Writing blog posts can effectively increase website traffic, establish credibility, and showcase personal perspectives. Having handled numerous blogs in the past ten years, we have concluded that WordPress partnered with Hostinger web hosting provides the optimum blogging platform for the majority of individuals. WordPress offers an abundance of potential features for your blog, while Hostinger facilitates effortless setup and automatic installation and updates of WordPress, relieving you from technical burdens.
#1 – WordPress with Hostinger — The Best Blogging Platform for Most
Across the internet, WordPress is the most extensively employed system for managing content.
Hundreds of thousands of business owners put their trust in it, and rightfully so, as it excels in constructing major brands. Its versatility, strength, and cost-effectiveness are unmatched.
This is why WordPress is employed by the biggest corporations globally for managing their websites.
Despite the numerous added functionalities, advantages, and adaptable applications presently available, WordPress remains the top choice among bloggers as it essentially serves as the primary content creation tool for them.
The blog you are currently reading is fueled by WordPress in this particular place.
If you plan on using your blog as a foundation for your business venture, it would be wise to invest a few days in mastering the somewhat challenging platform. However, if your blog is simply for leisure or sporadic use, it may not be worth the effort.
WordPress.org is distinct from the rest of the choices available to us as it is self-hosted, which entails the purchase of a domain name and hosting prior to installation.
The truth is that Hostinger not only provides web hosting, but it also simplifies the process of creating a WordPress blog.
#2 – Wix — The Best for New Bloggers
Wix is a website builder that stands out for its user-friendly interface, making it an ideal choice for those who has no prior experience in website building and wishes to launch a site in a hassle-free manner.
Starting out with Wix is effortless thanks to its drag-and-drop interface, which enables you to personalize the appearance and ambiance of your website without any coding concerns.
With the intuitive editor, one can easily become a design expert from scratch and utilize it to construct any webpage and effectively execute creative design concepts.
In just under five minutes, Wix enables you to establish a professional blog. In case you’re not interested in manually constructing the pages and modifying the appearance, you could take advantage of Wix ADI, an innovative tool which will do all the hard work on your behalf. Simply respond to some fundamental inquiries concerning your preferences, and the program will automatically include pages, menus, layouts, and content.
With over 975+ templates at your disposal, Wix offers a wide variety of professionally-designed options that are both modern and polished, as well as optimized for SEO purposes.
Building a blog is a simple task once your website is constructed.
With Wix, you have access to a multitude of personalized choices that enable you to exhibit your uniqueness, unleash your creativity, and enjoy the process. Additionally, Wix empowers you to transform your blog into a profitable enterprise.
Generating fresh content, modifying existing material, overseeing your content, and distributing posts on social networks can all be effortlessly accomplished.
Wix provides various business tools that can aid you in promoting your blog and reaching out to your target audience. These tools include a logo maker, social media post design features, email marketing capabilities, and several others.
With a mobile application provided by Wix, you can manage your blog, create fresh content, and attend to feedback even when you’re on the move.
Plus, Wix’s professionals handle a lot of the behind-the-scenes stuff for you. They monitor and optimize their infrastructure constantly to protect you and your visitors from data theft and other cyber threats. Wix even automates backups of your site data, so you won’t be left starting from scratch should an unlikely breach occur.
If your blog is a hobby, Wix’s free plan is sufficient. However, the free option includes a Wix subdomain, which may not be optimal for professional purposes. To utilize your own domain, upgrading to a premium subscription is necessary.
Fortunately, paid plans start at just $14 per month and include everything you need to start, run, and manage your blog. Sign up today to start building your new blog for free!
#3 – Strikingly — The Best for Creatives
Strikingly is another platform great for building an iron-clad brand following… or just having fun in your spare time.
Strikingly’s ease of use appeals to artists, designers, and digital media creators who appreciate its ability to create stunning blogs and web pages without requiring advanced technical skills.
