How to Create a WordPress Website – But Not a Blog
Blogs are all the rage. Thanks to platforms like WordPress and Medium, it’s much easier to publish content regularly and maintain a blog than it was back in the day, when people had to manually keep up with their own websites and emails.
As exciting as blogs are, though, they can sometimes feel a bit restrictive. You have to start out by assuming a specific structure with respect to content and you’re pretty much committed to following a particular format.
On the other hand, a WordPress website or webstore is much more flexible. You can put up a pretty much any type of content you want and you don’t need to worry about the design looking the same across all your posts. In this article, we’ll discuss the differences between a blog and a WordPress website, along with some tips on how to create a WordPress website from scratch.
The Definitive Dichotomy
To start, let’s set the terms and establish whether or not you should create a blog or a WordPress website. A blog is, generally speaking, a type of platform designed for regular content publication and commentary. This content can be anything from a simple blog post to a series of articles or a podcast. A blog is usually associated with a website, which provides the platform for the blog to exist on; the two are not mutually exclusive.
A WordPress website, on the other hand, is a fully functioning website that’s built using the WordPress content management system. This content management system is flexible enough to allow anyone to build a fully functioning website with the features they need, without needing to worry about any sort of design details. Essentially, a WordPress website is a blank canvas waiting to be shaped and filled with content.
The above paragraphs should have made it clear that while both have their place, a blog usually embodies the form and function of a typical website, but with less emphasis on structure. This means that while you have to start out by picking a domain name and building the website within WordPress, once you’re up and running you don’t necessarily need to stick to the platform; you can easily migrate to another content management system if need be.
The Appeal Of Creativity
One of the things that makes a blog stand out is its openness to new ideas and content. This is in part because blogs are a type of publication that was designed to be shared; it was initially conceived of as a place to share an author’s thoughts on various topics as they developed. Creative individuals who are passionate about a certain subject can use blogs to share their perspectives on that subject with the world. This sort of content is usually posted as regularly as possible, so that the reader can stay informed about what’s going on.
WordPress websites, on the other hand, are great for individuals or small businesses that want to keep up with the times and be as unique as possible. The platform is so flexible that anyone—even those with no technical expertise—can put up a fully functioning website with the features they need, without needing to worry about any sort of design details. Instead of having a set schedule for content publishing, you can simply post when you want to, on the days that you want to.
The appeal of a blank canvas for content creators is obvious; you can put up any type of content you want in whatever format you want and the only limits are your own creative mind and the amount of time you want to invest in shaping and polishing your work.
The above paragraphs should have made it clear that while both have their place, a blog usually embodies the form and function of a typical website, but with less emphasis on structure. This means that while you have to start out by picking a domain name and building the website within WordPress, once you’re up and running you don’t necessarily need to stick to the platform; you can easily migrate to another content management system if need be.
Why Should You Try It?
If you’ve decided that a blog may be right for you, the next step is to ask yourself why. There are several compelling reasons why someone would want to try out a blog rather than a WordPress website. First off, a blog tends to be much easier to get started with. All you need is a web space (generally speaking, any hosting account will do), a domain name and a computer. You then simply build the blog using either WordPress or another content management system (CMS).
Starting a blog is much easier than setting up a fully fledged WordPress website. You don’t necessarily need to worry about hosting or figuring out how to make your content look good (the visuals are handled by the CMS). As long as you have a suitable domain name and can put up the content, you can start a blog and begin publishing right away. You will, however, have to deal with the administrative aspects of running a blog, such as keeping track of your stats and posting often enough to retain your audience.
WordPress websites are generally more popular than blogs. This is due, in part, to the fact that they were originally designed to replace the static websites that were commonplace back in the day. These static websites tended to only have a handful of pages, with perhaps a contact form or two. People wanted to keep up with the times and have a website that was more interactive and had the features they needed, without needing to deal with building and maintaining a static website from the ground up.
Building a WordPress website from scratch offers several advantages. First, you get to choose the domain name you want. This means you can build a website that’s perfectly matched to your needs and the type of content you want to share. In addition, you have the option to deploy a fully functional website in less than an hour. There is no need to wait weeks for a web host to install your site and setup the basics, like a domain name and AWS credentials.
If you’re looking for a simple and flexible way to get started, building a WordPress website from scratch is the clear choice. Once you have your basic site up and running, you can simply take it from there.
WordPress also makes it easy to export your content and take it elsewhere, if needed. You can easily publish your content to other platforms like Medium, where you can then take advantage of their platform and their highly engaged audience. Or, you can simply continue to grow and develop your content in WordPress.
The above paragraphs should have made it clear that while both have their place, a blog usually embodies the form and function of a typical website, but with less emphasis on structure. This means that while you have to start out by picking a domain name and building the website within WordPress, once you’re up and running you don’t necessarily need to stick to the platform; you can easily migrate to another content management system if need be.