Blogs vs Websites
But others aren't. So a usual enquiry is "how to I laid my weblog into a existent website, precisely like "someone" has done over at "this website"?
This isn't like shooting fish in a barrel to answer: Not everyone way the same thing when they field "real website". "Someone" mightiness possess got precisely changed the background image, installed a third-party theme, changed a few settings - or re-written the entire Blogger theme file! They may possess got precisely made the weblog agree off to a greater extent than professional person mortal than the basic themes exercise - or mayhap they've removing all "blog" features thence that the site is like a regular brochure website.
The bottom-line is that, level with no changes a weblog is a "real website", because it's got:
- An url (www.your-blog-name.blogspot.com)
- A interplanetary space on the internet that's dedicated precisely to it. (For Blogger users, that interplanetary space is inside Google's servers - we don't possess got to pay for our receive hosting).
- Web-pages, made inwards HTML, which visitors tin turn over the sack agree off at using a web-browser (eg Internet Explorer, Firefox, Chrome, Safari, etc)
And at that topographic signal are some sites which are not at all ashamed to agree off like blogs, for example:
- www.IkeaHackers.net/ - a site for sharing clever ways of repurposing kitset furniture
- About page is truly precisely a post from 2005!
- www.HowAboutOrange.blogspot.com - a truly stylish crafts website
- www.RUStling.org - a site listing all the songs inwards a large folk-song book
- www.TableQuizHelper.com - a site providing templates etc pub quiz-organizers
- http://www.trendmatcher.nl/ - a Dutch-language site almost applied scientific dependent area trends
- http://blog.chrisrowbury.com - a site with advice for choir leaders, which makes truly elegant usage of the Simple template (so much thence that I initially assumed it was made with Wordpress).
This article from Blogger Buster lists a 100 others - inwards add-on to I'm for sure that at that topographic signal are plenty of popular non-English linguistic communication sites that agree off like blogs, too.
But at that topographic signal are many other sites that possess got had some or all of their Blogger features hidden, for example
- www.GalwayTransport.info - a local globe demeanour information site
- www.ConcentricsRestaurants.com/ - a promotional site for a society that builds restaurants
- www.RenewPilates.com - the site for a Pilates studio
You postulate to exercise to a greater extent than piece of chore to laid the infinitesimal type of site - inwards add-on to level then, if a knowledgeable visitor looks at the source-code for a page, they tin turn over the sack yet tell that you're using Blogger. So, usually, I'd recommend that yous focus on what yous wishing to accomplish with the site, rather than "getting rid of blogger".
That said, hither is a lit of things that yous may wishing to to exercise to "turn your weblog into a website". They are in, roughly, the social club that I recommend doing them to possess got the maximum effect.
Initial steps to trim down the "bloggy" feeling
This is a website address like www.mySite.com or www.yourBlog.org - or whatever available elevate that yous choose.
Using a custom domain means that your address testament non possess got "blogspot.com" inwards it.
You tin turn over the sack exercise this either:
- Using Blogger's Settings > Basic > Blog Address > Add a Custom Domain function, or
- By using an URL that yous buy instantly from a domain registrar - yous mightiness postulate to exercise this if the address yous wishing isn't available through the Blogger role (eg I belatedly needed a co.nz address for a site) or if yous exercise non possess got a credit card.
This criterion is essential if yous don't wishing the site to agree upwards perceived as blog, because the address is what people come upward across when they maiden of all honour the site inwards search-engine results.
If yous are going to teach a custom-domain, inwards add-on to thence I strongly recommend doing it at the truly beginning of setting upwards your blog, thence all the after on steps are based on the custom-domain elevate rather than re-directions. This is is Influenza A virus subtype Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 Good Thing for SEO - inwards add-on to level if SEO doesn't thing for your blog initially it may give-up the ghost of import after on on.
2) Turn off the navBar, inwards add-on to remove the interplanetary space where it used to be
3) Show lonely 1 post on the master copy page.
4) Hide the "blog-specific" values from posts, on the Layout > Blog post (edit) tab.
At a minimum the things to turn off are:
- Post-date
- Posted-by
- Post-time
- Comments
- Links to this post
- Labels
- Reactions
- Email post links
- Post sharing
5) Make a household page - ideally using the custom-redirect option
6) Remove the attribution gadget (the chip where it says "Powered past times Blogger")
7) Remove the "subscribe to posts (atom)" link
8) Add an RSS-subscription gadget using Feedburner.
Some people field this is optional - just I believe that all "proper" websites offering an RSS feed inwards add-on to show that they exercise so by using a feedburner-style RSS chiclet. If yous precisely add together together Blogger's Subscribe gadget instead, it gives the Atom - ie blog-style feed.
Banishing the Blogger agree off for good
These following steps truly give-up the ghost together: if yous exercise one, yous postulate to exercise the others too. They are needed if yous totally wishing to convey away the blog-ish-ness:9) Remove all gadgets that introduce a listing of posts. These include the Archive, Labels. This is just the reverse of the add-a-gadget procedure - edit the existing gadget, inwards add-on to click Remove.
10) Remove the "older posts / household / newer posts" links.
It's temping to recall almost navigation from the household page. But first-time visitors who come upward upwards to your site from search-results testament non teach inwards at the household page. They mightiness non level recall to agree off at the household page. Ideally your navigation scheme should offering several routes to teach to every piece of information, inwards add-on to should include both logical links between posts and a search-based option.
Tools that yous mightiness usage to assist with this:
- Summary posts, with links to especial pages almost the topic. (Eg my public-transport site has a "city buses details" page, which links to individual route maps)
- A carte du jour bar with links to the most-important summary posts.
NB If yous usage the Pages gadget for this, it is automatically included if yous give the site a mobile theme which is an of import criterion if yous wishing the site to agree upwards responsive. - Linked-List gadgets to introduce summary posts, or lists of related especial posts, inwards the sidebar or footer.
An alternative to your receive navigation scheme is to use categories to pose your posts into pages. This doesn't fully trim down the bloggy feeling, since mortal who looks at a page sees a listing of posts (with precisely post-summaries if you've used jump-links). However changing the the status message (the greyness box that says "showing all posts with label whatever") tin turn over the sack laid this acceptable inwards some sites (ie ones where the depict of piece of chore between weblog inwards add-on to website is blurred).
What yous (currently) cannot do
You cannot remove the post-date values from the URL of weblog posts.If your entire site could agree upwards done with xx or fewer screens, yous could usage Pages for everything - just IMHO this isn't necessary, visitors don't seem to agree upwards overly spooked past times URLs with numbers inwards them.
You cannot usage a dynamic theme
If yous wishing your site to agree off like a website, non a blog: yous postulate to usage a Designer, or mayhap a Layout, theme.
Other things that yous mightiness do
You mightiness wishing your weblog tostand out inwards the seach results inwards social club to teach to a greater extent than visitors - come upward across Getting Started with SEO.You mightiness wishing to link it to the social networks - scream out dorsum that at that topographic signal are wide laid of possible links, inwards add-on to yous postulate a strategy almost how the site relates to each social medium that yous use.
Have I missed anything?
I wrote this article while I was setting upwards a site on which I wishing to minimise the "blog" look-and-feel, inwards add-on to I've tried to capture all the steps that I did.But mayhap I've missed some things? Maybe at that topographic signal are features that piece of chore differently on other themes.
What else would yous do?