Static index page or not?
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Are there any advantages of dis-advantages to running a static homepage as opposed to a blog style homepage.
I have be running a static page on my site with the latest posts displayed as links after the homepage content.
I would like to remove the static page and move to a more visually appealing homepage that includes graphics for each post and the posts droppping down the page like normal blogs do.
How will this effect my site if I move from a static page to a more dynamic blog style page layout?
Could I still hold the spot I currently rank for with the optimized index content if I turn to a more traditional blog format?
cheers,
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The biggest advantage to running a blog-style homepage is that returning visitors will immediately see when you have something new. This could lead to increased user engagement, more links, more likes, etc.
A possible disadvantage will be that it changes your on-page optimization. However, all of your off-page assets will be the same for a blog-style or a static homepage. So as long as your title tag and heading remain the same you will have almost all of original optimization in place. And, if Google gives any credit for "freshness" you will have that as often as you add new posts to your blog.
All of my blogs have a blog-style homepage. I think that it is a smart idea and the more often you publish new posts the more valuable that format becomes.
Consider for your homepage a "most recent" and a "most popular" column. This will allow you to feature "what's new" for returning visitors and show first time visitors your historical best content.
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