With the template-based editor, it is possible to fashion a dazzling website in less than an hour, without requiring any coding. Numerous clean and polished templates are available to begin the process, after which making modifications such as swapping out images, incorporating text boxes and buttons, and determining the proper placement of everything on the page becomes effortless.
Hosting your website is also included when using Strikingly’s platform, which provides significant benefits for multiple reasons.
- Getting hosting and a blogging platform in one fell swoop is a gift, as it lessens the steps needed to get set up and doesn’t require you to spend on that separately.
- Second, you won’t have to fiddle with backend servers, learn which host will be best for your blog, and other details about techy stuff you don’t want to be bothered with. This gives you the freedom to just focus on creating content or displaying your creative work.
This is precisely what many creative individuals desire from a platform such as this – the capacity to promptly craft something visually appealing. In less than half an hour, you can construct a website.
With Strikingly, you can easily incorporate ecommerce functionality into your website, enabling you to set up a shop, integrate payment processing, and swiftly commence earning profits.
It is worth noting that, as with the majority of free website creation platforms, your Strikingly blog that is free of charge comes with a subdomain of strikingly.com. To eliminate this subdomain, one must upgrade to a premium subscription.
If you pay for a year in advance, these plans will be priced at:
- Limited — $8 per month
- Pro — $16 per month
- VIP — $49 per month
#4 – Joomla
With its packed features that ensure a smooth process, this open-source Content Management System (CMS) is ideal for constructing community-focused blogs.
Writing content can be made easier with the numerous helpful features offered by the Joomla blogging platform.
An instance of this is the ability to generate personalized blog post formats and distribute your material in diverse languages.
Moreover, Joomla enables the management of a large number of users, possibly in the hundreds.
In addition, there is an extensive range of extensions available for this CMS that streamline the blogging process.
Among the various options available, EasyBlog by StackIdeas is highly favored as it offers a more streamlined and tidy drag-and-drop editor when compared to the one initially provided by Joomla.
The EasyBlog extension also enables you to schedule automatic updates on your social media channels.
Using Joomla will feel familiar to those who are proficient in coding.
Utilize your coding expertise to personalize this blogging platform, which is ideal for crafting intricate websites.
If you think your blog has the potential for growth, Joomla is a great tool to allow for customization as your audience expands.
Regrettably, Joomla possesses more complex features, leading to a higher level of difficulty in learning it compared to WordPress.org.
Consequently, it might require additional time to become operational.
Furthermore, despite having numerous extensions, Joomla falls short in comparison to the vast range of downloads available from its rival, WordPress.
Pros:
- Supports helpful blogging extensions like EasyBlog
- Excellent for building community-centric blogs
- Manage hundreds of users
- Lets you publish content in different languages
- Can create custom blog posts
Cons:
- Higher learning curve than competitor CMSs
- Not as many extensions as WordPress
#5 – Drupal
If your self-hosted blogging CMS needs advanced features and you run a big company, then Drupal could be the right choice for you.
For enterprise organizations in the blogging sphere, this blogging platform is essential as it offers more extensive features and capabilities than the standard blogging tools found in other blogging platforms.
With its plethora of built-in functionalities, Drupal offers a wide range of blogging capabilities that can be fully leveraged once you overcome the initial hurdle of getting accustomed to its unique characteristics.
You have the flexibility to generate various content types using Drupal CMS, which means that you are not restricted to crafting blog posts exclusively.
Page templates, views, blocks, and other similar elements can be created by you.
Drupal’s user permissions are more advanced compared to other CMS choices, making it one of its remarkable features.
By granting access to your blog’s administrators, editors, and other staff members, you enable them to concentrate on their responsibilities without disrupting the workflow of their colleagues.
Drupal has a range of modules and features that can assist you in handling a blog that becomes more intricate.
Moreover, it offers a wide range of possibilities for utilization.
The platform provides an array of features such as security tools to safeguard your blog, accessibility tools to cater to disabled audiences, automation tools to assist with marketing, and other tools.
