if you want people to recognize you as a professional, you must show confidence.

For this, you can make a blog where you showcase your knowledge and the way you can apply it for other people or companies.

Thanks to this, users will have another vision of you. Thus, they will recognize you as an expert on the subject.

If you don’t show it, no one will know what you really know.

Promote a product or service with a blog

This old classic advertising method no longer “convinces” or “attracts” people as it used to.

However, a brand that can give you useful and valuable information without asking you for anything in return can create trust.

Thus, this will last longer and be much more effective.

Next, we will mention an example of how to promote that product or service:

• Raiola Networks

As far as hosting services are concerned, Raiola has bet strongly on their blog. This is because they understood that it’s a perfect way to reach many of their potential clients.

If you look at their blog, you will realize how many quality and useful articles they have.

They can be of help for anyone who, for example, has a website, uses WordPress, or is interested in SEO.

Once again, it’s about adding value to the reader, generating trust in them. In the long run, the user will take them into account if one day they need a good hosting provider.

Promote an event with a blog

Many event organizers of all kinds have realized the importance of blogs.

This includes the “power” of attraction that a blog can have when promoting them. Likewise, creating content related to the main theme of the event can position you, not only in Google but also within the sector you want to reach for readers to go to the event.

If you show that the blog content is interesting, it’s logical to think the event will be too.

Another interesting way to use the blog to promote an event is by directly talking about it weeks before its celebration.

This way, the reader can part of that event as if it were their own. Thus, this makes them feel involved with it.

Here is an example of real events that have used a blog to get more visits both online and offline:

World Quondos Record

This is a clear example of how to use a blog to promote an event. It’s a world record that people try to break year after year.

People do this by developing an event for over 50 hours in a row and with online broadcasting.

Amazing!

Here, blog articles only focus on everything that has to do with the event from minute zero:

how it’s being prepared, if there will be gifts for the attendees or if the record is achieved.

Find a job with a blog

Nowadays you can get a job on a blog as a Community Manager or Social Media. Likewise, these people can spend all day sending resumes.

Thus, the first thing that a company that knows the online environment will do is search for that person on Google. For example, they can do it on platforms like LinkedIn. Because of this, we recommend creating a suitable profile for what you are looking for.

It’s not the same to send a resume than to be contacted because of your profile on a digital platform.

Don’t you think your chances of getting the job you want will increase?

The company’s human resources will probably take that person into account for their next interview.

Find clients on the blog

Nowadays it’s very rare to not find a professional who offers online services or who doesn’t already have their own blog.

The reason for this is very simple. A blog can allow you to show what you can do. However, this isn’t the only aim of “digital professionals”.

Because of this, many people have realized that having a blog can be a good way to attract customers, regardless of their business and location.

Nowadays, Google shows search results according to the likes, previous searches, or the place where the use is. Thus, a blog can help attract customers even to a small neighborhood store.

Capture students with a blog

Online training is at its peak, and it makes sense.

The “normal” causes for training don’t respond to the real needs that we have today in our personal and work lives.

For example, many journalists have not seen or know how they can use Twitter.

Later they find that Twitter is an indispensable work tool in digital newspapers.

In the same way, that “didactic character” that a blog already has, has become a means of attracting students, and we refer to both private schools and professionals who dedicate to training.

What strategy can we follow to make a blog?

Like everything in online marketing, a blog requires a strategy to which we can adjust and establish a route of action.

Before talking about the strategy, it’s important to remember the different platforms that exist, such as WordPress, Blogger, and Wix, to create a blog.

Among all those mentioned, the most used and most renowned is WordPress.

We know this because over 30% of all websites worldwide are based on WordPress.

You have two options to work with WordPress:

• WordPress.com: We can use WordPress as a cloud service by creating an account on the wordpress.com website. Then we can start working.

They offer a fairly limited free plan and several paid plans.

• WordPress.org: Another option is to download the WordPress source code from the wordpress.org website and install it on your own web server since you can hire a hosting.

This last option is more professional and removes all the limitations of WordPress.com.

As for what to use, it’s a matter of interest, but we can say that in general, the free plan of WordPress.com, as in other platforms, is limited.

For example, you cannot use your own domain, because it will be operational only to fix and little else.

As for the payment plans, even the most basic is already around the cost of good hosting and continues with important limitations that it doesn’t have on a WordPress site with hosting.

Therefore, if you are serious, it’s advisable to hire a hosting, not to mention that there are many discounts. For example:

• With the discount coupon for Webempresa.
• Get 25% and more discount and on days like Black Friday. With the discount coupon for Raiola Networks 20%.

Once you’ve started the practical part of blogging, then now examine the strategic part as well.

What tools do you need to start a blog?

To have a blog that engages and facilitate its dissemination, there are blog tools that need to be implemented.

There are thousands and thousands of blogging tools, but we will highlight the most important ones that we think you should have at the beginning:

• A well-designed website and blog

Many bloggers when they start, believe that the web isn’t important. But it does matter.

If you want to be seen and noticed from the first moment within your sector.

