So, the big question you probably have now is which is better for me – blog roll vs static home page and which will generate the most traffic?
By now you have built your website, picked a theme, learned what the Dashboard is all about, and learned the importance of adding categories and tags.
Here I will give you some pros and cons for Blog Roll vs Static Home Page as it is a personal decision based on your wants and needs.
What is a Blog Roll
A WordPress Blog roll is a list of your latest blog posts that appears on the home page. It is a list of a blogger’s links to other blogs or websites that he or she recommends to other readers. It can be located on the sidebar or footer. You can also limit the number of blogs, for example, 5 or 10 latest blogs and a short description of each.
Why use a Blog Roll
• Quickly and easily update content
• Good for beginners
• Provides users with an opportunity to see your other posts
• Easier to search for content
• More functionality and flexibility
• Ideal if you are not blogging for business or to make money
Main Disadvantages of a Blog Roll
- Takes up a lot of premium space on your website
- Linking to poor content could hurt your site
- You will need to spend more time getting the blogs up and running.
- Can affect the loading speed
- Not updating content will make your site stale
- Outdated or broken links if not continuously updated can cause frustration
- Weakens your brand if promoting content from other sites
What is a Static Home Page
A static page, on the other hand, has content that remains the same and is often used for the homepage, about us page and contact page – in other words, pages that do not require constant changes.
Why use a Static Home Page
- Easier to host
- Faster to load
- Inform your readers who and what you are about – make a strong first impression
- Can lead your audience immediately to where you want them to go with a call to action
- Ideal for business or ‘the make money niche and non-profit websites
Main Disadvantages of a Static Home Page
- May be difficult and time-consuming to make changes quickly as a beginner
- Stale content may turn a visitor off if they see the same thing every time they visit
- Lack of fresh content could affect SEO and rankings
- Lack of engagement unless you have a call to action button that is interesting
Which is Better for Traffic: Blog Roll vs Static Home Page
There are conflicting opinions as to which is better to gain traffic to your site – the blog roll or the static home page.
It is believed having a blog roll will drive more traffic through quality links in your blogs. The freshness of content is important for a visitor to want to check out your links and to keep coming back to your site for more.
Google likes updated content and internal linking to your site. If your articles are being ranked on Google, chances are your home page isn’t getting a lot of visits.
A static page on the other hand can drive traffic if it is well-written, eye-catching, contains optimized content, and a call to action.
If you choose a blog roll, remember speed is important. Slow speeds can cause high bounce rates.
Other Ways to Bring Traffic to Your Site
- SEO optimization
- Mobile friendly
- Paid advertisements
- Social media
- Fresh content
- Reviews
- Videos on your website
- Forums such as Quora (quora.com)
- Business cards
- Word of mouth
- Online influencers
Conclusion
Blog Roll vs Static Home Page
So which is better Blog Roll vs static home page?
Blog Roll
A blog roll is useful to bloggers or businesses who want to promote their products:
- Promote other blogs that you enjoy reading
- A great way to build relationships with other like-minded individuals in your niche
- You can share resources and information you consider valuable by providing links to other websites
- Another great thing I do is link to other websites and blogs I own which helps to increase your audience
The important thing is to provide fresh and useful content with internal links to keep your readers interested engaged, and on your website longer.
Static Home Page
On the other hand, a static home page can be useful to a business or brand:
- A great way to provide a clear message or call to action for a specific product or service
- May require fewer updates and changes for those who lack knowledge or time
- You can create a dynamic first impression while guiding visitors to other sections of your site
- An opportunity to showcase what your website is about
- Provide important information about your service or business such as hours and contact info
- Can help with SEO if properly designed to improve website visits and gain more traffic
The next step is up to you. You will have to decide if the pros outweigh the cons for blog roll vs static home pages.
Which one do you use and why? Let us know in the comment section below because sharing is knowledge.
See you next week with another new topic!
