One day you decide to start a blog and you immediately run into the most basic yet most important problem:
These questions are of great significance to anyone who wants to start a blog.
That’s why I’m going to help you choose the right blogging platform in this guide.
All of the blogging platforms listed below allow you to do the most important things — writing and publishing. But when looking for the right blogging platform, you may also need to find a:
- Lets you customize the look to match your personality.
- Lets you add your own logo.
- Allows you to use a custom domain name .
- Ask your readers to subscribe to blog updates.
- Lets you add the Google AdSense code so you can make money.
- Provides social media sharing and subscription options.
These are just some of the many factors you can’t afford to ignore. There are many free blogging sites out there, but they don’t offer all the key features that will allow you to attract traffic and make a decent income. This may not matter when you’re just starting out, but when you fall in love with writing (which usually happens within 2-3 weeks), you’ll eventually ask yourself this question:
[Tweet “What else can I do with my blog?”] Many people make the mistake of choosing the wrong blogging site and later regret it.
That’s why this guide is here to help you avoid making such mistakes.
How to Choose the Best Blogging Platform?
At this stage, it is important to understand the must-have features of a blogging platform. In addition to being easy to set up and requiring no coding skills, it should also be easier to learn.
Here are a few factors you should be aware of:
- Design : The blogging platform should offer various design options that are convenient for you to use on your blog. Depending on the niche you are in, it should offer designs that suit your requirements. Also, design customization should be simple and easy.
- Functionality Extension: Every blogging website comes with a lot of built-in features. However, there should be an option to easily integrate third-party tools and scripts into your blog. Without these important features, your blog will struggle in the later stages.
- Easy learning curve: Anyone, regardless of age, should be able to easily learn how to use the platform.
- Support: If you have a simple question about a platform, where do you go? This is where support comes in. Some platforms (listed below) have a thriving community who are always willing to help newbies.
- Blogging from your phone: The platform should allow you to blog from your phone. Because many of us like to write or blog while traveling. For business blogs, this may not be a big requirement, but it is still an important factor. Even if you don’t plan to blog from your phone, you can do various activities such as reviewing blog comments, responding to comments, uploading pictures from the comfort of your phone.
What is the wrong blogging platform?
[Tweet “A platform that limits your blog’s growth possibilities is not a good blogging platform.”] In addition to the points listed above, another important factor to consider is how often the platform is updated. Does it keep up with all the latest trends and technological advances?
For example, three years ago, blogs didn’t need to be mobile-friendly. Three years later, all blogs must be mobile-friendly or we’ll lose a ton of traffic. But mobile-friendliness isn’t just for our readers, it’s also for us… Let’s say you’re traveling and a great idea comes to you. Now you can pull out your smartphone and write a blog!
You need to consider these scenarios when choosing a platform.
Therefore, in this article, we will discuss the following:
There are other platforms like Weebly and Squarespace that you may find listed as “best blogging platforms” around the web, but that’s not the case. They’re more like website builders, which are great, but not ideal for blogging.
The best blogging platforms are the four listed above.
Are you in a hurry?
If you don’t want to read the entire article and just want to know which platform to use, then go with WordPress.org . It powers more than 37% of the websites in the world, which proves how popular this platform is.
Without a doubt, WordPress.org is the best. You can read a tutorial on how to install WordPress in the next 10 minutes . Yes! It is that easy.
But I suggest you guys keep reading this post because we will go into detail about why we should use these platforms. Imagine buying a new phone and learning about all the features. This is how we stay informed and make the right decision…
Sounds good, right?
Well, let’s go ahead and see what these popular blogging platforms offer and what they lack.
My Personal Guide to Choosing the Best Blogging Platform:
1. WordPress.org (Self-hosted WordPress platform)
WordPress is a very popular blog publishing platform.
They offer two versions of the software:
- WordPress.org
- WordPress.com
We’ll talk about WordPress.com later, but you need to know that WordPress.org is used by many website owners around the world.
[Tweet “Over 37% of the world's websites are powered by #WordPress. Awesome!”]
What makes WordPress.org so popular is that it allows you to easily have full control over your website.
It is open source software and is updated every few months to provide users with all the latest features.
They also have a mobile app that allows you to blog from your phone – you can upload pictures, write posts, and respond to comments.
What I really like about this platform is that it is easy to use. Anyone can start blogging in just a few minutes.
For example, you can choose a starter plan with Bluehost hosting and pick a domain name. (The first domain is free).
Bluehost will automatically install your blog and you can start blogging. Read this tutorial to learn how to install WordPress
It is also very easy to start writing and customize the structure of your blog. They also provide apps for mobile devices, Mac, Windows, and Linux to make it easier for you to manage your blog.
