Confused: From a Site to a Blog

[XxxMina]

Hey folks, I wonder if I could get an opinion on something.

I started Easy Melissa as a linksite and have an Xclicks trade script on http://easymelissa.com/ as well as a bunch of hardlinks (and yeah, I know all it sorta looks like crap lol ).

Then I decided I'd rather run a blog. So now I've got the entry link going to http://easymelissa.com/blog/ and am going to focus on blog trades of course, and put them into the left sidebar. I HAVE moved some trades from the script into there, too though.

I'm confused on a number of points though.

If it's going to be a blog, should I just kill the entry page, and have it BE a blog and just put all trades and hardlinks into the sidebar? I guess I'm wondering if it's just plain weird for a blog to have an entry page at all. Are outlinks on it going to even get looked at, but then again do outlinks in sidebars even get looked at?

And if it's a blog now, and I submit it AS a blog, is it going to look misleading or strange that it's got that entry page? Just submitted it to a great directory (on the reasoning that they took one from me before, thus might take another), for example, and now I'm all weirded out about whether or not that entry page is going to seem strange.

Not sure what would be best to maximize trades at all and look best in general, I guess. And if the blog itself stays a 2nd page, is that going to kill chances with SEs picking up on keywords?

Hope this made sense and I apologize for the length. Any advice/feedback appreciated.

Thanks in advance, Mina;-)

[T Pat]

I don't see a need for a entry page on a blog

[XxxMina]

Hey Pat thanks for the reply.

Ok. Should I be concerned about whether or not my entry page links mind being moved to a sidebar on a blog?

And yeah, I know I could just be worrying too much, lol...

[T Pat]

I wish everyone was as concerned about their link trades as you are Mina.
I still find nothing wrong with moving your link trades from the entry page to the index page of your blog

[walrus]

While I agree that there is no need for an entry page on a blog, I also see nothing wrong with it. Especially since it's already there with an assortment of link and traffic trades.

I'd probably turn it into a single page ad, which links to my blog and then set up new trades directly to the blog. When submitting to directories and what not, use the blog URL not the root URL and no one should have a problem.

[XxxMina]

Originally Posted by T Pat

I wish everyone was as concerned about their link trades as you are Mina.

Thanks Pat, I appreciate that!

And Walrus thanks for the reply too!

...and then set up new trades directly to the blog

Probably definitely do that. It's a lot simpler to use the WP control panel than screw with a webpage.

Still on the fence about an entry page (definitely gotta make a better header at least), but it's good to know that it shouldn't seem misleading to submit a /blog url with a root url out there.

Thanks again, guys!

Mina:-)