Is it better to have your blog open in a separate window?

[AAttias]

I've set up a blog on one of my websites, however it doesn't open in a separate window. I know from looking at other blogs that they usually open in separate windows. Is that good practice? Will it make any difference to your SEO performance?

[BlueLinkERP]

Is your blog contained within your main site or is it hosted elsewhere?

If your blog is hosted on your main site and maintains the same site structure then there is no harm keeping it as is.

However, if your blog is hosted elsewhere and has a different site structure where it is hosted then I would suggest having the blog open in a new window.

It can be disorienting to visitors to click and end up moving away from your main navigation and structure and they may not click the back button when they are done on the blog.

[ElevateMP]

As long as your blog is optimized for SEO and your blog is a part of your website and not hosted somewhere else you shouldn't see a difference in SEO performance by having it open or not open in a new window. For convenience if your blog is hosted with your website I would not have it open in a new window. If it's hosted somewhere else then I would absolutely have it open in a new window to help minimize your bounce rate.

Hope that helps,

Mike

[irvingw]

Well it will raise your bounce rate and lower the time spent on your main site if the blog is on another domain. And those are SEO factors, so I would recommend spawning a new window. There is no downside to opening it in a new window.