Deciding that you are going to create a blog comes with a lot of choices and decisions. One of the first decisions is what platform are you going to use? There are a lot of different platforms out there, but we’re going to take a look at the more common ones so that you can make the best choice. Before you dive into this list, it will help if you know what type of platform you want. If you are a complete beginner, you will want to pick one that is easy to put together and won’t require any coding skills. You will also want to think about the type of blog that you want to make. When your blog starts to grow, you may end up changing how your site looks and you may want to add in more features. That means it will be important for you to pick a platform that has flexibility and can grow with you. If you start off with the wrong platform, it can be very difficult to switch later. Lastly, even if you haven’t thought about making any money, it would be a smart idea to make sure that you will still have that option to do so later on.
Table of Contents
1. WordPress.com
WordPress.com will store your blog content for free, but this also means that you will get a limited version of their software. It is still a great choice for people who use blogging as a hobby and who aren’t interested in investing any money. It is also the perfect idea for people who will likely upgrade their blog to a self-hosted WordPress blog. WordPress also offers your first domain name for free, and the premium account is only $96 a year for hosting. You can get a business account, which gives you an online store, for $25 a month.
Pros:- They have hundreds of themes to pick from.
- It’s extremely easy. You don’t need any design or coding knowledge.
- No costs for set-up.
- A free site will come with a .wordpress in your domain.
- With a free blog, you don’t technically own it, which means you don’t have control over your ad revenue. WordPress also has the power to suspend your site whenever they want.
- It doesn’t look as professional.
- Their functionality will be limited unless you get an upgrade.
2. WordPress.org
The software for this is free and it is about three dollars a month for hosting. When you have a self-hosted WordPress blog, it means that you use the WordPress software on a different server. By using this, you will have complete control over the website and make it look as professional as you want, edit your HTML code, and install plugins. Going this route is typically a good idea for a person who wants to invest a few dollars each month. This is best for business owners, bloggers that want to expand the functionality of their site, and professional brand builders.
Pros:- There are search engine friendly options.
- You will have access to more than 20,000 free plugins and 1,500 free themes.
- It is user-friendly and you will have full customization options.
- Since it is so popular, it is often vulnerable to security threats.
- When you host on a third-party server, it often requires you to have a bit of technical knowledge, but many hosts will offer great tech support.
3. Blogger
This is another free blogging service. It is owned by Google, which means you will have access to tools like Google Analytics, AdSense, and so on. However, Blogger is not at all as flexible as WordPress. This is a great platform for brand builders and hobby bloggers who aren’t interested in investing in any type of money but may be interested in making a bit of money with ads. Since Blogger is easy to use, it makes it a great platform for a beginner that is just learning.
Pros:- You have access to the HTML code, so you will be able to customize it a bit.
- You can use AdSense ads.
- It is completely free and extremely easy to use.
- You will have .blogspot in your title.
- You aren’t able to self-host, so it is completely dependent on Blogger’s offers.
- There aren’t as many themes and not nearly as much storage as with WordPress.com.
4. Tumblr
Tumblr is a free and easy platform to use and it is very social. This is a great option for people who like to “reblog” posts. This is a good platform for microbloggers, so it is probably not the best place if you want to develop long-form content.
Pros:- CSS and HTML access so that you customize it.
- Around 1,000 themes that you can choose.
- You have unlimited storage.
- It can be quite hard to monetize.
- You are limited on plugins.
- Backing up the blog and bringing in content from different platforms can be hard.
5. TypePad
This platform costs $8.95 or more each month. TypePad is a great option for brand builders or business professionals who are okay with investing a bit of money each month. That price does bring you more features and a very professional site. However, a lot of people will tell business bloggers that they need to self-host a WordPress platform because it has a large community, but there are advantages to TypePad.
Pros:- It is easy to use.
- You have unlimited storage.
- They host with their own servers, but you own the blog you create.
- You are limited on customization.
- It will cost you a few dollars more each month than it does to self-host with WordPress.
6. Wix
This will cost you $4.08 or more each month. This is a great option for bloggers because it is ideal for businesses. It comes with e-commerce functions, and WIX makes creating your e-commerce website extremely simple, but the full control over the shop is going to be a bit limited.
Pros:- They have hundreds of professional themes.
- You have up to 20 GB of storage.
- There are domain registration options.
- It is easy to use.
- You can integrate ads.
- You have unlimited bandwidth.
- You are limited in customization.
- They don’t have advanced e-commerce tools.
- They are more expensive than a WordPress blog. They do have free options, and they are good ideas for hobby bloggers or novices who don’t want to spend any money on their other paid options.
7. Medium
This site was started in 2012. Since then, Medium has grown into a large community of experts, journalists, bloggers, and writers. It is very easy to use platform with very limited social networking features.
Pros:- You are able to focus only on your writing instead of having to design a website.
- It will allow you to reach existing communities of people that have similar interests.
- It is easy to use and it doesn’t need any setup or coding skills.
- You aren’t able to run your own ads.
- Medium owns the audience, so if you lose your blog you will lose your followers.
- Your features are limited when it comes to building a brand or design.
8. Weebly
The paid options for Weebly begin at $8.00 a month and come with limited features. In order to unlock all of their features, you will have to pay around $49 each month. Weebly is a hosted platform that will allow you to come up with a website with drag and drop tools. It also comes along with dozens of themes that you will be able to customize with their web-based interface.
Pros:- The free plan on Weebly will allow you to try them out before buying.
- Since Weebly hosts the site, it has a quick and easy setup.
- They have easy-to-use drag and drop features so you don’t need any technical skills.
- It’s hard to export your Weebly site to a different platform.
- You have limited integration with third-party tools.
- They have limited built-in features, and you aren’t able to add new features. Deciding on what platform you want to use will depend on what you want it to be able to do.
Conclusion
Selecting the best blogging platform is a crucial first step for any aspiring blogger. With various choices on the market, it’s best to choose one that aligns with your specific needs and goals. Based on our list, here are our most recommended picks:
- Blogger: For the beginner it’s better to start with blogger. Since its free and you can elaborate how to build website. You can understand it’s look and feel. Once you are ready to take your website to next level then you can upgrade to WordPress.
- WordPress: This popular blogging platform has powerful content management tools and third-party plugins to optimize your website. It’s the best overall platform for any type of blog.
- Medium: A mix between a blogging platform and a social network. The quick setup and large existing user base make it a great choice for bloggers who want to create content and build an audience.
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