Which Blogging Platform Is Good For Beginners : A Simple ( But Complete ) Guide
This article is written keeping in mind the beginners who are completely new to the Blogging industry and wanna invest less or none for hosting and other stuff.
One day you are sitting at home and thinking of starting a blog of your own to Share your interest and ideas among others of your kind.
But! but!....
You are unable to figure out how to choose the best Blogging site for your own requirements.
Don't panic.
Because you are on the same boat as others ( bloggers ) previously were when they started.
This is because there are hundreds of different Blogging Platforms out there in the market providing astounding features worth free of cost.
Now the very first question that comes to your mind is:
How do I find out which blogging platform is right for me?
The basic work of all blogging sites is to CREATE and PUBLISH the content.
Right!
In this article, I'll cover the basic requirements of a newbie blogger by the time of searching the right blogging plate for writing and publishing the articles.
What to look for while choosing the Best Blogging Platform?
As a beginner, you'll want a blogging platform that is easy to use and manage with zero coding and minimum technical knowledge.
Choosing the best blogging site is an important decision.
You might be thinking of creating a website and monetizing it later. If you want to start a blog just to share your great ideas and personal stories, then most probably go with free blogging platforms like blogger and medium.
However, for making money blogging, most of the free platforms do not authorize you to monetize your blog that might result in the biggest disadvantage for such people.
Another reason for you to choose the right blogging platform could be accessible to customize the blog because once you get serious about blogging and your traffic started increasing then free blogging platforms won't be able to serve you with extra customizable options.
Again this could be a way of holding you back.
Are you ready to find out which blogging platform is best for you?
Let's go then.
#1. WordPress.org (Self-Hosted Platform)
Recognized as the world's most popular blogging software powering over 37% of all websites on the Internet.
To prevent you from confusion let me tell you that it comes in two versions:
- WordPress.org (Self-Hosted WordPress Platform)
- WordPress.com (we'll talk next)
It also comes with a mobile app through which you can write posts, publish them, and even manage them with minimum effort.
WordPress.org recommends a variety of Web Hosting service providers like Bluehost, Hostgator, and much more plus a free domain.
WordPress.org provides you thousands of free themes with a handful of customization options, so one can install any number of free themes or plugins to enhance the design or functionality of the website.
PROS:
- More flexible and customizable
- Good for monetization and transparency in making money online.
- Comes with a bunch of free themes and plugins.
- You can add Google Analytics for tracking the site's performances and to make better content decisions.
- and much more...
- You have to purchase Domain Name and Hosting (doesn't come free).
- Installation requires a little technical knowledge.
- Setup is complex compared to WordPress.com
- You have to manage all things here like updating, backup, and security.
Anyway if you are serious about blogging then this might be a deal for you.
Again, remember, this comes free of cost except Hosting for that you have to pay.
#2. WordPress.com
It is another version of WordPress Offered by an American company called Automattic- created by WordPress.org co-founder Matt Mullenweg.
WordPress is a freemium (free + premium also) website hosting service provider.
It gives us a chance of starting a website for free and as you find you need more features you can opt for a premium version.
Here at this plate, you can learn so many things from creating a post to managing your website.
Doesn't it sound great?
WordPress offers a free domain name and it looks something like this:
http://yoursite.wordpress.com/
Which you convert and upgrade real one (like domain.com) by spending a little bit of your money.
PROS:
- No setup required
- Easy to maintain- You need not waste time handling things such as updates, backup or security, and all.
- It's completely free with wordpress.com/ subdomain.
- Easy to use
- and many more...
CONS:
- Comes with limited options in the free version.
- You can't run ads from other ad providers. WordPress.com will show their own ads on your website.
- You aren't the owner. Your site might get suspended if they found you to be violating terms and conditions.
- No extra plugins on your free WordPress site.
- No monetization: You can't sell ads or use Google Adsense on your free website.
- Limited customization facility.
Since it seems costlier I better recommend you go with self-hosted WordPress.org if you wanna use premium features at a cheaper rate.
#3. Blogger- best for a personal website
Evan Williams (co-founder of Pyra Labs) first coined the term ' Blogger ' in 1999 that later completely acquired by Google in 2003.
It's absolutely free and comes with no paid plans. You can use it with ease. This is good for personal bloggers who don't make their website a big brand or something similar.
It is good to share your personal thoughts and ideas with people around the globe.
Blogger comes with a few templates which you choose from to customize your blog. Though it is not fully customizable (bad part of blogger).
PROS:
- It is free
- Easy to manage
- Free SSL certificate
- Google Integration (best part of it)
- Simple Text Editor
CONS:
- Comes with very less customizable options
- very few templates
- The overall design is not so good
- You are not the sole owner of your blog. Google can suspend your website at any time as soon as it finds that you are violating its terms and conditions.
- Limited Blogging tools
Key Point: If you are new and don't want to spend much while learning then you should start out with Blogger and once you think you are ready to move on as your blog grows (in terms of traffic), you should definitely end up upgrading from Blogger to WordPress or any other premium Blogging platform to get more features and control on your website.
#4. Squarespace- review
It is an all-in-one Website builder that allows you to create a beautiful website with an online presence in an easy manner.
Squarespace is best known for its astounding templates where you can customize the design and give it a professional look.
It is perfect for those bloggers who want an easy and pleasing to share images, videos, and portfolios along with their very own blog posts.
It comes with powerful blogging tools that you can take advantage of.
These tools help you share your story, post, news, or announcement regarding any product release.
Through its built-in analytics, you can learn where your traffic coming from, what they are looking for, or to find out which pages your visitors are engaging with the most. This will help you built a good connection with your visitors.
You can also manage your Squarespace site from mobile while on-the-go through its application.
Every Squarespace website and online store comes with built-in SEO Tools and useful guides to help you optimize your site for search and for visitors both.
PROS:
- Comes with In-built SEO Tools
- Mobile app
- E-mail marketing facility
- In-depth Analytics
- Free blogging templates
- and many more...
- It is not fully customizable like WIX or WORDPRESS.ORG but overall it is good for small websites that mainly focus on creativity.
It has different pricing plans starting from $12 and more. If you find it fulfilling your criteria then head out for this ASAP.
#5. Medium- Best for traditional blogging
Founded in August 2012 by Evan Willams, one of the founders of Twitter. It is good for readers and writers.
It is similar to social networking sites where you can create a simple account and start publishing your post.
Medium is an open platform where over 170 million readers find new ideas, insights, and gain vast knowledge.
Being completely ad-free is what makes it the odd one out in the blogging industry.
It is not much good for all types of NICHES but turns out to be best for self-improvement or business blogs.
Once Evan Williams better said - "It's not about who you are or who do you know but what you want to say".
Means Medium is all about letters and words, though you use images as well as visuals too at the end, words remain the PRIORITY here.
NOT GOOD FOR:
- microbloggers
- those who wish to make money blogging
- photographers, podcasters, or videomakers because it's all about word, and the only word here
PROS:
- Large audience
- Easy to use
- requires no technical knowledge
- Monetization is still possible
- Excellent Typography; makes your website premium
- and many more...
CONS:
- Limited customization options and features
- Monetization issue - you can not run your own ads or ads from any other ad providers
- Good for writing purpose only; not made for photographers, podcasters, and all.
So if you are about to share your ideas and knowledge in form of words then you should go ahead and make a Medium account here.
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