Integrated blogs

How important is it to have a blog that is completely integrated into your site, rather than working alongside your site and hosted somewhere else? Does it make a huge difference for SEO purposes?

Are there cheaper options that have integrated blogs, or is it really not that important?

I am currently looking at BigCommerce.

I have seen so many blogs where I have found it really difficult to find my way to the shop. Some it would be easy to read without even knowing that the author runs a shop. I’m looking at setting up a store selling children’s products and I think a blog will be really important to my site.

Thanks

Yes definitely blog will help you in SEO. Groupon.com has blog integrated with website, and i tell you it is much helpful then have separate. The reason is very simple, whenever Google visit your webpage they will find a new content, and Google likes it!!!

I definitely agree with the value of having a blog, but I am wondering if there is a difference between having one hosted on your site, compared to being hosted elsewhere (e.g. blogspot). Some of them I have seen, you can barely even notice there is a shop attached to it and this is what worries me.