Do you want to create your own blog but struggling with the process of selecting the most suitable blogging platform? With multiple blogging platforms available, it can be a challenging decision. How can you identify the one that fits your requirements?
In this article, we’ll help you choose the best blogging platform by going over the pros and cons of the most popular blogging sites.
Choosing The Best Blogging Platform – What to Look for?
Having a clear idea of what you want in a blogging platform can be beneficial before delving into the list.
If you’re new to blogging, you’ll likely seek a platform that’s simple to establish, has a minimal learning required, and doesn’t necessitate any coding expertise.
It is important to consider what type of blog you wish to create both presently and in the future.
In the process of your blog’s expansion, you might consider modifying its appearance and incorporating additional features to cater to a larger audience. Therefore, it is crucial to opt for a blogging platform that allows for flexibility and caters to potential growth.
Beginning with an unsuitable platform can result in significant challenges when attempting to make a change in the future.
In conclusion, it is wise to ensure that you have the capability to monetize your blog in the future, even if you currently have no intention of doing so.
What kind of blog do you want?
Blogging platforms differ from one another. While WordPress is a famous CMS that can manage a website and a blog, gaining an understanding of how to optimize it requires more effort. Squarespace, on the other hand, can take charge of everything technical – domain, hosting, security, SEO, among other things and let you focus on generating content. On the other hand, Tumblr is primarily a social networking platform. Therefore, the platform you choose will depend on your objective, and the selected platform must have the capacity to fulfill those goals.
Considering long-term implications is crucial as you select a platform. You wouldn’t want to be locked into a system that fails to accommodate your future requirements. As your blog expands and becomes profitable, you may desire additional features. Therefore, it is vital to confirm that the platform you opt for presents such possibilities.
Should You Host Your Blog or Have the Platform Host It?
One of the biggest decisions to consider for your blog is choosing the right hosting option. You must decide whether you want to manage hosting your blog or have the platform handle it for you. If you prefer a self-hosted approach, WordPress is an excellent choice. However, selecting a hosted platform can be more challenging. A critical distinction between self-hosted and hosted platforms is their flexibility in adding customizations and features beyond the selected platform’s scope. While a hosted platform may simplify your blogging experience at first, selecting the wrong one could restrict your options in the future.
How Much Can You Afford?
Depending on the hosting provider you choose, opting for a hosted blogging platform can generally be a more affordable option compared to self-hosting a blog. With certain hosted publishing platforms, a customized domain and a fully functional website can be secured for as low as $5 a month. Conversely, certain self-hosted platforms may offer a complimentary alternative. However, additional expenses such as hosting costs, premium plugins, and themes can quickly escalate the overall cost of a hosted website, including on WordPress.
Exercise caution when opting for a less costly all-encompassing platform that might demand payment for upgrades at a later stage. Moreover, if you’re interested in self-hosting your website, contemplate hosting platforms that offer plans that can expand in line with your blog’s progress.
Are You a Creative Type?
It’s important to consider the extent of control you desire over your website’s design and layout. Self-hosted sites grant you complete authority to select themes, customize the appearance, and administer its functionality. On the other hand, hosted website builders come with restrictions that hinge on the specific platform chosen. Certain providers may offer a plethora of templates, while others may furnish only a handful.
The Best Blogging Platforms (Compared)
1. WordPress.org
Since its inception in 2003, WordPress has become the most widely used blogging platform worldwide, now driving over 43% of all websites on the internet.
Be careful not to mistake WordPress.org for WordPress.com, a blog hosting platform that appears further down on this list. Refer to our guide that explains the disparity between WordPress.org and WordPress.com.
In a matter of minutes, you can construct your own website or blog through WordPress.org, a platform for blogging that is freely available and open source.
If you want complete autonomy over your blog’s future, WordPress is an excellent choice as it necessitates enrolling with a WordPress hosting provider because it is a self-hosted solution.
Benefits
- WordPress.org gives you control over every aspect of your website.
- You can grow your blog and add extra features like forums, online store, paid memberships, and sell online courses. This makes WordPress the best free blogging platform to make money.
- There are thousands of free themes available for WordPress. This allows you to create a beautiful website that stands apart from the crowd. Most popular WordPress themes come with built-in customization options that gives you full design control without editing any CSS code.
- You also get access to more than 59,000 free WordPress plugins. These plugins are like apps for your WordPress blog that allow you to add features like contact forms, galleries, etc. See our list of must have WordPress plugins for all websites.
- WordPress is search engine friendly. You can easily create SEO friendly URLs, categories, and tags for your posts. Plus, there’re a good number of great SEO plugins for additional optimization.
- You can easily enable Google Analytics powered website analytics in WordPress, so you can see the stats that matter. This helps you grow your new blog traffic and subscribers.
- Last but not least, WordPress’ drag-and-drop editor makes it easy to create any type of content on your blog site. It also has options to embed dynamic content like videos, social media feeds, Google Adsense, graphs, charts, and more without any technical know how.
istency is important when it comes to achieving success in any area of life.
- Managing your own website comes with a bit of a learning curve as you would have to familiarize yourself with WordPress admin backend.
- You will have to manage your own backups and security.
The cost of a product or service.
WordPress software is free, but you’ll need to have a domain name (about $14.99/year) and hosting (usually starting from $7.99/month).
Any type of website requires one to have a domain name and web hosting.
Bluehost, a hosting provider endorsed by WordPress, is providing a deal for WPBeginner users to begin for just $2.75 per month, along with a FREE domain name and a 60% discount on web hosting.
