If you’re thinking about starting your own blog but feel stuck at choosing the right platform, you’ve come to the right place. With so many options available, it can be challenging to select the best one.
When looking for a blogging platform, it’s important to assess your needs and goals as different services offer different blogging tools and features.
In this article, we will go over several factors to consider when choosing a blogging platform. You’ll also find seven platform options complete with their pros, cons, and pricing to help you make a well-informed decision.
Read on to find out more.
What to Know Before Choosing Your Blog Platform
It’s essential to understand your goal before you start a blog.
For example, if you would like to make money from writing blog posts, it’s vital to choose a platform that offers monetization opportunities.
But if your priority is to start a business, it’s best to choose a platform that can serve both as a blogging platform and as an eCommerce site.
Here are four factors to consider when choosing a blog platform:
- Ease of use. If you’re a beginner blogger, it’s best to get into blogging slowly by selecting a platform that is easy to set up. Look for one that comes with a shallow learning curve and doesn’t require any coding skills.
- Scalability. If you’re looking to grow your blog, make sure the platform is capable of supporting and helping your blog scale with the necessary features and functionalities.
- Price. Assess your budget and how much you are willing to invest. Pay attention to the features and make sure the platform suits your needs.
- Monetization options. Aside from hobbyists, blogging is also popular among business owners and professional writers to make money. If monetizing the content is your goal, make sure to choose a platform that will let you do so.
Selecting the Best Platform for Your Blog
1. WordPress.org
WordPress.org is a self-hosted content management system (CMS) that is widely used for various types of websites, from blogs to news portals.
To date, it powers over 40% of sites globally, including established content publishers such as CNN and The New York Times.
The main reason for its popularity is the platform’s scalability. With tens of thousands of plugins and themes in its directory, users can customize the look and extend their site’s functionality as the site grows.
It’s also possible to modify the site using code, letting users have complete control over their blog.
Pros
- Easy to install. It usually comes with a one-click installation option.
- Extensible. Scale your site as your blog grows using plugins for selling online courses, paid memberships, forums, and online stores.
- SEO-friendly. Aside from search engine optimization plugins, the platform also has built-in SEO features, such as customizable URLs, categories, tags to help search engines crawl the blog better.
- Large community base. With over 46 million downloads, WordPress has a robust online user base and plenty of support forums to help beginners get started and troubleshoot any issues that may arise.
- User-friendly editor. Features autosaving, drafting, post previews, and revision history for a seamless workflow.
Cons
- Has a learning curve. Although basic setup and customization are intuitive, adding more complicated functionality can take time for those unfamiliar with the platform.
- Maintenance. Requires regular backups, updates, and security checks for optimal use.
Pricing
The software is free to download. However, users need to get web hosting and purchase a domain name to start using it.
To do so, you can research different hosting providers and domain registrars to see which ones are most suitable for your needs.
2. WordPress.com
Although branded under the same name, WordPress.com and WordPress.org are different platforms.
In contrast to WordPress.org, WordPress.com is a hosted platform that’s often used for blogging.
Users can get started by signing up for an account and selecting a plan that comes free or paid, depending on their preferences and needs.
Pros
- All-in-one hosting. A WordPress.com plan includes hosting, domain registration, and software updates.
- Mobile-ready themes. Built-in themes are responsive, so your blog readers can have a great viewing experience across different devices.
- Easy to use. The admin interface is intuitive and beginner-friendly.
- SEO opportunities. Has built-in SEO tools, social media integration, and sharing features to attract more readers.
- Multiple plans. There are five available plans to choose from.
Cons
- Ads on the free plan. The free plan will display a WordPress.com ad on your blog site.
- No free domain with a monthly subscription. Free domains are only available when you select to pay annually.
Pricing
You can get started for free, which is sufficient for small projects and personal use. However, it doesn’t offer custom domain names, support, or monetization options.
To enable those functionalities, users can purchase one of WordPress.com’s paid plans. The most popular plan is the Premium plan, which costs $11/month on an annual subscription.
3. Web.com
Web.com is a beginner-friendly platform to start a blog on.
It is an easy-to-use website builder with a drag-and-drop editor that lets bloggers add elements such as images, videos, and files to their blog posts easily.
Web.com offers templates and pre-designed content blocks so users can create a personalized look for their blog site in minutes.
Once the blog grows, users can turn their website into an online store. The platform comes with built-in features such as online store templates as well as inventory and stock control to ease users into the process.
Pros
- Built-in website hosting. Users don’t need to worry about backups and performance issues.
- Custom domain name. Get a free domain name for the first year with all paid plans and choose a domain name that fits your niche.
- Business email. Build credibility among your subscribers with an email address that matches your domain name.
- Technical support. The support team can assist if there’s ever a need.
- Stock photos and video embedding. Offers over 2 million free stock images and the ability to embed videos from YouTube and Vimeo.
Cons
- Limited blogging features. There are no advanced blogging features as the site builder is made for building basic websites.
- Limited products to sell. If you decide to turn the blog site into an online store, the platform limits you to 50 products.
Pricing
There are three plans to choose from Starter, Marketing, and eCommerce.
The cheapest plan costs $1.95/month, which comes with sufficient features for beginners who want to start a simple blog for an affordable price.
Otherwise, consider upgrading to the higher-end plans to scale your blog into a business site.
4. Wix
Wix is a versatile website builder with blogging features. It offers templates for a wide variety of blog niches, ranging from food and travel to sports and wellness.
Users can get started by signing up for a free account. From there, you can select a design and start customizing the site with the drag-and-drop editor.
