Here is a fun fact that you may not know: blog posts and articles are not the same thing. Yes, when people are talking they usually use those two terms interchangeably, but indeed there are some fundamental differences between the two.

If you are working with content marketing then you need to know which are those differences and which one do you actually need.

So without further ado, let’s dive in and let’s see which one will win in this blog post vs. article battle! Joke! Let’s learn which are the differences and which one you need.

Blog Posts and Articles – Which Writing Form Is Older?

As its name suggests, a blog post is a post that is solely published on blogs. On the other hand, an article is a form of writing which can also be published in newspapers, magazines, and print media. Considering this, there is no surprise that blog posts are a much newer form of writing while articles have been around for quite a while.

Do Blog Posts and Articles Differ in Terms of Writing Styles?

While blog posts can include facts, they are rather written from a personal standpoint, therefore, it usually includes the writer’s opinion on a particular topic and is written in first person singular and plural. Additionally, its style of writing is rather informal and it has more personality.

When it comes to articles, their purpose is to convey unbiased information, facts and news. This is why articles are typically written in the third person singular and plural.

Does SEO Matter For Both of Them?

As previously mentioned, articles are very often published in newspapers, magazines, and print media, hence, sometimes SEO optimization is not that important (or not at all if not published online), especially if the content is not evergreen. Completely opposite of articles, blog posts usually should be written following the best SEO practices in order to rank high on the search engines and drive organic traffic to the overall website.

Do Blog Posts and Articles Differ In Terms of Purpose?

Another fundamental difference between a blog post and an article is its purpose. Blog posts’ purpose is to generate leads and bring more traffic to the overall website which is why their SEO ranking is extremely important. Shortly said, blog posts typically aim to establish a strong authority status on the search engines and boost the conversion rate.

Articles, on the other side, aim to inform as much as possible, however, depending on the type of article, nowadays their aim is also to increase the revenue.

Do Blog Posts and Articles Differ in Terms of Structure?

Blog posts and articles also differ in terms of their structures. Blog posts are usually written with short sentences, exclamation marks, and other punctuation marks in order to arouse interest and keep the reader as long as possible on the blog.

When it comes to articles, as already mentioned, they are rather more formal and thus, tend to follow more strict grammar rules.

Is There a Difference in Their Word Count?

Yes and no.  Yes, because in the past the magic word count for blog posts used to be 500 words (sometimes even less) while articles (unless they are news) used to be at least 2500 words. And no because, nowadays, blog posts also tend to be around 2500 words (if possible). This is because it has been proven that larger blog posts perform better on the search engines.

Bottom Line

Knowing the difference between blog posts and articles is crucial if you work with content. This is because people often think the two are the same thing and then get confused when they don’t get what they thought they were going to get. Or, they work on something all day only to be told that’s not what they were asked to do.

Another prominent argument regarding why you should know the difference between blog posts and articles is because only then you can determine which one better suits your content strategy. Regardless of the choice you make, Boho Writing Factory offers both services. And just in case you’ve been wondering, yup, this is indeed a blog post!

Kristina Laskova

Pursuing the dream of becoming a recognized writer, Kristina decided to dive into freelancing during her student days. After gaining a Bachelors’s degree in English language and literature, she continued working towards gaining new skills in the field of content writing and digital marketing.

In 2017, she published her first poetry book, while in 2018 she started a travel blog that she named The Destinationship. After gaining enough knowledge and skills, she decided to gather “the last bona fide writers standing” and established Boho Writing Factory.

Just like many writers, Kristina likes the bohemian lifestyle and always follows her heart. Besides writing, she also loves reading, painting, and anything art-related. She appreciates genuine friendships, loves animals (has 5 cats), strives to learn more about the human psyche, and dreams of exploring the world.

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