Why Choose a Writer Friendly Platform?
Do you desire simplicity in your journey as a blogger?
iginal: “I cannot go to the party tonight because I have to finish a report for work.” Rephrased: “Due to a report that I need to complete for work, I am unable to attend the party this evening.”
Are you searching for a platform that permits you to concentrate on writing and nurturing your exceptional ideas for dissemination to the world?
Were you aware…
Blogging platforms that necessitate downloads, uploads, and installations can hamper your ability to produce high-quality work by being overly distracting.
People tend to lose sight of their writing amidst the multitude of attention-demanding features involved in creating a blog, commonly referred to as bells and whistles.
Do you have aspirations of becoming a writer and desire for your blog’s content to primarily center around your articles?
Stop focusing on endless editing and drastic customization projects. Instead, dedicate your efforts to creating enlightening, reflective, and engaging content through user-friendly writing tools.
Let’s explore 10 of the top blogging platforms that enable you to do exactly that!
Top Choices for Writer Friendly Platforms
1. Ghost
The platform offered by Ghost is dedicated to bloggers and is open-source. You have the choice of either downloading the platform to install it on your own server like WordPress or utilizing their online alternative.
Caution: Should you choose to download the platform, you will encounter some additional tasks, but they can be handled with minimal assistance from the internet. Additionally, you will need to allocate funds for VPS, security, and backup services. Opting for Ghost’s package plans will cover all these essentials, offering a more favorable option.
Ghost offers numerous features and designs to customize your blog and enhance its appearance, without overwhelming you to the point of detracting from your writing.
An exclusive aspect of Ghost is its split pane screen that allows you to preview your blog content in real-time as you write. Additionally, their platform permits you to instantly jot down your thoughts and format them.
Moreover, your blog will be managed by their dashboard, which will gather your most essential information and assemble it into a single, user-friendly location. It is as simple as dragging and dropping to make any desired alterations.
What’s The Cost?
Although it’s available for free download, opting for one of the available plans can result in time and cost savings. As a newbie blogger, we recommend signing up for the Ghost Pro Personal plan, which is priced at $19.99 per month. Given that it will suffice for your initial requirements, we believe it’s a reasonable cost.
2. Postach.io
Does an Evernote notebook belong to you?
Postach.io is the ideal platform for you if you want to link your Evernote account to access your notes and notebooks. All you have to do is select a URL and a blog name, and you are good to go. It couldn’t be any easier!
To publish your work, simply designate a new notebook or choose an existing one that includes your content and mark it as “published.” This will enable the Postach.io platform to publish the content to your blog.
With Postach’s innovative method of blogging, you have the option to save your content on both DropBox and Evernote.
Together with Evernote, Postach.io functions as an integrated content management system (CMS) that permits the use of commenting tools like Disqus, and supports Google Analytics and Markdown. However, the downside is that it is restricted to only these tools, leaving no alternative options to choose from.
Postach.io offers a multitude of advantages over other services, as it seamlessly integrates with Evernote to provide a successful blogging experience. Additionally, you can enhance your blog by embedding videos from YouTube and Vimeo.
It is also possible to link most social media channels.
Do you attach importance to having options for themes?
If this is the case, this platform may not be suitable as it has only 13 options, and the free account only offers one option. Additionally, some knowledge of coding will be required if you intend to customize a theme. Nonetheless, the existing themes are impressive and should suffice for a website focused on content.
What’s The Cost?
By selecting a plan, you can either use it for free or pay up to $9/month for the premium version. Opting for a plan is the most ideal decision as it includes all the necessary features to manage your blog.
3. Medium
If you’re a blogger who’s yet to establish a following in your niche and desires to achieve this through compelling writing, Medium is an ideal platform. It features a clutter-free interface and lacks extensive customization options, all geared towards boosting your blog writing productivity.
Not only does it serve as an excellent blogging platform, but it also serves as a blogging platform in its own right, offering its audience a digital area to view and produce relevant and insightful content. However, it is mainly intended for individuals who are creating creative compositions, narratives, popular publications, and descriptive essays rather than those who are attempting to establish their own company.
What are the reasons that make Medium a suitable option?
Medium offers great interactivity with your intended readership, enabling you to engage with them directly on the platform, receive valuable feedback, as well as distribute links to other articles. Through a blend of advanced algorithms and editorial selection based on engagement and interest, Medium can amplify the reach of your work across a global audience numbering in the hundreds or even thousands.
It’s important to bear in mind a few weaknesses of Medium.
A profile has to be established using a social media platform.
You are not allowed to have your own domain, instead, everything you publish must be under your profile and Medium has control over it.
No designs or extensions are currently available.
What’s The Cost?
Costless!
4. WordPress.org
The popularity of WordPress, which has been in existence for 15 years, remains as strong as ever. As a matter of fact, it has transformed from being merely a blogging platform to a full-fledged Content Management System and currently houses about 30% of the entire internet.