The platform also offers a guide to help bloggers familiarize themselves with the platform. It has a blog support forum and a blog help center that are accessible within the editor.
Pros
- Schedule blog posts. Write blog posts any time you want and set a schedule for them to go live.
- Collaboration tool. Add contributing members to help manage your blog, write posts, and share content.
- SEO tools. Use features tools like Schema and AMP to increase visibility on search engines.
- Embed HTML. Use HTML code to add music, maps, texts, or images from your social media pages.
- Wix mobile app. Create a draft, edit, and publish blog posts on the go.
Cons
- Wix branding. Shows Wix ad on the free and Basic plan.
- Non-flexible templates. Users can’t switch templates once they’ve made a choice.
Pricing
The price ranges between $4.50 and $26 per month. All plans include a 14-day money-back guarantee, custom domain, free SSL certificate, and customer support.
5. Medium
Medium is an easy-to-use writing platform with a simplistic design. After signing up, users can start writing and sharing their articles right away. Therefore, it’s best for bloggers who want to focus on writing and publishing without the technicalities of running a blog.
Medium is a great place to attract organic readers as it has a high domain authority on Google, with over 400 million views a month. It can also be connected with your Twitter account to easily share your articles across platforms.
Furthermore, Medium integrates with Grammarly to help review spelling, grammar, punctuation, and clarity as you write on the platform.
Pros
- Shallow learning curve. Medium is a social media-like blogging platform. Writers can start sharing their articles as soon as they sign up for an account.
- Publication. Writers can browse for publications they like and try to get their articles published there. This is great to gain exposure and attract relevant readers.
- Monetization opportunity. The platform offers a Medium Partner Program for writers to get paid monthly. On average, bloggers on Medium earn more than $100/month.
- Large audience base. Hosts over 100 million readers that can discover you through tailored feeds and recommendations.
- Online community. A great platform to meet, share, and connect with people with similar interests.
Cons
- Limited design functionality. Customization options are limited to the basics, such as changing background and accent colors, fonts, and homepage header.
- No custom domain names. Users’ domain names will look like this: https://medium.com/blogaddress.
Pricing
Medium is available for free for writers and contributors.
However, if you choose to join the community as a reader, you can view three articles for free per month or pay a $5 monthly subscription to enjoy unlimited stories.
6. Blogger
Blogger is the best platform for writers looking for a beginner-friendly solution. As it is one of Google’s products, users can get started using their Google accounts to log in.
From there, users can choose from a selection of easy-to-use templates with flexible layouts and background images. Otherwise, you can decide to design a completely new template for a unique look.
To understand the platform fully, users can browse through the Help page accessible on the homepage’s footer.
Pros
- Monetization option. Earn money using Google Adsense as it automatically displays relevant ads on your blog.
- Easy Google sign-up. Users only need their Google accounts to log in to Blogger.
- Google product integrations. Incorporate useful Google tools such as Google Analytics and Google Keyword Planner to help grow your blog.
- Blogger mobile app. Users can create, edit, delete, and publish articles at any time and anywhere.
Cons
- Restricted to Google products. Limited third-party app integrations.
- Little-to-no ownership. Limited control over the blog.
Pricing
Blogger is completely free. Using the platform, users are given a free domain name with a .blogspot.com subdomain extension.
Otherwise, bloggers can purchase a custom domain name from a third-party provider.
7. HubSpot CMS
HubSpot CMS is a website-building tool with a full suite of blogging features.
It’s backed by HubSpot’s marketing and CRM tools, so users can grow their blog and get more subscribers, manage customer lists, and send newsletters.
The on-page editor lets writers draft content, insert images, format headers, and add links. It’s also possible to streamline the editing process by adding comments, sharing feedback, and collaborating with authors using the composer tool.
Additionally, you can then preview how your blog post will look on different devices to ensure a great reading experience for visitors.
Pros
- SEO recommendations. Provides as-you-type optimization recommendations.
- CRM integration. Offers live chat, team email, and a Facebook Messenger integration to create a personalized conversation with prospects and customers.
- Multi-language support. Manage multiple language domains and optimize each one for search engines.
- 24/7 security monitoring. Ensures site security through constant monitoring and threat detection.
- Security patches. The most affordable plan includes an SSL certificate.
Cons
- Steep pricing. The prices go up significantly when you move up the tiers.
- Has a learning curve. Built on top of HubSpot’s marketing and CRM tools, beginners may find the platform overwhelming at first.
Pricing
The price ranges between $23 and $1200 per month. To try out, you can request a demo or start a 14-day free trial.
Conclusion
When choosing a blogging platform, make sure to understand your blogging needs and goals so you can select the best option. Several factors to consider include the platform’s ease of use, scalability, pricing, and monetization options.
Throughout this article, we also looked at seven blogging platforms with different features and functionalities. Here’s a quick recap:
- WordPress.org. A scalable platform that’s free to install and flexible to customize.
- WordPress.com. An easy-to-use solution with built-in hosting and domain registration option.
- Web.com. A beginner-friendly option with a drag-and-drop editor that supports eCommerce.
- Wix. A powerful website builder with blogging tools such as blog post scheduling and collaboration.
- Medium. The best writing platform for publishing articles and blog posts hassle-free.
- Blogger. A Google-based blogging tool with Google sign-in and product integrations.
- HubSpot CMS. Integrates with HubSpot’s marketing and CRM tools to grow the blog and attract traffic.
Hopefully, by the end of this article, you gained deeper insight into some of the best blogging platforms available and are able to make an informed decision. Good luck blogging!
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