Confused about issues with SmugMug and WordPress sites

Greetings-
I have hired someone to help me maximize my exposure and traffic on the web. One of the first things she suggested is consolidating and/or linking my SmugMug site (www.stephenmlevinphoto​s.com) and my WordPress site (blog.stephenmlevinpho​tos.com). I thought they were linked already! That is, one can get to my blog from my SmugMug site and one can get to my SmugMug site from my WordPress site.
She said it would make it easier to find me if I had one address. However, I spent a long time the past couple of days looking at other photographers' sites and many (if not most!) have a different URL for their sites and blogs. And some even have additional addresses for sales, etc.
Her suggestion is to move everything over to WordPress. But, I'd rather stick with my current setup. I like my sites, though I'd like more traffic. I'm thinking a slight change in setup would/could improve things. Perhaps changing my hyperlink on my site to say "blog" rather than "My Mind's Eye" and changing the links on my blog site to make them clearer that they are taking one back to the main site (SmugMug).
I guess one of my fundamental and "philosophical" questions is whether the blog should be the featured site or the Smug site. That is, should one use the blog to attract traffic to the site or vice versa? And do you all agree that it's necessary to have one address rather than the way it is now? Any experience? (Is it a major factor....worth changing my entire setup??!!)
Thanks SO much...I'm lost with this stuff.

Steve,

I think I understand what she is saying. Go to this Moz article and read point number 5.

http://moz.com/learn/s​eo/domain


I believe she wants your blog to be example.com/blog (as a subfolder) instead of blog.example.com (as as subdomain).

In addition, I believe she probably wants you to move everything over to WordPress because WordPress probably has better SEO than SmugMug.

Thanks, Wilbur Su. This is a great resource! Especially since I'm gonna be speaking with her later today. Good timing.
However, I'm thinking I still have to decide if SEO is more important to me than the convenience of my current setup. SmugMug has a lot of advantages for me and I would hate to give that up.
(Maybe there's a way to make the blog a subfolder???)

sml wrote in post #17397645
(Maybe there's a way to make the blog a subfolder???)

It may already be a subfolder with your web host redirecting to the subdomain. I know my host (bluehost) can do that.

Ah...I see. The host may make a difference.
I currently use GoDaddy. I'll check with them...
Thanks, DGStinner.

Has anyone ever heard of and/or used a WordPress plug-in called, "Photonic Gallery?"
I believe it's supposed to allow one to post images to WP from SmugMug....though I am not sure about that.

Still trying to figure out a way to consolidate my sites...SmugMug and WordPress. Very productive conversation today and one of the things that was suggested was this plug-in, though we both have to check into it to see if it does what we think it does.
I would like to have one site....www.stephenmlevinphoto​s.com. And I'd like for my WordPress site to be a part of that....or vice versa. Rather than two separate entities.
(This is all so confusing to me....! Aaargh.)

sml wrote in post #17398378
Has anyone ever heard of and/or used a WordPress plug-in called, "Photonic Gallery?"
I believe it's supposed to allow one to post images to WP from SmugMug....though I am not sure about that.

Still trying to figure out a way to consolidate my sites...SmugMug and WordPress. Very productive conversation today and one of the things that was suggested was this plug-in, though we both have to check into it to see if it does what we think it does.
I would like to have one site....www.stephenmlevinphoto​s.com. And I'd like for my WordPress site to be a part of that....or vice versa. Rather than two separate entities.
(This is all so confusing to me....! Aaargh.)

yeah, this is probably what she wants too--to have both under the same domain. but i'm a little confused myself: i never used any seo services, but this sort of thing is kinda technical--shouldn't they be doing the setup for you? to maximize your seo stuff you gotta do the little things right, and they really should be telling you exactly the correct setup, especially how it is structured.

i think for your part, if you insist on separating wordpress and smugmug, you gotta make sure they have the same look and feel, so they look like they are from the same sites. another approach is to use smugmug simply as a host for the pics, but you recreate your entire photo site in wordpress just to do layout and display the pics as hosted on smugmug. i think it just depends on what you want to accomplish.

Xyclopx wrote in post #17404860
recreate your entire photo site in wordpress just to do layout and display the pics as hosted on smugmug.

Thanks! That's what she has in mind. I'm meeting with her tomorrow....