What is a Blog?
And How it Differs from Articles and Websites
Unless you’ve been living under a rock all these years (and, given the current state of the world, who could blame you?), then you likely know, more or less, what a blog is.
If you’ve read through my recent blog series on the history of blogging, you would’ve noticed how the medium has evolved over the past few decades—and continues to evolve.
There’s no doubt that blogging has had a major impact on how we consume information, including current events. But it was more than just about taking in information.
Blogging gave many of us a voice, an online platform where we could express our opinions, share useful insights, and offer unique perspectives.
It’s even become a way for businesses and organizations to showcase their expertise and provide educational insights that would position them as thought leaders and experts in their industry.
Blogs, it should be highlighted here, are different from articles. Let’s go over the main differences so we don’t confuse them.
Blogs vs. Articles
Sometimes, we use the terms "blog" and "article" interchangeably, but it’s worth noting that blogs are quite different from articles.
One obvious distinction is that articles have been around far longer than blogs. And depending on how far you’re willing to go back, handwritten articles could possibly have originated in Ancient Rome. But if we’re thinking about printed newspaper articles, these go as far back as the late 1600s, arguably invented in Europe.
As we’ve previously learned, blogs date only to 1993, making them a relatively recent invention.
Another distinction worth making is that articles are written by trained journalists.
They possess essential skills in research and fact-checking and uphold professional standards like thoroughly verifying sources and avoiding bias.
Bloggers, on the other hand, don’t usually have formal training in journalism.
Anyone can become a blogger with the requisite credentials. And this is in no way a denigration of blogging, since I myself am a blogger (I mean… I’m blogging right now), but it does mean that blog content can vary in objectivity and quality.
So, in the spirit of humility, as much as I enjoy blogging, I would encourage readers to always verify what I say here by appealing to other sources when and where they can—and to apply the same standards to themselves.
Having said all that, let’s go ahead and review some of the main differences between articles and blogs:
A blog is a webpage that contains written content, stories, or information/updates on various topics. It serves as an online space for sharing said content to engage readers.
Some key features of a blog are:
They’re updated regularly with new content.
They’re often informal or conversational in tone.
Topics can range from personal experiences to professional advice or news.
Readers can usually comment and interact with the author and other readers.
Blogs may include text, images, videos, and links.
They can range widely in topic and be used for personal expression, education, marketing, or building community.
An article, on the other hand, is a formal piece of writing that presents information, analysis, or opinions on a specific topic.
Articles are:
Primarily found in newspapers, magazines, academic journals, or online news sites.
Written to inform, explain, analyze, or report, rather than to express personal opinions (though opinion articles do exist).
Usually reviewed or edited before publication, especially in professional contexts.
Stricter with guidelines for sources, length, and tone.
I’m not a journalist, nor do I pretend to be.
But it’s still important for me to do some fact-checking and ensure my writing is accurate, while also being engaging and educational.
Because who wants to read something you can’t trust?
While the blogging landscape has changed over time, some key features of a blog remain tried and true, as we’ll explore in a future blog where I talk about style, structure, and readability.
Blogs vs. Websites
Many of you are also wondering what the difference between a blog and a website is. You’re probably thinking, “Isn’t a blog just another kind of website?” And you’d be right… to a point.
You can say that all blogs are technically websites, but not all websites are blogs.
It’s worth exploring the main distinctions between a blog and a website: how they function and their respective roles online.
Blogs are more dynamic, which is why they’ve been so popular in the past couple of decades.
They’re more conversation-based (something I’ll explain in more detail in a future blog about how to write one).
Blogs are typically updated weekly, sometimes daily if inspiration strikes.
A website, on the other hand, is often more static.
Its function is similar to that of a digital storefront. A digital billboard, if you will. They consist of pages like "Home," "About," "Services," or "Contact" that don’t change, except for the occasional updates (say, if your offerings or details change). Each page has a specific purpose and is intended to provide straightforward, evergreen information.
A one-page website, for example, might exist solely to promote a single product or to collect emails in exchange for a free lead magnet that can be downloaded.
Blogs, on the other hand, are individual entries organized by date or topic.
As you’ve already read about in the past few posts, they offer commentary and stories, as well as valuable insights.
Over time, your blogs accumulate into an archive (take mine for instance), where readers can browse older (ideally evergreen) content along with the latest updates.
A blog can even be part of a larger website, usually under a dedicated “Blog” section. And if you’re a niche blogger, the blog itself can be the entire website.
So in short:
Blogs are active, evolving, and conversation-driven.
Websites are static, stable, and purpose-focused.
Both are useful. Both have their place.
But if you want to build a following, share ongoing updates to teach or inspire, or position yourself as an expert in your chosen field, a blog is the way to go. With blogs, you can create that needed space for audience engagement and drive them to revisit with every fresh post you create.
Nowadays, though, most websites will include both “classic” pages as well as a blog.
Blogging to Learn
Admittedly, as I draft these blogs about blogging, I put myself through a learning process that I may not have otherwise done if not for the goal of writing these very blogs.
And that’s one of the great things about drafting a blog with a specific topic in mind.
You learn through research, and you discover new ways of thinking about certain subject matters that are only available through the act of writing about them—something we might be beginning to lose as a result of our over-dependence on AI.
(I’ll talk about the much-maligned em dash in a future post. Spoiler alert: I love em dashes).
As I’ve mentioned before, I do occasionally use AI (who doesn’t these days?), but for research and ideation purposes, even as a way to streamline my writing process while I still retain my own thoughts and my voice.
I don’t let it take over the creative act of writing itself, something I think we should all try to be mindful of.
In a future blog post, I will offer my honest take on AI, even as I use it to help me save time. At the same time, I’ll be honest about how I feel about how it should aid the creative process rather than simply take it over.