blogging platforms
So you want to be a blogger. Great! The first question I get from people first just embarking on this journey is, “Where do I start?”
There are numerous blogging platforms on the web today, each with its own unique pros and cons. While it would be great if the answer was the same for everyone, finding the perfect platform for your needs takes research and knowing what you want to do with it.
In this detailed guide, we're going to walk you through some of the leading blog platforms on the web today, along with their strengths and weaknesses. As you explore our reviews of each, take notes. Consider what you're looking for and how each option can, or cannot, help you accomplish your goals.
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Whether you're a business looking to build your SEO or a writer or blogger looking to grow your business, blogging is one of the main staples of your online marketing.
It will help you reach your target audience and engage their interest, turning readers into devoted followers or web visitors into paid conversions. We've done the hard work for you, putting together a list of some of the top blogging platforms available today so you can narrow down your search.
Without further adieu, let's begin analyzing!
There is a reason why WordPress is more or less a household name. With its CMS running more than 28% of websites online today, this well-known blogging platform has earned its number one spot as today's most popular blogging solution. It's also highly SEO-friendly.
This open source platform is a chameleon in its own right, able to adapt to its users' individual needs. How? It offers a host of options and plugins to help you build your ideal website or blog.
With over 55,000 plugins, that's a whole lot of options. From e-commerce integrations to SEO plugins, community development, membership programs, and more, it's a dream CMS for web developers and users.
There's a reason for that, too. WordPress was designed for users by users, making the company intuitively aware of the needs of its target audience. It also has a large library of free or affordable website templates which you can customize instead of building your site from scratch.
So what's the downside?
With all of these phenomenal capabilities and options comes a learning curve. If you aren't familiar with navigating CMS backends or you don't have any clue what HTML or CSS are, then get ready to do a lot of research.
You are also responsible for your site's own backup and security, both of which you can acquire through a quality hosting service.
But that's it. WordPress has been around since 2003, growing with the web development community as it constantly evolves and improves its CMS. With so many great minds involved, they've truly come up with a sterling product.
Like WordPress, Joomla is an open source blogging platform. You have a wide variety of options, from templates to add-ons. Its flexibility lends itself to the creativity of web developers, allowing you to create a website that is entirely your own.
You have choices with Joomla. Hundreds of templates make up their theme selection, so you're bound to find something that catches your eye as a foundation for your blog's design. You can use extensions, too, in order to expand your theme's capabilities to achieve exactly what you want it to do.
The downside of this “smaller WordPress” is that it doesn't have the support that its competitor does. Its developer community is much smaller and you'll be more hard pressed to find hired services that specialize in this CMS.
Joomla doesn't have its own support team, either. You are dependent upon the community for any needs that may arise. Hosting, domain sign-up, and security are also left on your plate, making you responsible for pretty much every aspect of your website.
However, this blogging platform is free to use. If you're comfortable with handling the other aspects of your website's upkeep yourself and you have your reasons for not using WordPress, Joomla can serve as a suitable alternative.
If you've ever glimpsed a Wix website, you know they have stunning graphic designers on their team. Their entire selection of website themes is visually stunning.
What's more, it's intuitive. The user-friendly platform uses a visual editor that you can click, drag, and drop elements without knowing the inner workings of web development. You can create an eye-catching, professional website with ease, even with little to no experience.
Wix does offer third-party apps to help you enhance your website's functionality. However, unlike WordPress, the selection of free plugins is minimal. You'll have to pay to play with this blogging platform.
Your template, once chosen, is permanent and your capabilities are dependent upon your plan level, which you pay for monthly or annually.
Looking to blog for free? Expect to be a billboard. While WordPress simply places a discreet “Powered by WordPress” or WordPress logo in the footer of free sites, Wix offers free online real estate at the compromise of featuring advertisements on your pages.
Still, Wix does offer a combination of high-quality, mobile-friendly designs with an easy-to-use interface that can be worth the price tag if you're new to website creation and blogging.
You get what you pay for in this respect, which makes it an option worth considering.
If you're looking to kickstart your small business online, whether it's brick and mortar or e-commerce, Squarespace will get you up-and-running quickly. Built for the entrepreneur who doesn't have time to deal with complex CMS platforms, it offers professional themes and a drag-and-drop design experience.
With SSL's being a necessary security feature for today's websites, they've made it a point to offer those, too. You can get your side, domain name, and security certificate all through the same platform you built your website. It's a huge convenience, especially if you aren't tech-savvy.
The downsides to Squarespace come down to limitations. There are no third-party integrations. What they offer is what you get and your integrations are few.
