How to Add a Blog to Your Website: 5 Methods Compared
You already have a website. Now you need a blog.
Maybe you're launching a content marketing program. Maybe you want to capture organic search traffic. Or maybe you've realized that a company without a blog is invisible to Google.
Whatever the reason, you're now facing a technical decision: how do you actually add a blog to an existing website?
This guide covers five methods, from quick hacks to purpose-built solutions. Each has tradeoffs in SEO impact, maintenance burden, and long-term scalability.
Why the method you choose matters
Before diving into options, understand what's at stake.
SEO impact varies dramatically. A blog at yoursite.com/blog inherits your domain's authority. A blog on a separate subdomain (blog.yoursite.com) starts from zero. An iframe embed might not get indexed at all.
Maintenance compounds over time. Some methods require ongoing developer involvement. Others run themselves. A "quick" solution that needs constant attention isn't actually quick.
Performance affects rankings. Google uses page speed as a ranking factor. A slow blog drags down your entire content marketing effort.
The right choice depends on your technical resources, SEO goals, and how much you want to think about your blog infrastructure six months from now.
Method 1: Subdirectory hosting (recommended for SEO)
A subdirectory blog lives at yoursite.com/blog. To search engines, it's part of your main domain. Every backlink your blog earns strengthens your entire site.
This is how most serious content marketing operations work. Ahref's blog lives at ahrefs.com/blog. Stripe's is at stripe.com/blog. They do this for a reason.
How it works: Your blog platform serves content through a path on your main domain. Your website's routing sends /blog/* requests to the blog platform, which handles everything else.
Pros:
Maximum SEO benefit (shared domain authority)
Professional appearance
No brand fragmentation
Cons:
Requires some technical setup
Your main site's tech stack matters
Platforms like Superblog specialize in this approach. They host your blog at yoursite.com/blog out of the box, handling the routing, CDN, and SSL. Setup typically involves adding a few routing rules to your existing platform.
Best for: Businesses serious about SEO, companies with established domains, anyone who wants their blog content to compound their main site's authority.
Method 2: Subdomain hosting
A subdomain blog lives at blog.yoursite.com. It's technically a separate domain, which changes everything from an SEO perspective.
How it works: You point a DNS record (blog.yoursite.com) to your blog platform. The platform handles hosting from there.
Pros:
No changes to your main site needed
Complete technical isolation
Works with any main site platform
Cons:
Starts with zero domain authority
Backlinks don't benefit your main domain
Brand appears fragmented
Google treats subdomains as separate entities. A subdomain blog has to build authority from scratch, even if your main domain has years of credibility.
Best for: Situations where subdirectory hosting is technically impossible, or when you specifically want the blog separated (rare).
Method 3: Iframe embeds (not recommended)
Some platforms offer iframe-based embedding. You add a code snippet to a page on your site, and the blog appears inside a frame. It sounds convenient. The SEO reality is brutal.
How it works: An iframe loads content from an external source and displays it within your page. The blog content technically lives on another domain but appears visually on your site.
Pros:
Quick to implement (minutes)
No server configuration needed
Works on almost any platform
Cons:
Google cannot properly crawl or index iframe content
Zero domain authority transfer to your main site
No link equity flows from backlinks
Schema markup and structured data don't work properly
Often creates layout and mobile responsiveness issues
Platforms like DropInBlog use this approach. The fundamental problem: when Googlebot visits your /blog page, it sees an empty container with an embed tag. The actual blog content lives on DropInBlog's servers, not yours. Google may index the iframe source URL instead of your page, or simply skip the content entirely.
This isn't a minor technical detail. If your content doesn't get indexed on your domain, it cannot rank for your domain. Every article you publish builds DropInBlog's authority, not yours.
For internal documentation or knowledge bases where SEO doesn't matter, iframes work fine. For content marketing where organic traffic is the goal, iframe embeds defeat the entire purpose.
Best for: Internal tools, intranets, or situations where search visibility genuinely doesn't matter. Not for content marketing.
Method 4: WordPress installation
The traditional approach: install WordPress on your server and configure it to run at yoursite.com/blog.
How it works: You install WordPress in a /blog subdirectory of your web server. WordPress then handles everything within that path.
