Selecting an appropriate blogging platform is not a simple task, contrary to popular belief. If you were to inquire about the ideal blogging platform, every website proprietor you approach is likely to have varying opinions.
There are numerous aspects to consider when selecting a blogging platform, including your abilities, requirements, and usage habits.
At the conclusion of this guide, you will be able to determine the optimal blogging platform for your company and attract a large audience.
What makes a great blogging platform?
It needs to be flexible
As business owners and marketers, we have a lot of responsibilities to attend to, and we prefer not to handle tasks that are beyond our area of expertise.
Navigating technical challenges is a nightmare for Chantelle Marcelle, who serves as the head of growth at PromoPrep.
Chantelle expresses that flexibility is a crucial factor when it comes to choosing a blogging platform. She states that she can opt for a minimalistic setup if desired or advance to more complex digital infrastructure.
Marie Lamonde, a content marketing and communications specialist at DashThis, seeks a platform that allows for adaptability and can be customized to a high degree. She emphasizes the importance of it being a space that both developers and designers can collaborate on and personalize.
It’s plugin-friendly
Advanced features for your blogging platform are necessary as you grow your business.
Suppose you have a limited budget for starting an affiliate blog, you can manage with necessary tools only such as an editor, basic analytics, and basic design options.
As your blog expands, you may require supplementary functionalities to sustain your progress. For instance, if you are delegating your blog posts to independent contractors, you must possess a content timetable to ensure effective management.
Plugins offer enhanced features for your blog.
Freelance to Fortune’s creator, Jessica Pereira, considers WordPress to be her top pick as a blogging platform due to the availability of plugins for nearly any situation.
Using plugins makes it easy for her to create landing pages, email opt-ins, and other marketing techniques. Although she has experimented with alternative platforms, she found that they have restricted functionalities.
It must match your skillset
Instead of choosing the blogging platform that is most popular, consider if it is capable of helping you achieve your objectives and if you know how to utilize it properly.
According to Stephen Light, CMO and co-owner of Nolah Mattress, the ideal blogging platform should suit your abilities in web development.
Wix is a great option for individuals with little to no experience. Its drag-and-drop website builder allows for intuitive design. However, if a developer wants advanced customization capabilities, then WordPress would be the ideal selection.
1. WordPress
Many big companies, including TechCrunch and BBC America, utilize WordPress which currently holds a 41% market share in web development.
Many users easily choose WordPress over its competitors due to the media-rich blogging experience provided by Gutenberg, the block-based layout editor.
Whether you are a beauty blogger or an agency owner, you will find what you need in its theme library, which spans from artistic and abstract to professional and personal.
It is important to note that WordPress.com and WordPress.org are not the same. The major contrast between these renowned blogging platforms is their restrictions. While WordPress.org allows for the use of SEO tools, this is not the case for WordPress.com, unless you purchase a premium plan. However, the latter does come with its own built-in SEO tool.
Choose WordPress.com if you want to launch your blog without worrying about details such as purchasing a personalized domain or creating a personalized design.
If you desire complete control, such as advanced SEO options, WordPress.org is the solution to your needs.
Due to its compatibility with PHP and MySQL, WordPress.org is capable of hosting blogs on a variety of web hosting providers. Popular options among users include Bluehost, DreamHost, and SiteGround.
Startups often consider WordPress.org as one of their top choices.
2. Medium
Medium is the sole platform among all the listed ones that offers the capability of writing, sharing it with a pre-existing group, and earning money from your work on the basis of reader involvement instead of advertisements.
Built-in monetization options are available on Medium, allowing you to receive compensation for publishing content based on the reading time of Medium’s members.
The amount you earn from the publishing platform can range from a small sum to exceeding $49,000 every month.
3. LinkedIn
Utilizing LinkedIn is an obvious decision for those in the B2B industry.
The process of utilizing the WYSIWYG article editor is simple. Although it is not particularly flashy, it accomplishes its purpose. By selecting the “+” icon, one has access to various options, including the ability to insert images, videos, hyperlinks, code snippets, or slides.
The distribution is what makes LinkedIn’s features unique, not the article editor.
If you wish to connect with your target audience, being on LinkedIn is imperative as it is the preferred social platform of four-fifths of business decision-makers.
4. Joomla
Joomla, a community-friendly open-source CMS, offers several blog-friendly features, such as multi-user permission levels, star ratings, frontend editing, media manager, and more. With Joomla, you have the option to create nested categories with unlimited depth. Additionally, its user management features make it an excellent platform for building a community of users for your blog.
Regarding distributing content, there are options such as scheduling posts, syndication, and displaying external news feeds. Joomla provides support for over 70 languages and includes built-in SEO. However, it should be noted that Joomla has a moderate level of difficulty for new users and has limited customization capabilities.
