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In this article, we'll define a few basic concepts and help you determine whether you need a website, blog, or portfolio. This article will also help you identify the difference between a blog and a website as well as a portfolio site. That big decision will clarify many of the smaller decisions you will make later on.

What Is a Website

A website is a general term that can mean almost any kind of site on the internet, whether it's something as complex as Pinterest or Facebook, or just an online price list of an auto parts dealer.

Your website will be the place where people find out about you, learn how to contact you, access your price list, and view samples of your work.

After you build your website, you shouldn't need to change it too often unless you are making major changes in regards to the pricing or services that you currently offer. For the most part, your website should be your online storefront, allowing people to browse and peruse your products, services, and prices in order to determine if they will make a final purchase. And, just like any store, you should also have a way for people to ask you questions about your business.

What is a Blog Site

A blog is a type of content-based website. A blog could be as simple as a diary of a teenager's travels. Or it could be as sophisticated as the New York Times, which is effectively a blog built on WordPress, the content management system that carries nearly one-quarter of all the world's websites.

Do you need a blog? Well, the key point about a blog is that it's easy to update, so you can keep it fresh and relevant as readers keep coming back for your latest viewpoint. The lifeblood of blogs is community and interaction: people reading what you have posted, commenting on it, and sharing it with their friends. A blog is essential for content marketing.

Affiliate marketer Reed Floren explains on his site that

"The beauty of having a blog is once you’ve set it up you can easily make changes yourself and don’t have to rely on someone with more technical skills to make changes to your site."

What Is a Portfolio Website

A portfolio site has one job: to showcase your work and land you your next job. Format magazine writes that 63% of the decision to hire a creative for a job comes from their portfolio.

Your portfolio needs to delight, inspire, and prove to potential clients that you've got what it takes to give them what they need. Potential clients need to fall in love with your products and/or services via your portfolio website.

In a nutshell: Your website explains who you are, where you are, and how you do your business. Your blog proves that you're up to date with trends and the thinking in your field of expertise and that people trust you (via their comments and feedback on your posts). Your portfolio showcases the work that will guide clients to understand what you're capable of and get you your next job.