Both blogs and “regular” websites can be successful. For example, StevesClassroom.com is a WordPress blog and CactusCanyon.com is a simple, static website. The answer really depends on how the site is used. Also, I like for my clients to make that decision based upon their needs and not whether or not they have basic web design skills.

Beginners often choose blog formats because they don’t want to learn simple page design. This can work, but I don’t suggest handicapping one’s self by failing to learn simple page design at some point. Additionally, in many cases it works quite well to incorporate a blog into a static site…that way you can enjoy the benefits of each!

If you do plan to have a blog, whether as the format of your site or as an addition to your site, I have some tips:

1. Always choose a host which has a simple install available for WordPress. You can download WordPress and install it yourself, but that can be complicated since a data base must be configured. Here is a Video for Installing WP on this host.


2. If your site is a WordPress blog, learning how to create simple web pages with Dreamweaver or other editor is still important. For example, one of my clients right now is adding buy buttons to a post. In order to complete that process she'll need a thank you page created outside of WP. She is using Dreamweaver to create the page. Also, in many instances when I have pictures or buy buttons in WP posts, I create the post in Dreamweaver and then paste the HTML code into code of the post. You really must learn how to make simple web pages no matter what.