Choosing WordPress.org is a wise decision if you seek a reliable and economical platform. The website development software and blogging utilities are available for free on WordPress.org. However, you must purchase a hosting service if you wish to use your domain name.
The cost of hosting for basic websites, which would suit most writers’ needs, is still very reasonable. Certain hosts also provide WordPress maintenance free of charge.
One of the biggest benefits of WordPress is the wide variety of free themes it offers. Additionally, you can purchase beautiful premium themes for a small fee. The selection of plugins available also greatly enhances the functionality of your website. Additionally, there are many online resources such as websites and videos that provide guidance on optimizing a WordPress site.
5. WordPress.com
WordPress provides a solution for those unwilling to pay hosting fees – host your website for free on WordPress.com.
Your website’s URL will be wordpress.com/yourwebsite and you will have access to a wide range of plugins, almost the same as paid plans. The free plan includes 3 GB of storage, and if you require more, you can upgrade to a paid plan. Backup is not a concern as WordPress offers it for free.
Are there any restrictions? Hosting advertisements on your site is not permitted, resulting in limited monetization options. Nevertheless, WordPress has the ability to advertise on your website, which should not be an issue since you are utilizing a free service.
Another drawback is that it is not possible to utilize a personalized theme or employ Google Analytics.
Are there only drawbacks? Absolutely not. It is possible to transfer your website from WordPress.com to WordPress.org by purchasing your own server space.
If you are new to blogging and want to try it out, WordPress.com is still one of the top choices.
6. Blogger / BlogSpot
Blogger has always prioritized being a free platform for blogging since its beginning. Using the service for anything other than a simple informational website or a blog can be quite difficult.
Blogger’s attraction lies in its ease of use, with limited customization options that can be expanded with premium themes. Additionally, it can be effortlessly backed up and synced through Google Drive.
The fact that WordPress does not have thousands of plugins can be a relief in its own way as you won’t have to worry about missing out on any potential plugins for enhancing the user experience or the appearance of your website.
If an individual desires a URL like yourwebsite.blogspot.com, hosting can be effortlessly accomplished. For those who have prior experience, creating a website can take less than one hour.
It is effortless to optimize, and Google Analytics provides metrics. A dashboard is integrated to display the most popular posts and the ones that receive more traffic than others.
Blogger’s convenient feature is that it allows easy access to editing posts via mobile phones.
7. Weebly
In 2006, Weebly was one of the earliest sites to adopt drag and drop technology, and offers both free and paid versions like other platforms. The initial free plan includes 500 MB of storage, while the paid versions come with phone support and limitless storage. Additionally, all three premium plans feature a complimentary domain name.
Weebly’s method is extremely pragmatic in that you simply select your preferred page template and can then effortlessly drag and drop various components from a provided menu. No knowledge of HTML is necessary, and the website’s pre-designed templates sufficiently enable the creation of an author website without requiring coding expertise.
Analyzing website traffic is achievable by inserting the Google Analytics tracking code into the page via copy-paste.
Users of the paid plans on Weebly have the ability to eliminate advertisements. If you have any questions, the Weebly community is available to assist you.
8. Wix
Wix is renowned among writers as a reliable website builder that is speedy, effective, and loads rapidly. With Wix, you can develop an outstanding site without any coding knowledge.
Similar to Weebly, it employs the feature of drag and drop. Numerous templates are available for selection, allowing you to modernize the appearance of your website.
One option is to create a blog for free, although the domain name will be provided by Wix. Alternatively, you could pay to host the blog with your own URL. The necessary tools for optimizing your blog are easily accessible, and payment plans begin at just $15 per month. There is no obligation to continue using the service, and you are free to cancel at any time.
Wix provides top-notch support services through phone and email. If you encounter any issues with a plugin causing slowdown to your website, the problem will be resolved promptly.
9. Squarespace
At present, Squarespace is recognized as a leading brand for constructing websites. Despite its reputation for being suitable for e-commerce websites, authors can utilize Squarespace to fashion an exceptional website.
Squarespace, similar to Wix and Weebly, is a comprehensive website creator that presents a seamless complete solution. Its main draw is the attractive selection of themes available, which feature customizable images to achieve a personalized appearance.
Squarespace websites feature stylish fonts and color combinations that provide a refined and polished appearance. Furthermore, it includes a built-in analytics dashboard that enables users to gain insight into the minutiae of their website’s traffic. While Squarespace provides a free trial, there are no available free plans. However, all paid plans come with customer support via email and chat.
10. Tumblr
With 430 million users to its credit, Tumblr has become a popular microblogging platform, often compared to Twitter, largely owing to its user-friendly interface.
Setting up and possessing a Tumblr account comes at no cost. Certain themes may require payment, while others are offered for free. The interface is designed for ease of use and prioritizes practicality over appearance.
The format of Tumblr is designed for content that is mainly visual. While it may not be the best platform for lengthy written pieces, it is ideal if you want to both blog and share images.
Even though complete customization may not be achievable, you can utilize SEO strategies to rapidly expand the reach of your content.
