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In the form of a hobby or profession, blogging has become a popular way to showcase your writing skills and to earn money. Now, more and more people are choosing blogging as their profession.
But the only problem is that you can’t succeed at blogging just because you are an excellent writer. There are some other things you need to concentrate on in order to ensure that your blog does well.
Choosing the perfect blogging platform is one of them. This article covers all you need to know about choosing the right platform. Go ahead.
Things to Consider Before Choosing a Blogging Platform
Whether you are a beginner or pro, there are certain things to consider when choosing the right blogging platform. The most important of them include;
User-friendliness
Ease of use is the key criterion everyone looks forward to from a website building platform. Be it for building blogs, online stores or a simple website; users prefer a user-friendly platform over any other perks it has to offer. The easier the platform the faster you can build your blog.
Scalability
Imagine you have a blog built as a hobby and now you wish to turn it to a business/profession but your current blogging platform isn’t capable of the transition. Now the only way you can move forward with your dream is by changing the platform. It is definitely not easy as you think. That is why scalability is a must when you choose a website builder for starting your blog.
Monetization Facility
Even if you do not want to monetize your blog right now, you might want to do so in the future. If your current blogging platform doesn’t support monetization it can get difficult for you. You will have to move to a different platform that supports monetization. Moving platforms can sometimes affect the hard-earned performance of your blog.
Features and Customizability
Although a blogging platform doesn’t need a lot of features to function, employing certain features would be very helpful in the growth of your blog. The more customizable the platform, the unique your blog gets, which is a good thing to attract more viewers to your blog.
If you considered the above factors before choosing your blogging platform, you have a better chance of landing the right platform to build your blog.
Here are the best blogging platforms that I found excellent by the careful evaluation of the above factors.
WordPress.org (Self-hosted WordPress)
WordPress.org and WordPress.com are two different platforms. This description applies only to WordPress.org the self-hosted version of WordPress.
WordPress is without a doubt the number one platform to build your blog. It powers over 35% of all sites across the web, leaving the rest of the blogging platforms far behind in popularity. Here is what makes WordPress so popular among other blogging platforms.
Pros of WordPress.org
- Unlimited customization options to build your blog however you want it to. You can choose the theme and plugins from a plethora of options (for free) that work for your blog.
- SEO-friendly
- Responsive on all devices
- User-friendly
- Abundant resources to help you get started with your blog
- Large community
- Affordable
Cons of WordPress.org
- Not very beginner-friendly. It comes with a learning curve for beginners.
- It is up to you to manage the security, backups, hosting, and the update of your blog.
Wix
Wix is a drag and drop blogging platform to set up your blogs. It gives you great freedom to build your blogs as you find it interesting.
Pros of Wix
- Great editor to create and manage your content
- Very helpful and excellent list of features
- Value for money
- Easy to set up thus a great option for beginners
- Technical or coding knowledge is not required for the customization of your blog.
- Best suited for professional bloggers
Cons of Wix
- Not a dedicated blogging platform
- Once you chose a template, you can’t switch it after your blog goes live.
WordPress.com
WordPress.com is a free platform for building your blog. It is a very blogging-friendly platform. It comes with a paid plan as well to give you access to some cool advanced features.
Pros of WordPress.com
- Free to use
- With WordPress.com you can set up your blog easily and quickly.
- Blog specific templates and features to help you create a stunning blog.
- Advanced features at affordable cost
- No need to worry about hosting or managing updates.
Cons of WordPress.com
- Limited customization options compared to WordPress.org
- Not very user-friendly (especially for beginners)
Blogger
Blogger is a free platform to set up your blog. It helps anyone to start a blog with no effort at all. You can simply start your blog by visiting their website. Here is more about Blogger and how it helps you build your dream blog.
Blogger Pros
- You can create a beautiful blog by choosing from their selection of easy-to-use templates.
- You can get a free domain (blogspot.com) or buy a custom domain with a few clicks.
- Monetization option with Google AdSense.
- Built-in analytics
Blogger Cons
- Limited options for customizations
- Fixed character count and number of posts
- Not great support
- You can’t add additional features to it.
Medium
Medium, unlike WordPress or blogger, is a community-centric writing platform. Thus comes with certain rules and regulations which are required for anyone using the platform to obey.
Pros of Medium
- Easy to use and no requirement of any sort of set up.
- Easily enables you to reach a community of people with similar interests.
- Monetization option with the Medium partner program.
- No need to think of website maintenance or design, you can just focus on writing only.
Cons of Medium
- Little to no customization options that make your blog look just like what everyone else has.
- No additional features other than what comes inbuilt
- Limited facilities to track the stats of your blog.
- No revenue from ads
Ghost
Ghost is another great platform to build your blog. It is a great choice for people who look forward to having full control of their blog. This minimalist blog platform is a great option for those who are skilled in coding to explore their own ways to create their blog.
Pros of Ghost
- Unlimited customization options if you are a pro at coding.
- Large marketplace for both free and paid templates for your blog.
- SEO tools to improve your blog’s performance.
Cons of Ghost
- Webdesign and coding knowledge are required for any customization.
- Inadequate tools for the management and promotion of your blog.
- No by default commenting feature, you will have to add it using a third-party extension.
- HTML knowledge is required for adding RSS Feed and email subscriptions to your blog.
Conclusion
Whether you are approaching blogging as a hobby or a profession, there are platforms suitable for your every need. Thus if you dedicate a small amount of time to looking for the right platform, you will have a great start with your blog. Good luck!
We also recommend you to read our article on ‘The Right Ways to Make Money Blogging with WordPress‘