The Joomla software is available at no cost indefinitely, but if you want to host it on Joomla servers, you can choose plans starting from $5 per month.
5. Ghost
Ghost operates on JavaScript and is a highly efficient blogging platform. It furnishes a cluster of advanced and dynamic publishing instruments, as well as potent direct monetization methods, enabling you to charge subscription fees for your content’s accessibility.
By utilizing the editor, it will be possible to include dynamic elements such as NFT embeds, GIFs, images, and videos.
It is possible for you to generate personalized homepage layouts, organized website addresses and content in various languages.
To expand your audience via social media and share your content, you can take advantage of subscription capture forms, RSS feeds, and email based on tags. Notably, Ghost is designed for search engine optimization and also supports AMP.
Although there are limited themes available, the installation for DIY can be quite complex.
Bloggers have two options when it comes to hosting their Ghost website. They can either go for the free self-hosted option or choose to have their website hosted on Ghost servers. Premium packages vary in price depending on the number of members, and a 14-day trial is available. The Starter package costs $9 monthly for up to 500 members, the Creator package is $25 per month for up to 1000 members, the Team package is $50 per month for up to 1000 members, and the Business package is $199 per month for up to 10,000 members.
6. Drupal
Drupal is an open-source software that is fast, secure, flexible, and scalable, making it ideal for constructing any type of website.
Because of its capability to handle various media files, advanced user permissions, and multi-level taxonomy, it is ideal for producing and administering blogs with a lot of content.
With its modular design, Drupal enables you to establish multi-channel connections with your audience, providing versatile experiences. This platform further furnishes tools that aid in content monetization, allowing your brand to boost revenue and grow its presence.
Obtaining assistance with Drupal’s technical aspects may be necessary in order to begin.
Starter kits can be created using packaged Drupal content, also known as ‘distributions’.
Drupal software doesn’t cost anything, but you might have to pay for setup support and technical assistance. Additionally, you’ll need to have a web hosting service to run the Drupal software.
7. SilverStripe
Frontend designing is facilitated by SilverStripe, an open source CMS that guarantees seamless digital experiences.
It is possible to tailor it to your preferences by utilizing the SilverStripe Framework, an independent PHP framework, and amplify its features with additional components.
The Framework encourages a coding format that is easily comprehensible and manageable.
SilverStripe is capable of hosting a blog with ease, and its adaptability makes it suitable for intranets, websites, and intricate applications alike.
The interactive design and social and transactional features of the platform delight its users.
Your blogs can expand into feature-packed transactional sites due to robust API integration options, caching mechanisms, and the ability to handle multi-server cloud configurations.
The service is free, but if you want to host your blog on the SilverStripe cloud platform with full management, it will cost a minimum of $425 per month.
8. HubSpot CMS Hub
Websites created with HubSpot’s CMS Hub are optimized for conversion by integrating website building with their suite of marketing and CRM tools.
It is effortless to create a blog that aligns with your brand with the help of numerous themes, a visual editor, and the option for a custom domain.
It is possible to plan out posts and generate content in various languages. By switching between languages, individuals can have a customized and safe encounter.
The marketing tools that are free assist in gathering potential customers while analyzing blog statistics enhances the ability to reach a wider audience.
However, for custom SEO reports, repetitive testing, and fixing SEO recommendations from the editor, you’ll need to opt for the higher packages.
The cost for using HubSpot with their branding is zero for a maximum of 25 website pages. However, there are paid options available: Starter (for $23 monthly), Professional (for $360 monthly), and Enterprise (for $1200 monthly). Most CRM features are only available in the higher-priced plans.
9. Wix
Being one of the most popular hosted website builder tools, Wix is also considered to be one of the best blogging platforms available as a blog is a form of website. Wix offers the convenience of creating an independent blog or integrating a blog into various types of sites.
The term “setup” refers to the act of either selecting from over 900 customizable templates or allowing the Wix Artificial Design Intelligence to make the choice on your behalf.
The Preview feature will prove to be useful since altering templates later is not a simple task.
With the rich text editor, you can schedule posts, embed HTML codes, and modify images. Advanced search is facilitated by categories and hashtags.
Each website is equipped with a range of capabilities, including Wix Analytics, integrated SEO, and marketing tools that aid in enhancing traffic and generating revenue from your content.
Wix provides a free plan that gives you 500 GB storage, a wixsite.com domain and showcases Wix ads on your website. However, if you require a custom domain, you can select from separate packages for Websites and Business/Ecommerce. Websites packages begin at $16.00 per month (for personal use) and can go up to $45 per month. Business and ecommerce packages start at $27.00 per month.
