Thinking About Adding Blog to Domain

stephengfm · Share | #1 (**permalink**) 05-04-2012, 06:56 PM

After contemplating the idea of adding a blog to my domain, I wanted to pick your brain.

I know where I can get and write enough material on a daily basis to add original content to the website.

The blog would be about my business category found in my links below.

So the effects of adding the blog on all aspects of the domain will be?

#1) More traffic to the blog.
#2) More unpaid for me.
#3) A change in Keywords and inbound links.
#4) What else?

I can handle #1 and #2.
#3) What would be the effects on my keyword content words and the search ability of my services?
#4) Don't know about any other issues related to adding a blog to a business website's domain - presumably as a subdomain
like www.***.com/blogname

**HTMLBasicTutor** · #2 (**permalink**) 05-04-2012, 07:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by stephengfm

#4) Don't know about any other issues related to adding a blog to a business website's domain - presumably as a subdomain
like www.***.com/blogname

The way you have illustrated this it is not a subdomain. You are illustrating putting your blog in a folder.

Quote:

When the URL looks like the following, it is a domain.

www.yourdomain.com

When the URL looks like the following, it is a subdomain of the domain.

www.brat.yourdomain.com

When the URL looks like the following, it is a directory (folder) within the domain.

www.yourdomain.com/brat/

Domain vs. Subdomain

Read the whole article to decide which is the best for your situation.

stephengfm · #3 (**permalink**) 05-04-2012, 08:49 PM

Making a Sub-domain:

Doesn't making a sub-domain mess up your search results when Google indexes the blog under your domain and your sub-domain?

Moreover, doesn't Google Webmaster Tools record the blog content under the keywords and links under both your sub-domain and your domain? (That's my experience)

Unless there is a way to stop it?

technol · #4 (**permalink**) 05-05-2012, 12:15 PM

Why have a sub-domain at all?

What are you building your site with?

Can you not create a blog on your own domain but use different URL, for example yourdomain/blog(or whatever you like)/page name

stephengfm · #5 (**permalink**) 05-05-2012, 12:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by technol

Why have a sub-domain at all?

What are you building your site with?

Can you not create a blog on your own domain but use different URL, for example yourdomain/blog(or whatever you like)/page name

First, I am asking because I don't know.

I'd probably use the free Wordpress provided by my hosting company - Yahoo small business. (Unless you can tell me why they would be horrible?)

Second, I am concerned about ruining my business website's Keyword content that is highly attuned for the business. The blog would be tangentially related to the content on the website, but would include much material that would change the distribution of keywords.

I can create a sub-domain on domain. In fact, I can create 500 of them. But before I do that I am trying to plan the best plan of attack.

technol · #6 (**permalink**) 05-05-2012, 12:47 PM

I'm not a hundred percent sure, but someone will put us right if I'm wrong, but I don't think it will affect your site in any way other than the affect of the link to the blog pages.

Google analyses lots of things about your site including your site URL, where it was registered, where it is hosted, speed, links in and links out, and the content of your page.

It ranks your pages individually based on the content of that page. The problem with links, is that if there are a lot of links out, Google assumes the pages you are linking too are more interesting than the page you are linking from.

So, on your front page for example, you only want a main menu that links to the main areas of your site (to illustrate the extreme, you need a link to your sitemap, you don't want to display links to every page on your site).

If you create a blog on an existing site, you need a single link to 'Blog'. Don't have your blog titles, or blog content, listed on your front page. That way the front page is only being affected by a single extra link out.

Google will follow the blog link (as will your users) and if the content is good enough and is related to the blog title, it will rank every individual page of your blog as well as listing all the other individual pages of your site.

You should be thinking this way anyway as front pages are often generic. If you are selling flowers, the front page of a flowers website would have a hard time getting to the top of Google, but pages entitled red flowers for funerals, flowers for your lover, sun loving summer flowers, etc, should all find their way into Google in their own right.

The individual pages are the things that people will find easier than the home page itself, and of course, on each page you have a link to your sitemap and a link to your home page.

stephengfm · #7 (**permalink**) 05-05-2012, 12:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by technol

(My response is to this poster)

I understand. I was contemplating just placing one link from the page to the blog. I'll probably call it "Authors Blog."

But my website for the business pertains to just one geographical area - Florida.

However, my blog may have lots of content from the entire world geography.

I don't want Google to confuse the geographical area of the blog and my business and have a lower search ranking because of it.

technol · #8 (**permalink**) 05-05-2012, 12:57 PM

If your site and blog are that different I would create a completely different site for it and have two completely different sites. Is that an option?

stephengfm · #9 (**permalink**) 05-05-2012, 12:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by technol

If your site and blog are that different I would create a completely different site for it and have two completely different sites. Is that an option?

No it's not because of finances.

My business site pertains to Florida Mediation.

The blog will pertain to Mediation generally.

I believe that is pertinent enough to not warrant a new domain.

technol · #10 (**permalink**) 05-05-2012, 01:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by stephengfm

I'll probably call it "Authors Blog."

Or "Worldwide Mediation" or "Mediation Blog". The wording of the link would then reinforce Google's understanding of what the blog was about (rather than the generic "Blog")

stephengfm · #11 (**permalink**) 05-05-2012, 01:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by technol

Or "Worldwide Mediation" or "Mediation Blog". The wording of the link would then reinforce Google's understanding of what the blog was about (rather than the generic "Blog")

Just didn't want to state what the title is going to be.

spiderswatch · #12 (**permalink**) 05-07-2012, 04:49 AM

Its a great idea to add blog in domain name, it will help in increase the inner pages after the postings in blogs.

5593907 · #13 (**permalink**) 07-06-2012, 07:03 AM

If it were me, I'd set the blog up in a folder on the domain versus the sub-domain. I've tried both methods, and had far greater SEO success with the folder versus the sub-domain.

Personally, I'm a huge of this method for a few reasons:

#1 - Depending on your site platform, a blog can be much easier to manage and post to (especially WP)

#2 - Assuming that you are going with Wordpress as you mentioned, there are tons of paid and free plug-ins that can enhance the functionality of your blog beyond the capabilities of your original site platform (at least in most cases).

#3 - The blog comes with a built-in RSS feed, which has some SEO value if used correctly. Your main site may or may not have this integrated.

#4 - When set-up correctly, Google seems to like WP blogs for SEO and each post or page you create on the blog adds another avenue for someone to find you or site online.