Blogging platforms make it easy to connect with a large group of people and share ideas and opinions with the world. In today’s digital era, starting a blog is easier than ever. These blogs serve as a great advertising tool to promote and market brand. Are you willing to start a blog but not able to decide which blogging platform to choose. Your search comes to an end. In this post, we will look into the best blogging platforms to start a blog.
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Popular Blogging Platforms
WordPress.org
It is the most popular blogging platform in the world. WordPress.org is an open source free blogging platform that enables you to create blogs or websites within seconds. Here, you get the advantage of controlling every aspect of your site. You can even add extra features such as forums, online store, paid memberships and courses.
Using WordPress is free, but you require a domain and hosting which costs around $14..99 per year and $7.99 per month.
Benefits of using WordPress.org
- You get to choose from a plethora of free themes available for WordPress. Usually, the theme comes with built-in customization options where you don’t require editing CSS code.
- You also get access to free WordPress plugins that enables you to add features like contact forms, galleries, etc.
- Setting up Google Analytics is easier in WordPress. With this, you can view the stats and grow your subscribers and blog traffic.
- Using WordPress Drag and Drop editor, you can embed dynamic content such as videos, social media feeds, Google Adsense, graphs, charts and much more.
Limitations of using WordPress.org
- You will have to invest time and effort in learning and getting used to WordPress Admin backend.
- You need to manage your site’s backup and security.
Web.com
Web.com is a reputed website builder platform that gives you the option to add a blog section to your company’s website or online store. Their platform is extremely user-friendly for non-technical users. The pricing is affordable and the monthly plan starts from $1.95 which includes a range of features such as drag & drop site builder, blogging platform, hundreds of beautiful templates, thousands of free stock images, and a free domain.
Benefits of using Web.com
- No coding knowledge required
- Customer Service is available 24/7
- Free domain with all paid plans
- Hassle-free setup
- Fully customizable templates for your websites and blogs
Limitation of using Web.com
- Switching your platform to a another platform is a difficult process in Web.com
- Blogging features are not as good as WordPress
Wix.com
Wix is a famous hosted platform for building websites. It was introduced in the year 2006 for building websites with no coding skills required. Presently, it has more than 110 million users across the world. The basic site builder is free of charge but the premium plans with the feature of adding custom domains start with $4.50 per month.
Benefits of using Wix.com
- You can personalise your site with a variety of templates and third-party add-ons
- No coding or HTML knowledge needed
- Easy set up
Limitations of using Wix.com
- Limited options for third party apps
- Free account displays Wix branding and promotions ads
- No option to change template
Blogger
It is a free blogging platform launched by Google. You just need to have a Google account to start a free blog on Blogger. It is a quick and simple way to create blogs especially for non-technical users. Blogger is a free platform with a blogger subdomain but for custom domain, you need to purchase it from a third party domain registrar.
Benefits of using Blogger
- It is free to use
- No technical skills are required
- Has the extra benefit of Google’s strong secure platform and trustworthiness.
Limitations of using Blogger
- Blogger is not frequently updated or provided new features.
- There are few templates available.
- Comprise of basic blogging tools
Tumblr
Tumblr is a social media platform for microblogging. Users can use the service to post multimedia, share content, reblog, use built-in sharing tools, and much more. Tumblr is free to use, but you can purchase a custom domain for blogging on Tumblr separately.
Benefits of using Tumblr
- Tumblr is free to use with a Tumblr subdomain, you can purchase a premium custom domain separately as well.
- Easy setup and usage
- Has an integrated social media platform with a built-in audience
- Quick and easy for blogging videos, GIFs, images, etc.
Limitations of using Tumblr
- Has limited features that cannot be extended
- Tumblr themes do not offer additional features
- Importing Tumblr to other platforms is a difficult process
Medium
Medium is one of the most popular blogging platforms on the web. Started in the year 2012, Medium has now formed into a community of writers, bloggers, journalists, etc. You cannot use your own domain in Medium, you have to create an account here and start publishing posts. It is free to use.
Benefits of using Medium
- Easy to setup and use, no coding knowledge needed
- You don’t need to worry about designing the website, you can solely focus on your writing
- You get to reach out to a community of people of similar interests
Limitations of using Medium
- Limited features
- You cannot use your own domain in Medium
- You cannot run ads in Medium as Monetisation is limited to their partner program
- You have the risk of losing your followers if you lose your blog as Medium owns the audience rights
Squarespace
Squarespace is a website builder that enables you to create engaging websites with features like drag and drop page design tools without requiring any coding skills. Pricing plans are different for websites and online stores. Personal website plan starts at $16 per month whereas business plan starts at $26 per month.
Benefits of using Squarespace
- It is a great platform for non-technical users
- It has a collection of professionally designed templates
- It provides domain names with SSL/HTTPs and Ecommerce stores
Limitations of using Squarespace
- Integrations selection is minimal
- Limited features
Ghost
Ghost is a free and open source blogging platform for bloggers to publish, share and grow their content business. It is available both as a hosted platform and as software. You need a custom domain which costs around $14.99 per year and web hosting plans starts from $7.99 per month.
Benefits of using Ghost
- User-friendly interface
- Fast speed as the language used is JavaScript
- No setup needed for the hosted version
- Focuses primarily on blogging
Limitations of using Ghost
- Limited number of themes available
- Complex setup if you are installing yourself
- Customization is difficult
Weebly
Weebly is a website and Ecommerce service that provides easy to use website building tools for businesses. It includes a blog feature along with free blog templates that you can insert on your website. The free version is limited which comes with Weebly branding ads. Paid plans start from $8 per month billed on yearly basis. The pro plan costs $12 per month and the business plan costs $25 per month.
Benefits of using Weebly
- Fully hosted blogging platform
- Set up not required for the hosted version
- Easy integration
Limitations of using Weebly
- Free plan has less features
- Expensive paid subscription plans
- SEO features are not as robust as that of WordPress
Blogging is an excellent opportunity to demonstrate your skills and connect with the rest of the world. Writing blog posts enables you to show your expertise in a specific topic while also attracting new readers and followers. We hope that now you are able to make a decision on choosing the right blogging platform to start a blog.