See our guide on how to start a WordPress blog for complete step by step instructions.
In general, WordPress is a great option for individuals’ as well as businesses’ blogs.
WordPress is the content management system of choice for most popular bloggers online due to its user-friendliness and inclusive features that fully equip bloggers to create a thriving blog.
In addition to producing a blog site, WordPress can also be utilized for constructing a website for a small business and establishing an online store.
2. Web.com
A popular website builder platform is Web.com, which includes the functionality to incorporate a blog section into one’s business website or online store.
Non-technical users can easily use their website builder platform with drag-and-drop functionality, and they have budget-friendly starting prices of only $1.95.
Their platform offers a variety of pre-designed templates to select from, allowing for customization of your blog’s layout without the need for coding. Additionally, their features include essential tools such as SEO optimization, website security features, backup and autosave, and analytics.
and cons must be carefully considered before making a decision. One must take into account the advantages and disadvantages before making a choice.
- Beginner friendly drag and drop website builder (no coding needed).
- Dozens of fully customizable templates for your blog.
- Easy setup with no hassles, since Web.com takes care of all the technical details of hosting your website.
- Affordable starting pricing – $1.95 per month and it includes all the essential features
- Free domain is included with all paid plans.
- 24/7 customer support available via phone, live chat, and email.
idering the current situation, it seems advantageous to postpone the meeting to a later date.
- The extensions / app ecosystem is small, so there aren’t as many third party plugins like WordPress.
- Blogging features are no where near as powerful as WordPress.
- Since Web.com is a proprietary website builder, switching your website to another platform later is difficult.
Adjustments to the cost of goods or services being offered.
For their initial website plan, Web.com offers a starting price of $1.95 per month, which includes a drag-and-drop site builder, a blogging platform, a multitude of stunning templates, numerous free stock images, and a free domain.
To access their advanced SEO tools or eCommerce features, you must upgrade to their Marketing plan which begins at $2.95 monthly or their eCommerce plan which starts at $3.95 per month.
These prices are available for WPBeginner readers as part of our Web.com coupon deal. All you need to do is click on our link to get these special prices.
For small businesses that are looking for an alternative to WordPress, Web.com is a highly recommended option due to its competitive pricing and extensive features.
3. Squarespace
Squarespace is a website builder and blogging platform designed specifically for eCommerce users that provides an all-in-one solution. Known for its visually appealing templates, Squarespace simplifies the process of creating an online presence, making it a formidable competitor for WordPress. It’s an excellent value for those with limited technical proficiency who want to seamlessly integrate social media, sell their products, and personalize their website.
With Squarespace, bloggers are provided with a comprehensive blog post editing tool that contains more than 45 modules, such as image galleries, scheduling, newsletter opt-ins, social media integrations, charts, custom code, and accordion. Through the drag-and-drop editor, bloggers can personalize their posts and products, connect social media accounts, and create unique content that stands out from the competition.
There are 100 pre-designed sections available for users to select from, as well as a portfolio page choice and pre-configured color schemes to stimulate their creativity.
Squarespace provides effective marketing aids like email outreach, customer acquisition pop-ups, an announcement display, and social media promos on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest.
Pros
- Stunning website designs out of the box
- No design or development experience required
- Can run full websites or just blogs
- You get full control of audience info and retention
- Dozens of free templates to choose from
- Hosted by Squarespace, so you don’t need to have a separate host
Cons
- Monthly fee
- Tied to their platform
- Might be restrictive to people who are used to having full control over design and development
- No add-ons outside of the official Squarespace themes
Squarespace is for you if…
If you prefer a more hands-off approach and want to concentrate on your blog or sales rather than the website, Squarespace would be an appropriate choice. Squarespace is often compared to the iPhone in the blogging platform industry due to its attractive design, user-friendliness, versatility, and ample customization features that satisfy most users. However, some may find Squarespace limiting, in which case WordPress or Ghost may be better suited. Those who want to be catered to and guided should consider Squarespace.
There is no cost for the basic plan, while you can choose to upgrade to a paid plan that starts at $23 per month.
4. Weebly
Weebly is a website builder that is hosted and can serve as a complete website or blog. It presently emphasizes incorporating Square, which should not be mistaken for Squarespace, for payment processing and eCommerce services in order to compete with Shopify. If you are concerned with eCommerce platforms, as well as content creation and blogging, Weebly may be a suitable option. Additionally, they offer impressively polished and well-designed templates and themes, and a comprehensive set of plugins. Weebly is concentrating on attracting a more sophisticated consumer base than Blogger and similar platforms.
Some people find that Weebly’s drag-and-drop editor without needing to code is easier to use than WordPress. Publishing content is a breeze – just choose from a variety of elements to add to your page and begin typing. The writing process is nearly the same as WordPress, making it simple for those who are already well-versed in using WordPress.
Pros
- User-friendly interface
- Professional themes and lots of plugins
- Solid eCommerce platform with a secure payment portal
- Easy to set up and use
- Not a lot of technical experience required to get started
Cons
- The free plan is fairly limited
- Outside of the plugin library, not a lot of customization options
- Potential trouble if you leave the platform
- SEO limitations
Weebly is for you if…
If you desire a blog with a professional appearance straight out of the gate, Weebly is an ideal choice. It is simple to operate, and you do not require extensive design expertise to achieve a desirable outcome. Additionally, Weebly presents an excellent opportunity for including an eCommerce store. Its integration with Square payments can relieve you of most of the setup complications associated with WooCommerce on WordPress.
Free of charge, with the option to upgrade to paid plans beginning at a monthly rate of $13.
