In the era of digitization, when the number of internet users is thriving, businesses can’t afford to stay offline. According to the information by Internet World Stats, there were 4536 million internet users in the world as of June 30, 2019. The country that tops the list is China, with 854 million internet users, followed by India that has 560 million users of the internet. Well, why are we saying all these? The gist of the story is the key to success is going online. And having a website is the first step towards it. But, imagine a website without content! Sounds absurd? Here comes the importance of content. Content could be anything like video, image, blog, and article.

However, today, we are concerned about blogs and articles. Are these two same? Or is there something that differentiates them?

Blog V/s Article

You must have heard blog writing and article writing interchangeably! But these two aren’t the same, though the line of difference between blog and article is thin. Being unaware of the difference between the two, people mix these two often. And you know the result! Yes, a total mess. Especially in the freelancing cosmos, many content writers come up with content that can neither be categorized as a blog nor as an article. This happens a lot with the fresher. As a result, it fails to captivate readers, bringing down the response. Besides, the problem worsens when you find a client who doesn’t know the difference between these. There starts a chain of conversation, appending the problem, and killing the time of both the parties.

So, the need is to define the line that separates blog writing from article writing. Then only it would be possible to decide how to write a blog and how to write an article. So, let’s draw the line of distinction and get out of the confusion.

Basis of Difference Between Blog and Article

The Size – How Long We Can Take It

Basic yet an essential point of distinction! A blog need not be detail-oriented. So, when it comes to blog writing, anything between 300 to 1000 words is good. It doesn’t mean that a blog can’t have more than 1000 words or any piece of content having more than 1000 words, is article. The range specified is just a normal inclination. On the other hand, an article can be of 1000-3000 words or even more.

The Structuring – Way To Style It

A significant point of difference between blog and article! It carries much importance. Generally, a blog is written in an informal and friendly or neutral tone. And, it is perfectly alright to use the first and the second person while writing a blog. However, at the time of article writing, it is requisite to ensure that both the tone and style of the writer remain formal throughout. No use of funky or casual words is permitted in the article. Also, an article must be written in the third person.

Optimization – The SEO Perspective

Here, we will confine our talk to the use of keywords in Search Engine Optimization. Using keywords while blog writing has become a trend or better say necessity converted into a trend. It makes your content searchable and visible. But keywords are not inserted while article writing as an article is created with a different intent. Then how does it reach its target? The ways are many, which is a different topic, but not SEO keywords. Hmm…we can include the keywords if they are natural and adaptable to the flow. Otherwise, it is not insisted and required.

Fact-Finding – The Level of Probing

Blog writing is quite an easy task, requiring less expertise. Besides, a blog doesn’t need to have factual and comprehensive subject information. A writer is free to pen down his/her thought on a particular subject without any data to justify it. However, an article calls for thorough and careful research, to be able to come up with meaningful and exhaustive information on a topic.

The Polishing – To Re-read and Correct

Talking about correctness, there is no privilege to either blog or article. Both need to be grammatically correct. Moreover, the use of polished but easy-to-understand language helps in arresting a huge chunk of people. With regards to this, we must say, both blog and article must be written keeping in mind the target readers. Then can we say there is no difference between blog and article? A big no! Why? A blog can be self-opinionated; a writer can put forth his/her viewpoint. And thus, the question of right or wrong barely arises. But an article serves the readers with factual information. So, it is vital to proofread it and check if the things mentioned are accurate. And if not, then you know the next step! Correct, make the modifications. We can’t simply go ahead with writing whatever we feel in this situation.

The Connect – Readers’ Engagement

A blog acts as a medium to connect with the readers in the first place. So, isn’t it for informing? Oh, No…it can be informative as well. But, it is designed in a way that captivates readers and generates their interest. Basically, it differs from an article in terms of purpose. The information in the blog doesn’t provide deep insight on a topic or subject. For this, the article comes into the picture, which aims at providing in-depth knowledge of a particular matter, covering various related aspects.

And for the content writers, we must add another point of difference between blog and article. Guess what?

The Pay – How Much One Will Earn?

Last but not least! If you wanna know how much each of this can bring to your pocket then, we have an answer for you. Article writing will fetch more money. As the blog is a small, casual, less detailed version of the content, it requires less time and effort. Moreover, it requires hardly any research. But writing an article is the opposite. It demands more dedication, subject knowledge, writing expertise, and of course, the time as you can’t put your opinion into it. So, people are ready to pay more for it.

Summing Up

This must-have cleared the ambiguity. Now when you know the difference, you can decide which is more fitting for your business, a blog, or an article. Moreover, writers can pick their writing preferences too. Though nothing wrong in proceeding with both blog writing and article writing, until you are comfortable.