Personal plans also have a glass ceiling for content. You can create up to twenty pages, 2 contributors, and one blog per account or site. This is fine for the average small business, but if you're looking to go hard on content then you may find these restrictions unacceptable.
Overall, it's a great option for a quick, professional online presence if you're looking for something simple. Before you sign up, make sure Squarespace offers the features and integrations you need. If so, this may be the platform you're looking for.
Ahhh, Ghost! A publication or journalist's haven. This open source blogging platform is made for the writing and publishing community in mind.
Home to many online publications, its clean, minimalist design is extremely easy to navigate, leaving you free to follow your muse or the next breaking news story. With a JavaScript-based design, it's extremely fast, too!
This platform does offer both hosted and non-hosted packages, depending on your preference. However, don't expect a lot of creativity as far as design. This platform is focused on written content and its theme options and features are extremely limited.
This platform currently doesn't integrate well with apps, either. However, that hasn't stopped companies like Mozilla and Tinder from using it. There's a reason big brands call it home for their blogs.
It's great if you're looking to expand your brand with high-quality content through a blogging platform separate from your main website.
If you're simply looking for a free platform where you can write to your heart's content, Blogger may be the platform for you. Owned by Google since 2003, this free option offers a quick setup with little to no learning curve.
You also don't have to fret about downtime or security. Google takes security seriously, and since Blogger is a part of the online Behemoth you know you're covered. Blogger is reliable without having to pay for hosting.
However, if you're looking to make a professional mark with your blog, you should strike this option off your list. While temptingly free, Blogger is also extremely limited.
You don't have the large menu of features found with WordPress or Wix, nor will you find any remarkable templates to build out. Blogger is deeply rooted in simplicity, with updates and upgrades being few and far between.
In short, this is an option built for the hobbyist who doesn't want to put in the time or effort into learning a complex CMS or the money to invest in the support and design advantages of a more advanced platform.
How would one describe Tumblr? It has a reputation all its own with its cult-like following and at-a-glance posts. More akin to a newsfeed than a blogging forum, Tumblr's specialty is in a practice known as microblogging.
What is that, exactly? Just as its name suggests, microblogging is all about bite-sized content. Think Twitter, but with more media.
Small posts, GIFs, videos, and audio are most commonly shared on this busy platform. This isn't a place for 2,000-word blogs, but it is a great vehicle for going viral. Tumblr is big on social media behaviors such as sharing, engaging, and commenting.
The downside to this unique platform is while it has many themes, there aren't really any features to add on to your page. It's pretty limited. Backups or migration to another platform can also be difficult, so think carefully before planting any roots here.
Yet Tumblr is a great extension for syndicating content, which is something to keep in mind even if you choose another blogging platform.
Like Tumblr, Medium is its own entity. While it's used by many professional bloggers, journalists, and writers, it's typically an extension of their blogging efforts and not the home for their blogging platform.
The great part about Medium is it's easy to publish on and it looks great, especially if you're building up an online writing portfolio. Built as a community, it offers limited social networking features but you can interact with other users pretty easily. If you're a writer looking to network with other writers, you won't regret tapping into it.
However, don't expect to make money through Medium. While you can build a following, you can't run ads on it. This free platform also owns what you build on it, meaning if you plan to deviate away from Medium eventually you'll lose the audience you've spent so much time acquiring.
Overall, we recommend using this blogging option as an external blogging option while choosing another platform as your core blogging platform for building your content and your brand.
Another simple, ready-to-use blogging option, Weebly is for the newbies. You can choose from the platform's library of templates and customize it according to your desires. However, don't expect to completely overhaul your theme.
While simple to use, that simplicity comes with a lot of limitations. All of your available features are built-in. It's a limited selection, as are your third-party plugins.
Some users may think to start with Weebly and migrate to a new platform when they feel they grow out of Weebly's limitations. However, it may be more hassle than its worth. Exporting Weebly sites is a notoriously difficult process.
While hosting is free, you want to make sure if you settle with Weebly you plan to do so permanently. Think of your blog not only in consideration of your current needs but also where you see it going.
If Weebly's features fit your aspirations, you may have found your match. Yet if you ever aspire to do more, we suggest you choose a different option that offers room to grow.
Okay, so you've scoured the menu of blogging platforms and you've chosen a home for your website or blog. Now what?
You need content, of course!
In order to make an impact online, you have to blog a high quantity of high-quality blogs. The more, the better. Ramp up the number of posts you publish by hiring a pro to help you out.
Our professional blogging services deliver exceptional 2,000-word blogs chock full of content your readers will want to read. From topic creation to editing, you'll have a say in what our team produces, including unlimited revisions for guaranteed satisfaction.
Ready to work together? Let's talk!
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