Pros:
Full control over everything
Massive plugin ecosystem
Subdirectory SEO benefits
Cons:
Ongoing maintenance burden (security patches, plugin updates)
Performance requires optimization work
Security vulnerabilities from plugins
WordPress powers a huge portion of the web. It also requires constant attention. Security vulnerabilities appear regularly. Performance optimization is a project, not a setting. Many businesses end up hiring WordPress developers just to keep things running.
The "WordPress tax" refers to this ongoing maintenance cost. It's hidden when you start, but compounds over time.
Best for: Teams with dedicated WordPress expertise who want maximum customization and accept the maintenance tradeoff.
Method 5: Headless CMS with custom frontend
A headless CMS (Contentful, Strapi, Sanity) stores your content and exposes it through an API. You build your own frontend to display it.
How it works: Content lives in the CMS. Your developers build a blog frontend using your main site's tech stack, pulling content from the API.
Pros:
Complete design flexibility
Content separated from presentation
Works with any frontend technology
Cons:
Requires significant development work
You build and maintain the frontend
No out-of-the-box SEO optimization
Headless CMSs are powerful for custom applications. They're overkill for most business blogs. Unless you have specific requirements that can't be met by a complete platform, you're building infrastructure instead of publishing content.
Best for: Teams with dedicated developers who want to build a completely custom blog experience from scratch.
Comparison table: 5 ways to add a blog to your website
Adding a blog by platform
The setup process varies depending on your main website's tech stack. Here's what to expect for each platform.
Next.js and React applications
Modern JavaScript frameworks handle subdirectory routing through middleware or rewrites. In Next.js, you add a rewrite rule in next.config.js that proxies /blog/* requests to your blog platform. The setup takes about 30 minutes if you're comfortable with your codebase.
→ Detailed guide: Add a blog to Next.js
→ Detailed guide: Add a blog to React
Webflow sites
Webflow's native CMS has significant limitations: 10,000 CMS items maximum, no scheduled publishing on lower plans, and limited SEO controls. Adding an external blog via reverse proxy gives you more flexibility. You'll configure this through Webflow's hosting settings or use Cloudflare as an intermediary.
→ Detailed guide: Add a blog to Webflow
Shopify stores
Shopify's built-in blog is basic: no scheduling, limited SEO options, no lead capture forms. Most serious e-commerce content operations use an external blog platform. Setup involves modifying your theme's routes or using a reverse proxy through your domain registrar.
→ Detailed guide: Add a blog to Shopify
Framer sites
Framer doesn't have a native blog feature. You'll need an external solution. Framer supports custom paths through their hosting settings, making subdirectory integration straightforward.
→ Detailed guide: Add a blog to Framer
WordPress sites
If you're on WordPress and want to switch to a managed platform (keeping WordPress for your main site), you can point /blog to an external service using .htaccess rules or a reverse proxy plugin. This gives you the SEO benefits of subdirectory hosting without the WordPress blog maintenance burden.
→ Related: Best WordPress alternatives for blogs
Static sites and custom stacks
For static sites hosted on Vercel, Netlify, Cloudflare Pages, or traditional servers (Nginx, Apache), you'll configure routing rules at the hosting or server level. Superblog provides copy-paste configurations for each of these.
→ Detailed guide: Add a blog to static sites
What we recommend (and why)
For most businesses adding a blog to an existing website, subdirectory hosting with a purpose-built platform offers the best tradeoff.
You get the SEO benefits of subdirectory hosting without the maintenance burden of WordPress or the development cost of a headless CMS.
Superblog is built specifically for this use case. Here's what the setup looks like:
"Was looking for a tool which could optimize SEO from a technical standpoint, so we could focus our efforts on writing good content. Superblog is perfect for this."
— Marie Ng, Founder of Llama Life
Step 1: Create a blog (takes about a minute). Your blog goes live immediately on a temporary subdomain.
Step 2: Connect your domain. Point yoursite.com/blog to Superblog using routing rules on your existing platform. Superblog provides guides for Next.js, Vercel, Netlify, Cloudflare, Nginx, Apache, Webflow, Framer, Shopify, and more.
