5 Things That Distinguish a Knowledge Base From a Company Blog

 The HubSpot User Blog is clearly a blog. It's pretty straightforward, really — it even has "blog" in the title.

But, then again, it does feature articles like, "How to Clean Up Your HubSpot CRM Data" and "How to Navigate Integrations Reporting." So, maybe it's more of a knowledge base? Maybe. I'm still not ruling out a Tide ad, either.

If you've ever had this dilemma, you know sometimes it can be tough to categorize content on your website. If you're creating a knowledge base or redesigning your site, you might find some pages where you're not sure where to put them. If they end up in the wrong spot, customers might leave your site empty-handed after searching the wrong resource for information.

This point of friction can lead to poor customer experiences and even churn. After all, more than 40% of customers will leave your brand after one bad online experience.

In this post, we'll list some features that distinguish knowledge base articles from blog posts, so you can make sure your content is located in the right place for your customers.

→ Access Now: Free Knowledge Base Article Template

What's the Difference Between a Knowledge Base and a Blog?

1. Is It Designed to Help People or Promote Ideas?

The biggest difference between a knowledge base and a company blog is its intent. If it's designed to help customers find solutions to their problems, then it's a knowledge base. If its purpose is to promote ideas and messages on your brand's behalf, then it's a blog.

Things can get fuzzy, however, when we dive into customer success. For example, there are plenty of articles on the HubSpot User Blog that teach readers how to leverage HubSpot products for long-term success. In fact, you can easily argue that the post, "5 Powerful Lists Using Default HubSpot Properties," is a knowledge base article because it answers potential questions about the list tool.

However, this piece is a blog post and not a knowledge base article because it doesn't provide a solution to a potential problem. Instead, it offers an advanced way to utilize the tool. The reader doesn't visit this page thinking it will help them find a solution but rather goes to it to learn more about the product or the brand.

2. Does It Offer Product-Specific Troubleshooting Steps?

If you're having trouble distinguishing between informative knowledge base articles and promotional brand content, then you might want to draw a clear line in the sand to help you out. For instance, if the piece has product-specific troubleshooting steps, then you should categorize it as a knowledge base article.

Here's an example.

This knowledge base article teaches users how to merge support tickets. It's specific to the HubSpot product and it lays out step-by-step instructions for how you can complete this action. Someone reading these instructions would know exactly what to do to merge their tickets and wouldn't have to call a support team for assistance.

3. Does It Feature FAQ pages?

One tell-tale sign of a knowledge base is whether it includes FAQ pages or not. FAQ pages, like the one below, answer customer questions in the form of a list. The most common questions are organized on one page, creating a centralized doc where customers can quickly find information.