Blog and or website?

[NicolaB]

I don't see these days why people need website when we have blogs that can double as websites?

I was wondering why people have both? Is there an advantage?

tia

[AnonymousKiwi1]

I have one for blogging personal stuff, and one for selling to the public.
Two totally different ventures, I want to keep them separate.

[Jim Bryant]

It's good to have both. A website it a royal pain in the ass to constantly update with new images. However a blog is not and it actually drives folks to your website.

[nickbedford]

Mine is essentially a blog of the shoots I do, kinda like I Shoot Shows (except without the tutorials and all that). There's WordPress categories set up for articles, per sé, but I haven't done any yet. My portfolio is on there as well. I need to go through it (and do more shoots! been a bit lax lately).

The other thing to mention is I only occasionally freelance so it's not imperative my website try to sell particular photographic services and such. Even then, I'm busy enough with full time work and my band that I only really want the odd job, and it's often from friends and people within my social network (bands, musicians I know etc).

[NicolaB]

So many people have both, so I think I am missing some vital piece of information

I understand your reason here guys - but how about if the blog and web are for the same venture and audience?

As I see it, a blog IS a web site - but one that is currently updated with recent shoot information and offers?

When I get going, my blog will be a business blog. I will have pages leading to galleries, about me pages etc.

Why do I need a web page too? Is there a logical reason I am missing?

[oldwolf]

Some clients don't want to see that you had a great time with so and so then look at a few pictures. They just want to see your portfolio. If I were hiring for a company the last thing I'd have time to do is scroll through a blog to see if you have images that would fit our needs.

A blog is also displaying your most recent stuff. If you shot babies, families and weddings do you really think the client will want to scroll through your whole blog until they find wedding pictures that you took last season? What if the wedding you shot last season was all indoors and the couple wanted to see samples of your outdoor weddings? What if your last wedding was of a thinner couple and the ones that want to hire you are a little on the heavy side? They'd have to scroll back even more to find some pictures of heavier couples.

I think both are great but they each serve a different purpose. A website is your portfolio that people can look at the best shots from all of your work. A blog is something that people can look at your most recent work and possibly to see your interaction or state of mind if you write something about the last shoot.

[GreggObst]

I think it all goes to the question of intent. If you intend to sell photos of a particular genre, then you web site is where your portfolio lives and it should only feature your best work in that genre. So for instance, if you are looking to get hired for portrait work, your web site should feature your best work of portraiture. The fact that you also shoot sports is irrelevant to the intention of selling portraiture work and that type of thing belongs on your blog only.

The blog is where you communicate out your other photography activities, announcements of scheduling openings, price changes, what you shot most recently, stories about how you made a shoot special for a couple or family, etc. The blog is where you get people excited about your brand and your brand is "YOU". Make references back to the portfolio on your web site when you post portrait announcements on your blog ("For more of my portrait work and how I can capture your special moments, please click here for my portfolio site...") that type of thing.

Make sure your web site has current contact information, services and packages offered and pricing that is easy to figure out. There should be no ambiguity on the web site. You are sending people there from your blog, twitter, facebook, etc to check out work that people have paid you to do in a specific photography genre and when they get there you want them to have all the information for making that buying and scheduling decision. Don't make them wade through irrelevant information to get to the information they need to make that decision. The web site is a buying funnel and you need to give them every reason to want to work with you when they are on there.

Keep your blog for stuff that goes on in your shooting and non-shooting life that is irrelevant to that buying decision.

[mshockley]

I too have been a bit confused on this issue/or need to have both, but in the other direction.

I kind of feel like if I start a blog it needs to be maintained and updated with something fresh at least a couple times a week? I don't know if I want to have to mess around with sitting down and posting a paragraph of timely information or news to keep a blog current. I know when I have come upon blogs and notice the latest post was from 2 months ago, I don't even stick around to read or view any images on it as I feel it's not being kept current.

For me, it seems so much easier to post a recent shoot to my client gallery's and make some quick update's to my portfolio at a website? Everything I do as far as marketing focuses on my website.

I have talked to many people who have said they really don't care what photographer xyz did this month, they just need to view the current images.

Anyway, again, I feel as though I must be missing something also as I don't particularly like Blogs.....

[Kit]

For me, a web site gives you all the basic information about the phtographic company, organised in quick to navigate keys. Style of photography, location, contact etc with a gallery of your work which showcases your photographic style.

The blog site is a way of maintaining contact with your client (or fan) base, showcaseing your current work and informing them about current news (such as awards, specials etc).

I see then a two totally different platforms.

[NicolaB]

Ramblings below as I try to reason this in my mind!.......

Originally Posted by oldwolf

... They just want to see your portfolio. If I were hiring for a company the last thing I'd have time to do is scroll through a blog to see if you have images that would fit our needs.

A blog is also displaying your most recent stuff.

Originally Posted by GreggObst

....... web site is where your portfolio lives and it should only feature your best work in that genre. So for instance, if you are looking to get hired for portrait work, your web site should feature your best work of portraiture. ......

The blog is where you communicate out your other photography activities, announcements of scheduling openings, price changes, what you shot most recently, stories about how you made a shoot special for a couple or family, etc. The blog is where you get people excited about your brand and your brand is "YOU". Make references back to the portfolio on your web site when you post portrait announcements on your blog ("For more of my portrait work and how I can capture your special moments, please click here for my portfolio site...") that type of thing.

........The web site is a buying funnel and you need to give them every reason to want to work with you when they are on there.

Keep your blog for stuff that goes on in your shooting and non-shooting life that is irrelevant to that buying decision.

I agree, but can the one site not do both? Do you think a well designed Blog with all the galleries clearly listed along the top with the usual web pages, inc contact etc then it is acting in the same way as the web page on one site? That way people have all they need in one place. Why point them somewhere they probably won't waste time going to?

In my mind a Blog is a very current Web site that is constantly up to date show casing all your recent - and best work in galleries.

Originally Posted by mshockley

I too have been a bit confused on this issue/or need to have both, but in the other direction.........

I have talked to many people who have said they really don't care what photographer xyz did this month, they just need to view the current images.

Anyway, again, I feel as though I must be missing something also as I don't particularly like Blogs.....

This is a good point. I have loads of hits on my blog and I am not trading, so I believe they are coming as a direct result of this site. So would my blog be for potential customers to see my very latest work, or will it be mostly used by people who are interested in learning as I am?

Originally Posted by Kit

For me, a web site gives you all the basic information about the phtographic company, organised in quick to navigate keys. Style of photography, location, contact etc with a gallery of your work which showcases your photographic style.

The blog site is a way of maintaining contact with your client (or fan) base, showcaseing your current work and informing them about current news (such as awards, specials etc).

I see then a two totally different platforms.

Again, if well designed could they be one?

Originally Posted by Jim Bryant

It's good to have both. A website it a royal pain in the ass to constantly update with new images. However a blog is not and it actually drives folks to your website.

The jury is still out, although you all have me leaning towards having a simple website as well linked via the header bar in each direction.