Step 3: Publish and rank. Superblog handles everything else: SSL certificates, CDN distribution, image optimization, auto-generated sitemaps, JSON-LD schemas, and IndexNow notifications to search engines.
The result is a blog that scores 90+ on Lighthouse performance, works on your existing domain, and requires zero ongoing maintenance.
Features that matter for business blogs
Performance: Every page scores 90+ on Lighthouse automatically. JAMStack architecture means pre-built static pages served from 200+ CDN edge locations. No server-side rendering to slow things down.
SEO automation: XML sitemaps update on every publish. JSON-LD schemas (Article, FAQ, Breadcrumb) generate automatically. IndexNow notifies Bing and Yandex instantly when you publish. LLMs.txt makes your content discoverable by AI tools like ChatGPT and Claude.
Zero maintenance: No plugins to update. No security patches to apply. No servers to manage. The platform handles infrastructure so you can focus on content.
Subdirectory hosting included: Every plan supports yoursite.com/blog. No enterprise pricing tier required.
Pricing starts at $29/month for up to 300 posts. The Pro plan ($49/month) adds scheduled posts and privacy-friendly analytics. The Super plan ($99/month) includes AI-assisted outlines and API access.
Making the right choice for your situation
Choose subdirectory hosting (Superblog or similar) if:
SEO matters to your business
You want minimal ongoing maintenance
You don't have dedicated WordPress developers
Your blog should look like part of your main site
Choose subdomain hosting if:
Subdirectory setup is technically impossible with your current infrastructure
You specifically need the blog separated from your main domain
Choose WordPress if:
You have WordPress expertise in-house
You need specific WordPress plugins
You're comfortable with ongoing maintenance
Choose headless CMS if:
You have developers who want to build a custom frontend
You have requirements no existing platform can meet
Content will be displayed across multiple channels (web, mobile app, etc.)
Avoid iframe embeds if:
You care about search engine rankings
You want your blog content to rank in Google
Frequently asked questions
Can I add a blog to a static HTML website?
Yes. Static sites work well with external blog platforms. You'll configure your hosting (Nginx, Apache, or a CDN like Cloudflare) to proxy requests for /blog/* to your blog platform. The blog content gets served from the platform's CDN while appearing at yoursite.com/blog.
Is a subdomain or subdirectory better for blog SEO?
Subdirectory (yoursite.com/blog) is better for SEO in almost every case. Google treats subdomains as separate entities, so a subdomain blog starts with zero domain authority. A subdirectory blog inherits your main domain's authority immediately. The only exception: if technical constraints make subdirectory hosting impossible.
→ Deep dive: Subdomain vs subdirectory for blogs
How long does it take to add a blog to an existing website?
With a purpose-built platform like Superblog, the blog itself is live in minutes. Connecting it to your domain at yoursite.com/blog typically takes 1-3 hours depending on your platform. WordPress installations take longer (days to weeks for proper setup and optimization).
Do I need a developer to add a blog to my website?
It depends on the method. Iframe embeds require no technical skills (but hurt SEO). Subdirectory hosting requires some technical comfort: you'll be editing configuration files or hosting settings. It's not complex, but it's not drag-and-drop either. WordPress and headless CMS approaches typically require developer involvement.
Will adding a blog slow down my website?
Not if you choose the right platform. A well-architected blog platform serves content from a separate CDN, so your main site's performance is unaffected. In fact, a fast blog (90+ Lighthouse score) can improve your overall domain's Core Web Vitals signals. Slow blogs, especially poorly optimized WordPress installations, can drag down your entire site's perceived quality.
Can I migrate my existing blog to a subdirectory?
Yes. Most blog platforms support importing content from WordPress, Medium, Ghost, and other sources. URL slugs can be preserved to maintain existing rankings. The key is setting up proper 301 redirects from your old URLs to the new subdirectory paths.
→ Guide: Migrate from WordPress
Getting started
If you're ready to add a blog to your existing website, here's the fastest path:
Start a free trial with Superblog (no credit card required)
Create your blog and publish a test post
Follow the integration guide for your platform
Connect your domain
Start publishing content that ranks
The entire setup takes hours, not weeks. And unlike WordPress or a custom build, you won't be troubleshooting server issues six months from now.
Your website needs a blog. The question is just how you want to build it.