Drupal’s principal disadvantage is undoubtedly its intricacy.
Novice bloggers may find this blogging platform challenging and mastering its functionalities may require significant dedication of time and effort.
Additionally, the features of this product may not be necessary for small business owners and bloggers who engage in their hobbies.
Pros:
- Has features that accommodate the needs of enterprise-level organizations
- One of the most comprehensive blogging platforms
- Capable of creating many different content types
- Provides advanced user permissions for blog team members
- Manages complex blogs with ease
Cons:
- Too complicated for beginner bloggers
- Small businesses might not need all the features it provides
#6 – HubSpot CMS Hub
No matter the size of your website – small, medium, or enterprise – the HubSpot CMS Hub is capable of meeting your requirements.
Due to its all-in-one blogging tool feature, this platform has earned a spot on our list as the most versatile blogging platform.
The suite offered by HubSpot consists of Customer Relationship Management (CRM) and marketing tools, with their CMS serving as the concluding element.
HubSpot CMS together with CRM and marketing tools can be utilized by online businesses to participate in content marketing through a blog.
To put it differently, everything you require is conveniently accessible in a single location, featuring an SSL certificate that’s free-of-charge.
Usually, blogging platforms rely on integrations, plugins, and third-party software when managing the marketing aspect of the blog.
To develop an email list, you would have to become a member of external services such as SendInBlue.
You can build and keep your list up-to-date, as well as send out your blog’s newsletter, among other things, all thanks to HubSpot.
You have the option to select and organize content based on the previous browsing activity of your website’s visitors.
And the CMS Hub’s website builder lets you customize your site, making it easy to create a branding experience that resonates with your audience.
Unfortunately, HubSpot does not provide a free version of its CMS.
Regrettably, transferring a website from HubSpot to a different CMS can be a challenging endeavor for its users.
Pros:
- CMS and marketing tools in one place
- Useful to small, medium, and enterprise websites
- The content curation feature makes it easy to personalize visitor experiences
- Includes a website builder for customizable blog
- Includes SSL certificate for blog protection
Cons:
- No free version of Hubspot’s content management system
- Complicated migration system from Hubspot to another CMS.
#7 – Medium.com
Looking to showcase your writing to a massive audience but without the hassle of creating a website or obtaining a domain name?
If that is the case, perhaps you should consider investigating Medium.com.
By subscribing to a Medium account, you can enjoy the advantages of both a blog and a social media platform in one.
Medium allows you to share your content with the world without the need for web hosts, site building, pre-designed templates, or other elements typically associated with a traditional blog.
You are given a Medium.com subdomain that is linked to your account without any cost. This enables you to concentrate on producing excellent content.
If you’re in the process of searching for a job, you may find the social network feature of this platform to be a valuable aspect.
Creating blogs on Medium.com can be a great way to showcase your knowledge and abilities since it has a vast audience, comprised of potential company recruiters.
Medium.com is utilized by aspiring web developers as a means to demonstrate their coding prowess.
Medium offers two ways to monetize your blog that sets it apart from other free blogging platforms – by generating revenue through Member reading time and by referring membership to the platform.
As a Medium member, you can make more money by producing content that encourages other members to spend more time reading.
At the same time, you can earn money through referred memberships by referring new members to Medium.
While Medium.com does away with the need to find ways to drive traffic to a self-hosted blog, there are downsides to the arrangement.
Primarily, there are limited options for customization.
Moreover, if your goal is to generate revenue through blogging, this platform should be avoided since placing your own advertisements is not allowed.
Unintentional breaches of Medium’s terms of service can result in suspension.
Pros:
- You can blog without worrying about setting up a website
- Excellent platform for job seekers looking to showcase their knowledge
- Built-in traffic source, thanks to a high readership
- Keeps your focus on the content creation aspect of blogging
- Completely free to join
Cons:
- Few options to make money (if at all)
- Website layout isn’t very customizable
- Your blog can be suspended because of Medium.com’s whims
