October 31, 2020
A Definitive Guide on How to Choose the Best Blogging Platform
You’re looking to start your own blog, you’ve decided on the topic you want to write about, and the audience you want to target. And now you’re stuck at the ever-important question – which blogging platform should you choose? Google “best blogging platform” and the thousands of search results boggle your mind even more! So how do you figure out which one is right for your specific needs?
In this article, we’ll help you make that quick and very basic decision today and help you choose the best blogging platform from all the blogging websites out there. We will be covering everything, from pros and cons, suitability, right down to pricing.
How to Choose the Best Blogging Platform
Before diving in, ask yourself these 3 questions about the kind of platform you need:
- Will it be easy to set up? – As a beginner, you may not be very technical, so you would need a platform that is extremely easy to set up and navigate around.
- Can I make money with it? – Blogging requires time and effort, and you may want a platform that lets you monetize it in the future, even if it’s something you do not want at the moment.
- Is it flexible? – As your blog grows, you will want to change aspects of it like change themes and add new features to support your growing audience.
Now that you have more clarity on the kind of platform you need, let’s take a look at our picks for the best blogging platforms for beginners for 2020.
Which Is the Best Blogging Platform for Beginners?
WordPress.org is undoubtedly the world’s most popular blogging software. It’s extraordinarily customizable and flexible, which explains why it supports over 30% of all the websites on the internet.
WordPress blogs are extremely customisable, and has over 44,000 plugins. You can install features like subscribe boxes, user polls, scroll triggered boxes, advanced analytics tools, social media buttons, and much much more. WordPress also has a huge number of design themes (some are free and some require a minimal payment).
This is the best choice if you want to have full control over the future of your blog. WordPress.org is a self-hosted option, which means that you’ll need a WordPress hosting provider. Bluehost *insert affiliate link* is the best WordPress hosting to get started with WordPress.org.
Pros:
- You get full and complete control over your blog.
- It is easily customizable and you can change the look of your website. You can use themes like Astra, Divi and OceanWP.
- It has amazing options for functionality as the website can be enhanced by using a variety of plugins.
Cons:
- It tends to have a slight learning curve for non-technical people.
- You may need to perform routine backups
- There may be a need to buy a domain name and webhosting first
Who is it best suited for?
- People who want total control over their website and its functionality.
- Bloggers who want to experience a variety of genres.
Price:
Free. However, you need to pay to have a domain name for around $14.99 per year + hosting around $7.99 per month.
Click here to get started setting up WordPress.org with Bluehost today! Insert affiliate link
WordPress.com is easy to setup and offers some basic blog services for free. It is offered by Automattic, which is a company created by WordPress.org co-founder Matt Mullenweg. You can buy additional options like a custom domain name, additional storage, and other premium services.
Pros:
- It is mobile friendly.
- Backups and security are handled for you.
- There are multiple budget-friendly plans.
Cons:
- You may need to pay for extras like custom domain name, third-party embeds etc.
- The domain includes “.wordpress.com” – unless you pay an extra fee to have it removed.
- You cannot run advertisements on your blog. WordPress.com will instead show their ads on your free website.
Who is it best suited for?
- Non-business bloggers who want a more personal touch to their websites.
- Bloggers who prefer to have a simple portfolio site to accompany their work.
Price:
Free. But if you want to remove their ads and branding and get your own domain, its $4 per month (billed annually).
3. Gator Website Builder by HostGator
Gator Website Builder by HostGator is another one of the best choices for blogging platforms, and it’s insanely simple and easy to use.
It offers a drag & drop tool that can be used to build any type of website like blogs, business sites, and even online stores if you want to start a side business *insert link to “5 Side Business Ideas for Flight Attendants to Start from Home during COVID 19” article here*.
Pros:
- Backups, performance, and security are all handled by HostGator for you.
- You can easily add an online store to your blog with just a few clicks.
- Paid plans include a free domain and SSL certificate.
Cons:
- You need to pay extra to access e-commerce features.
- There are a limited number of apps and extensions.
- There do have a 45-day money back guarantee but no free account feature.
Who is it best suited for?
- Bloggers who want to operate an online store on their blog.
- People who are not techno-savvy and want an easy setup process.
Price:
Gator Website Builder starts at $3.46 per month.
Click here to get started setting up with Gator by HostGator! Insert affiliate link
Wix is a hosted platform where you can build websites. It offers an easy solution for small businesses to build a website by using drag and drop tools. You can also integrate a blog into your website by adding the Wix Blog app.
Pros:
- You can easily customize your site by using dozens of templates and third party apps.
- It offers text and other element animations.
- There are beautiful templates with layouts for different industries and niches.
Cons:
- One of the major cons of Wix is that your template is locked in – which means you can’t change your mind and change the template mid project.
- There are a limited number of free third party apps.
- If you choose a free account, it shows the Wix branding and ads on your site.
Who is it best suited for?
- People who want to showcase their work and craft, like artists, musicians, photographers and creatives.
- Users who do not want to waste a lot of time designing and prefer pre-made, customisable templates.
Price:
The basic Wix website builder is free. However, you can add a custom domain for $4.50/month. Premium plans start from $8.50/month and go up to $24.50/month.
Squarespace is preferred by bloggers who want to create simple and elegant websites. You can create your entire website or blog using their professional templates and easy-to-use style editor. You don’t need to have programming knowledge to build a blog that looks unified and has all the tools you need to get the most exposure for your work.
Pros:
- It offers beautiful professionally designed, minimalistic templates.
- You can add a store to your site.
- Allows third-party embedding for content.
Cons:
- Not a lot of marketing tools are offered.
- There are no free plans.
- It doesn’t offer Paypal integration – only Stripe is used for e-commerce.
Who is it best suited for?
- Bloggers who prefer working with image-based content.
- Business owners who want to quickly create a website with blog and e-commerce capabilities.
Price:
Their annual plans start at:
- $12 per month for personal sites.
- $18 per month for business sites.
- $26 per month for eCommerce sites.
Final Thoughts on the Best Blogging Platform
Now that you’ve read through the pros and cons, checked the suitability and analysed the price points of some of the best blogging platforms out there, you can decide which one suits you the best and move further towards your blogging goals.
If this post helped you decide which platform you want to choose, let us know! Tell us which blogging platform you will or are currently using in the comments and share this post on your social media to help other aspiring bloggers get closer to their goals too.
Leave a Comment