And be a reference in your subject, you must do it with style, taste, and professionalism.

A neat web page is the first thing that your users will perceive when they arrive at the blog, so it’s super important that you take it into account.

• Social media sharing

When a user reaches your article or post they must be able to share it.

Therefore, you must implement buttons throughout the blog.

They must have a social plugin to share on social mediawith their respective buttons to encourage propagation.

Within WordPress, you can use tools such as Divi’s Monarch, Sumome, or Social Warfare.

We can configure all these plugins any way we want.

This way we can place the buttons inside the blog content, going down fixed on our screen while scrolling or at the end of the article itself.

• Capture leads

Like wanting to share on Social media.

It’s necessary to capture as much information as possible from our users.

Likewise, you must have a plugin like Bloom or Thrive Leads to capture as many emails as possible.

Thus, this will then allow you to sell through the email marketing technique.

• Email marketing

Once the emails are collected, you need to have a tool to carry out the blog campaigns.

With Mailrelay a new list will be created and sent weekly to subscribers of news, gifts, courses, or tips. We advise you to send quality content, and not only about the company or blog, as it can tire the user and leave the lists.

It’s super important that you have your own blog. For that, we can support you to start it, and then you can tell us the results in the comments.

It can be complicated due to a lack of resources, either time or money, but it’s an investment that we are sure you will not regret.

What to do before creating a blog?

• Write for SEO

Although for years it has been one of the most important elements and that can most obsess us when writing a post.

The truth is that the next trends suggest leaving this practice aside.

With the aim of a better quality of content and originality that helps SEO.

The old techniques will continue to work, but something more is sought.

• Invite people from outside

Guest blogging is one of the practices that you should put into operation, it always works and it’s a plus for your blog to get greater exposure.

This can help you expand your reach and increase your personal relationships.

Besides, it will allow you to promote your personal image by increasing your visibility on social media.

It can also provide you with qualified referral traffic.

• An email will continue to be the best way to connect

Blogs are great, but the news is better.

If you combine both platforms, your subscribers together with your quality blog, you will have the winning mix.

If someone gives you their email, they want to hear more from you.

Because of this, if you send them quality content they will share it, promote it. Thus, in the future, this relationship will become a purchase or a loyal customer.

Email marketing works just as well now as it did years ago.

• You must know all the aspects of having a blog

If you only pay attention to SEO, to the more technical aspects like the server, looking for more visits at all costs and graphics, you will lose the focus of your work.

To have a successful blog you have to focus on what you do really well. If you are a writer, focus on your stories, if you are an innovator, focus on finding new ideas.

Use tools that streamline the rest of the tasks and hire experts to help you with the technicalities.

This way you can dedicate yourself to what you do best.

• Data, research, and statistics are now simpler and more integrated than ever

One of the best things about becoming a blogger today is that it’s easier than ever.

Every day the world is more familiar with the data and statistics many tools provide.

These, of course, are at your service.

Thus, having a blog is becoming a more and more professional need.

Google Analytics for example will help you measure the number of your visits, the success of your latest posts, and the bounce rate.

• Responsive design is no longer optional

In fact, Google has long been prioritizing those websites with a responsive design over those that can only be seen on computers.

If you are really thinking about starting a blog, choose a theme with a design adapted for this format.

The good news is that WordPress layouts are already adapted for responsive design without requiring a great deal of effort on your part.

• Increase the importance of audio and video

As data speed increases, user demand for video and audio does.

Likewise, the use of text is no longer enough.

Thus, the platforms now adapt to support all configurations.

Don’t forget to use different formats to make your new blog more original and attractive.

• Customize

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A few years ago, everyone wanted their blog to look like that of a big company with a big budget reflected in its graphics, photos, and design.

However, lately, the trend seems to head towards customization. People are becoming more and more interested in those blogs that have a more personal feel, small and of close reach.

So, if you are thinking of starting a blog, don’t forget to be professional. However, don’t forget to remain personal.

You can do this by including photos of yourself, stories, and unique things. Thus, all of this could create a connection with the user.

• Write about what you are passionate about

Last but not least.

There is no use wanting to create a blog if you don’t have in mind what you want to do, the theme, or if you will not enjoy yourself along the way.

Find out what you can contribute to others, what are the advantages of starting this adventure and go for it.

The road isn’t easy, but being clear about this latest trend will not be as difficult as starting from scratch.

Remember that you can do it and welcome to the world of blogging!

Conclusion

A Blog is a widely used tool today.

Many people are already using it to attract customers and together with their posts, monetize it, and earn money.

Prioritize first what type of blog you want to create and what is the aim of its creation.

Don’t waste time just thinking you will make money overnight because it won’t happen, it takes time and effort on your part.

We mentioned nine useful tips that can work for you before creating your own blog.

Likewise, we recommended the most important tools for this.

If you are thinking of creating a website or blog that represents a company or enterprise and you want to know more about how to do it, we can help you.

We have a trained team of experts at your disposal. Write to us and one of our experts will get in touch with you quickly.

Your success is our success. Remember we are only one click away.