When it comes to blogging, we have many options for creating a blog:
- WordPress
- BlogSpot
- Tumblr
- …and many others…
One of the most discussed topics on SidelinePlay is:
Which blogging platform is better?
WordPress or Blogger?
This debate can be confusing at times. Many users like BlogSpot because it has fewer technical issues, while many users like WordPress because it is powerful and feature-rich. When someone asks me which platform they should start with, I usually answer like this:
Start with WordPress.com for a month, and once you’re comfortable with blogging, you can create a new blog on the self-hosted WordPress platform.
Alternatively, you are free to use Blogger.com as your launchpad blogging platform, but don't stick with it for too long.
The reason I say this is because I started my blogging journey with BlogSpot and later I migrated my blog to WordPress.org.
Learning WordPress used to be a daunting process, but now, with detailed guides, tutorials, and videos, learning WordPress has become very easy.
Anyway, in this article, I share a detailed comparison of WordPress vs BlogSpot and will explain which one is better for certain situations and why.
WordPress vs. Blogger: Which Platform to Choose?
Why Blogger? Why not?
The Blogger platform (aka BlogSpot) is great if you just want to create a blog to share your thoughts. BlogSpot is great if you're not blogging to make money or if you need a simple platform that doesn't require any technical knowledge .
Although BlogSpot has many limitations in terms of functionality and SEO benefits, if you just need a blogging platform at almost zero cost, then BlogSpot is the right choice.
At the same time, if you’re blogging to make money, build authority, or build a personal brand, BlogSpot isn’t ideal because you have limited control over search engine visibility, and after a while you’ll find yourself very limited when you want to add new features.
I have read many times:
- Blogger is a product of Google, which means it has more SEO benefits.
This is simply not true.
Whether you’re using WordPress, Blogger, Drupal, or any other platform, SEO depends on how you configure your entire website for search engines.
On the Blogger platform, we have limited control over our websites. Although BlogSpot has added some new SEO features, it still lacks in terms of SEO optimization.
In short, if you are creating a blog just for writing, then Blogger is a better platform than WordPress. If you can accept the limited functionality that Blogger offers, then it is a good choice. But if you want to make money or create a long-term impact, WordPress is the better platform.
Note: There are two different versions of WordPress. You can learn more about them here .
Why Use WordPress? Why Not Use WordPress?
Note: SidelinePlay uses WordPress (self-hosted WordPress) as its blogging platform, but this does not bias my comparison.
WordPress gives you full control over your blog and you can technically do whatever you want.
You can host your own files, design them the way you like, and use them for any purpose (personal or professional).
You also have full control over SEO, including adding SEO plugins to make your blog more SEO friendly. Plus, you can always introduce the latest SEO techniques like “star ratings” using plugins like Rich Snippets.
WordPress will allow you to do whatever you want.
But at the same time, you need to manage your own blog. You need to install WordPress on your own server and maintain the health of the blog.
It might sound technical, but with the great support of the WordPress community, you can learn everything in no time.
In fact, if you stumble upon WordPress guides , most of your questions about WordPress will be answered.
Getting started with WordPress may require some effort, such as watching videos, learning how to add plugins , getting familiar with the dashboard, etc.
But we have to use Blogger to do that too, right?
If you are planning to start a blog and want it to be popular and make money from it, then you should choose a self-hosted WordPress blog.
If you are an occasional writer or a hobby blogger, BlogSpot is the best choice for you.
Here’s a handy chart from HowJoyful that explains the feature differences between BlogSpot, WordPress.com, and self-hosted WordPress (WordPress.org):
Matt Cutts' SEO tips for Blogger or WordPress:
Matt Cutts is not only a Google engineer, but also the head of the Google Web Spam team.
He's one of those people who explains to regular users like you and me what Google expects from websites and how the Google search engine works .
I’ve shared many of Matt’s webmaster videos in the past and he always helps me learn something new. In one of his recent videos, a user asked him:
- “Which is better from an SEO perspective, WordPress or Blogger?”
As for the SEO benefits between Blogger and WordPress, both are roughly the same with a default installation.
The default installation of WordPress is not SEO friendly, but you can make your WordPress blog SEO friendly with the help of many plugins available .
In short, WordPress provides you with more powerful features and you can customize it according to your needs.
Blogger vs WordPress: Why is WordPress better?
As I mentioned above, my blogging journey started with BlogSpot and later I moved to WordPress. So, I know the pros and cons of BlogSpot, but I will not talk about its pros here because all the features that BlogSpot offers are also available in WordPress.
1. Control your blog:
This is one of the main reasons I support self-hosted blogs. Blogspot is owned by Google, and they can delete your Blogspot account without any warning. Even if you use the custom domain feature ( ), spammers can easily use the "Mark as Spam" feature to report your blog as spam.
Google may delete your blog. This is a very common problem, and a quick Google search will show you that many bloggers have experienced this problem with BlogSpot.
Winner: Self-Hosted Blog
2. Search Engine Optimization:
No matter where your blog is hosted, traffic is the primary concern of bloggers. In simple terms, "SEO" is optimizing your blog for search engines and getting traffic from search engines. Comparing WordPress and BlogSpot, WordPress provides more options to optimize your blog for search engines, while BlogSpot is limited to certain settings.
The following articles will help you optimize your WordPress blog for SEO
3. Plugins and Support:
WordPress has features like plugins and great community support.
When I was working at BlogSpot, I spent a lot of time editing themes to display related posts and add related functionality. WordPress makes your life easier by providing simple plugins that can do whatever you need. With plugins, you can achieve anything, and if a plugin doesn't work, you can turn to the WordPress support forums to get custom code and extend the functionality of your blog.
Here is a list of 30 must-have WordPress plugins .
4. Reputation :
It can be said that it is a human tendency or perception that most people think that blogs built on blogging platforms are not serious. One simple reason is that it is free and many people use it for black hat SEO, sending spam and creating affiliate marketing landing pages.
When it comes to self-hosted blogs, people assume that the person has paid for the service and that he is serious about his blog.
5. Themes and Templates:
BlogSpot offers many templates, but due to the commercial nature of WordPress, you can find unlimited free and premium WordPress themes. Also, since you have FTP access, you can change the entire look and feel of your WordPress theme.
6. AdSense ：
AdSense is the lifeline for any blogger who wants to make money from their blog. Initially, BlogSpot used to be the best way to get approved for an AdSense account, but later on, it became increasingly difficult to get an AdSense account through BlogSpot.
With WordPress and your domain email address, it’s easy to get your blog reviewed. This is another advantage of self-hosting your blog.
If you are an AdSense user, you should consider checking out the following posts about AdSense:
Verdict: Blogger vs. WordPress
WordPress platform is always a better choice compared to Blogspot platform.
It’s important to figure out why you want to start a blog and then start from there. Blogger has a lot of limitations that WordPress doesn’t have. In terms of features, WordPress is undoubtedly superior.
If this article convinced you to migrate your Blogger-hosted blog to WordPress, you can read my article on how to migrate from BlogSpot to WordPress .
Tell me: What do you think of WordPress and Blogger? Which platform do you prefer and why?
Here are some selected articles for further reading:
Disclosure: Some of the links in this article contain affiliate links, which means we may earn a commission if you click through to visit us, at no extra cost to you. See how SidelinePlay is funded, why it’s important, and how you can support us.
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