Unlike many other platforms, since you create this blog on your own hosting server, you are not just a blogger. You are not only the pilot of the plane, you are also the owner of the plane.
- In other words, you own your blog.
You don’t have to worry about some competitor falsely filing a complaint about your blogging service and causing your blog to be deleted (these things happen).
But if you’re not serious about making your blog popular or making money from it (e.g. through Google AdSense), then you don’t really need this platform. You can start with a free platform and then move to this one when you’re ready.
design:
WordPress lets you pick a design from thousands of themes, which makes it easier for you to get a professional design. For example, the Astra theme comes with many predefined templates built in. You can also use the drag and drop customizer to customize the theme to your needs.
However, if you really want to become a blogger, then WordPress.org is the platform you need.
2. WordPress.com (easier to use than WP.org, but has limitations)
As I mentioned above, WordPress comes in two versions, the other one being WordPress.com.
If you are still hesitant about using WordPress.org, I recommend creating a blog directly on WordPress.com. This will give you the opportunity to use WordPress for free (WordPress.org is free to use, but you still need to purchase hosting and a domain name ).
WordPress.com will help you get familiar with the WordPress platform. You will learn how to write blog posts, how to moderate comments, and how to manage your dashboard.
WordPress.com is also useful when you are unsure of your domain name.
Often, when we start using a name we thought was useful, we discover how terrible it is. For example, before choosing ShoutMeLoud as my blog name, I used "VirginTech" as my blog name. What a stupid name!
Well, we all make such silly mistakes in the initial days of blogging and a free platform like this ensures that these mistakes don’t affect our wallets.
WordPress.com offers a free domain name, like yourname.WordPress.com, and if you wish, you can upgrade to a “real” domain name ( a custom domain name ), like domain.com, for a small fee.
There are more paid features on WordPress.com that enhance its functionality, but as I mentioned before, if you want to use the “premium” features, it’s better and cheaper to use WordPress.org.
If you want a really good comparison between WordPress.com and WordPress.org.
3. Blogger by Google (Free, a good alternative to WordPress)
Blogger is another great platform that you can use for free for those who want to test the waters of blogging. It is a Google platform, so the architecture here is completely different from WordPress.
But overall, blogging on Blogger is easy and friendly to beginners.
I started my first blog on Blogger 12 years ago. After using it for almost 2 months, I switched to WordPress (.org)... and I haven't looked back since!
If you look at the Google Trends graph , you can see how BlogSpot's popularity has declined over the past 5 years.
Blogger offers a mobile app that lets you do all your publishing and management tasks from your phone, but the app isn't updated often enough.
If you have an Android phone, you can download the app from here and check it out for yourself.
What you'll love about Blogger is that you can monetize your blog the way you want ( AdSense , Amazon Associates, sponsored posts, direct advertising, etc.).
I used to recommend Blogger to people, but while it's a good platform, it has become a mess in recent years. If you're looking for a free platform to publish your blog, you should look at WordPress.com or Medium.com.
4. Medium (great for publishing, but no monetization options)
Medium is an excellent blogging platform designed for both writing and reading. If your goal is just to write and you don’t care much about personalization, customization, and/or making money, then Medium is the best choice for you.
The platform was launched in 2012. It has a simple layout and is a real pleasure to read and write on Medium. I usually repost my SidelinePlay content on Medium to increase traffic.
Medium.com is a free blogging platform that is very reliable. They also have a mobile app that is just as intuitive as their web platform.
Medium is great, but you can’t make money with it.
However, for entrepreneurs or business owners who are not interested in making money from blogging and are just looking for a platform where they can simply write and express themselves, Medium.com is a great choice.
Conclusion: Which Blogging Platform to Choose?
Here are my suggestions:
- WordPress.org: This is the clear winner. It’s the most widely used site in the world, is regularly updated with new features, has mobile apps, and has no limitations.
- WordPress.com: If you want to experience the power of WordPress but are hesitant to go all in, choose WordPress.com.
- Medium: For a free platform that allows you to write, Medium.com is the best option.
- BlogSpot: If all else fails, choose BlogSpot.
Check out: How to Start a Blog and Make Money
Now, if you’ve come to this page after doing a ton of research on how the power of blogging can change your life (and it really can), then WordPress.org is the way to go. If you’re still unsure and just want to start writing, go with WordPress.com. Eventually, you’ll realize you need to be using WordPress.org, and when you make the switch, you’ll have a great foundation.
So, after learning about these four platforms, which one will you choose? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below!
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