Blogging question

[jannmirch]

I am working on a site for a client that, while it will be relatively simple to start, will be rather complex once we get going.

One of the first things they want to do is create a blog that fits the design template of the rest of the site.

For my own site (http://www.jannmirch.com), I use Blogger and my own template so it works seamlessly with the rest of my site. I did this more or less as a tutorial for myself.

My question is: Is this the best way to do this? Posts are easy to add and manage, but the template can be a bit cumbersome, especially when I make a change to the style sheet.

Any thoughts on adding a blog to a larger website?

[toprank]

I would recommend using wordpress if you can. It's easier to manage customization and there are many more features than Blogger.

[SemAdvance]

I blog off another domain altogether...I recommend it for clients as well....I would even go so far as to say to put it on another hosting company if in a highly competetive category.

I can toss one way links to my other sites from the blog which are more value than if on my main URL.

Works better that way and gives my main site, sister sites, and blogs more PR & trust it seems...

Now if I could just find time to keep up my blogs ......

I will also give a vote to using wordpress as well!!

[bj]

It's definitely best to keep the blog on the same domain as the site itself, despite a difference of opinion here. Why would you put all those keyword rich posts, each one representing a new potential "back door" into your site, on another domain or host? The blogposts are your "authority", they give you credibility about your subject matter and create a wonderful content-rich area of your site.

Re the blog tool to use. wordpress, though it has its problems, is one of the better ones. Blogger is much too limited.

If your site is coded semantically, in xhtml/css, then skinning it for wordpress to look like the rest of the site is achievable if you know what you're doing. If you don't it can be challenging. Upside is it only really has to be done once, then maintenance of the site is all done through admin.

[SemAdvance]

Why would you put all those keyword rich posts, each one representing a new potential "back door" into your site, on another domain or host?

Well because it is another "back door" into my site.

If the blog is on my site and the user is on my site where is the back door??

Might want to do some more research on the term "back doors" to ones site...it usually means one of your pages... deep linked from another site...

IE: your blog on it's own url & host linking to your about page on your main website.

Can also be an article on somebodys website that links to your FAQ page...or a product detail page..

Word Press does have minor issues... but for the SMB or entrpreneur with cash to spend better they try paid ads, and use Word Press than spend the money on blog software at the onset.

[bj]

Well, you could be right for your site, but my stats and my backlinks tell me I'm definitely doing it right for mine. :)

Bottom line is that with tagging and rss and blogrolls (gotta LOVE those blogrolls!!) and the other ways to make a site sticky with a blog, why would you want to split it off the domain you're trying to promote? It just makes no real sense.

[SemAdvance]

Well BJ I can make my blog sticky if I had time. I also have enough depth in my website to make it extremely sticky without a blog.

Again the value of the blog with its own outbound and inbound links, ads, affiliate ads, etc on it's own domain is just like the site in my signature file another way to draw and drive traffic to other properties.

Sort of my own little growing marketing network....

Works for me and others.

There is typically more than one way of using something, to get to ones' goals...when we stop and think, that our way, may not be the only way to do something.... then, and only then, do we attain true enlightenment....

For example climbers do not always take the same path to the top of Kilimanjaro, nor do I optimize a website the same way for client A as I do client B.

Hope it helps and have a good rest of the evening.

Peace

[MeanSEO]

I found keeping the blog on another host works far better.

I always prefer to keep my eggs in more than one basket.

[deadhippo]

I also wanted to do a similar thing for my own site and while I use different stylesheets, it was mostly a case of copy and paste.You can see the result here.

http://www.deadhippo.com/
http://deadhippoyokohamaliving.blogspot.com/

I was also able to apply the same style to my cafepress shop

http://www.cafepress.com/deadhippo

It is actually possible for me to host everthing on my site at almost no extra cost but I thought the external links to each other would help rather than hinder

[edhan]

I do agree that Wordpress is easy to configure and maintain. Furthermore there are many useful plugins you can make use to help your site.

[jannmirch]

Thanks all for the suggestions. I'll need to give it some thought and figure out what will work for this client.

Cheers!