Blogging has become increasingly important over the years as social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter have taken off. The rise of blogs and other types of websites has also created a demand for bloggers who can create unique content.
There are lots of blogging platforms out there, each offering its own unique features. If you want to take advantage of these tools, you'll need to decide which ones are best suited to your blog.
Blogging platforms come in various forms, from simple free sites like WordPress to complex enterprise solutions such as Hubspot. They offer varying levels of ease of use, customization, and support; choosing the right one can be tricky and it requires careful consideration.
As a beginner blogger, you need a solution that offers a good balance between simplicity and flexibility. In addition to the basic requirements of being able to create posts and manage comments, you also need a platform that allows you to easily add new pages, categories, tags, and other items.
The question is which blogging platform should you choose?
In this article, we have listed the top 4 blogging platforms that are best for beginners.
WordPress
Developed by Automattic, WordPress powers over 43% of all websites. It's an open-source CMS (content management system) that provides users with a powerful publishing tool. It's easy to learn and very flexible.
You don't need any programming skills to get started using WordPress, making it great for anyone looking to start their own blog or website. It's available in both free and paid versions. While the free version doesn't allow you to customize anything on the site, you can upgrade to premium if you wish.
WordPress comes in two main varieties: self-hosted and hosted. A self-hosted installation means you're responsible for installing and managing the software yourself. This puts more control into your hands but also makes things more complicated.
Even though the self-hosted option takes a little bit more work and a small learning curve, the self-hosted version is more beneficial in the long run. You pay monthly fees to a web hosting server where your site will live. You can then install WordPress and begin your blogging journey.
Hosting companies typically provide everything you need to get your personal website up and running — including domain name registration and email services. These are ideal for people who do not have time to set up their own servers, but they do require some technical know-how.
If you're starting a business or professional blog, a managed WordPress hosting service may be better for you. Managed WP hosts make it easier to manage your site, automatically update your site when updates are released, and even help you recover from potential problems.
If you are beginning your blogging journey you might come across WordPress recommendations every now and then since WordPress is one of the biggest names when it comes to blogging software. With a huge community behind it, it's no wonder why it continues to grow and thrive.
Whether you're looking for a self-hosted solution or a paid hosting package, there are plenty of options to choose from: Themes, plugins, e-commerce, learning management systems, you name it!
Needless to say, WordPress is a powerful publishing platform that allows users to easily build blogs, eCommerce sites, membership portals, and communities.
Users can choose from thousands of themes and plugins to customize their site's functionality. The possibilities are endless!
Pros:
+ Free
+ Easy to set up
+ Great visual editor
+ Lots of plugins and themes available
Blogger
Blogger is a free platform for bloggers to create their own websites and share their thoughts with others. The service was created by Google and is owned by them, but they allow anyone to use it for free.
First introduced back in 2003, Blogger has been around since before most other blogging platforms were even thought of. While it hasn't changed much, its popularity remains strong thanks to its ease of use and wide array of features.
Compared to WordPress, Blogger offers a smaller number of templates and fewer customization options. However, this does not detract from its ability to produce quality content.
With support for RSS feeds and Google Analytics, Blogger is relatively simple to use. Users can create new posts by just entering text, uploading images, and adding links. They can also schedule automatic post updates with an integrated calendar tool.
Blogger's interface is clean and easy to navigate, while navigation bars at the top and bottom of each page provide quick access to frequently used functions.
Blogger is great for sharing information on a wide range of topics including personal development, health, technology, career and much more. If you are thinking about starting a blog, then blogger is a great option because it allows you to set up an easy-to-use website without any prior experience or knowledge. You can migrate your existing blog later if you want.
Cons:
– No custom domains
– Limited theme selection
Tumblr
Another popular blogging platform, Tumblr is a microblogging website that enables users to publish short messages called "tumbles" (or "text posts"). It is similar to Twitter in some ways, but unlike Twitter, Tumblr doesn't require users to follow public figures. Instead, users can subscribe to various groups where they can view what people have posted.
Tumblr was first launched in 2007 as a social networking website for teens and young adults. In 2009, following user complaints about spammy content, the company began to focus solely on social media. Today, it is still primarily known for being a social network, though it's growing into a blogging platform too.
Tumblr is perfect for posting quick updates, unlike other blogging platforms where you would need to write longer articles to get full views. Tumblr is an amazing place to showcase your creativity.
Tumblr provides a clean and modern interface that makes it easy to get started using the service. Its intuitive interface means there’s no need to be tech-savvy to start creating tumblrs. There are tons of different themes available which make it easy to change the look and feel of your site. Using these, you can easily customize the layout according to your needs.
While Tumblr is extremely flexible when it comes to design, it lacks many common features found on other blogging platforms such as WordPress and Blogger. For example, you cannot add comments to individual posts. This limits Tumblr's usefulness for those who want to interact with their audience.
In addition, the fact that you're publishing via a third party app means that you don't control your own domain name. Your tumblrs will be hosted on Tumblr's servers, so you won't be able to use your own custom domain names.
If you already have a website, you might not want to lose all your hard work; however, this isn't a problem since you can export and import your data from another host. If you do decide to move over, make sure to backup your database before doing so.
Pros:
– Free hosting
– Great for creative projects
– Easy to use
– Lots of customization options
Cons:
– No comment feature
– Domain migration costs $10 per year
Medium
Medium is another blogging site that lets you create blogs and share content across different social networks. Unlike blogger, which is owned by Google, Medium is a completely independent platform. Medium is a community of writers sharing their work across all topics. Medium also has a premium subscription that gives you additional features.
Medium used to offer custom domains with a one-off charge, but now they are available as part of their monthly membership.
Medium is a great option if you’re looking to build a brand around your personal blog or business. It offers more than just free hosting and a simple dashboard – Medium allows you to embed video and interactive elements directly into your posts, making them much more engaging. You can take advantage of Medium’s built-in analytics tools to track how well each post performs and find out what topics interest readers.
Medium is a good choice if you want to go beyond a basic blog. With its wide range of features, you can set up multiple accounts including private, public, and enterprise. You can also monetize your account through advertising, affiliate marketing, and sponsored content.
Medium also offers a paid plan for businesses. The premium version includes advanced analytics and marketing automation tools. Other features include access to a team of experts to help you grow your business, a dedicated support representative, and more.
The downside to Medium is that it doesn’t allow comments on any of its posts. While you can leave comments on your private posts, only people who follow you can see the comments on your public posts.
Pros:
• Free hosting
• Good for brands
• Analytics tools
• Interactive and video capabilities
• Paid plans available
• Commenting works on private posts
Cons:
• No commenting on public posts
• Only medium.com domain name available
Our recommendation when you are starting your blog is WordPress
The world's most widely used blog platform, WordPress powers millions of websites around the globe. As one of the oldest blogging platforms, it has been through its fair share of changes over time.
- WordPress is a free and open-source content management system (CMS) based on PHP and MySQL.
- WordPress is used by many websites because it is easy to use and has a large community of developers who are willing to help new users.
- WordPress is also known for its flexibility, which makes it suitable for a wide range of sites.
Today it remains one of the best options for bloggers looking to build a new blog.
With WordPress, you can create an unlimited number of blogs and post to them free of charge. The best part, as a self-hosted solution, you have complete control over your blog. You own your own domain name. In addition, you also get access to thousands of plugins, widgets and themes—all of which are completely free of cost.
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