The Finest Running a blog Platforms (In-Depth Evaluation)

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Whether you're blogging for a major news publication, wanting to share your independent thoughts online, blogging to make millions, or something in between, it all starts with a blogging platform.

And choosing the right one takes precedence over everything else you do.

With so many options, choosing the best blogging platform can be overwhelming.

To help you out, I've made a list of considerations to think about as you go through the process and reviewed the top five blogging platforms out there today.

By the end of this article, you will be well on your way to starting your own blog.

The top 6 options for blogging platforms:

  1. Wix – Best drag-and-drop blogging platform
  2. WordPress.org – Best open source blogging platform
  3. Squarespace – Best for visually based businesses
  4. Medium – Best traditional blogging platform
  5. Blogger – Best for personal blogs

How to choose the best blogging platform for you

Choosing a blogging platform is an important decision. And which one you choose depends on what you want to do with your new blog and how much control you want to have.

So let's go over what to consider when making your final decision.

Do you want to make money?

This is probably the most important question to ask yourself.

If you want to create a personal blog to share your thoughts and experiences, you can use a free blogging platform like Medium or Blogger.

However, if you want to make money blogging, you need to be careful. Most free platforms don't let you monetize your blog. So you need to go for a premium blogging platform that gives you more control, such as: B. Wix, WordPress.org or Squarespace.

Do you already have a website?

If you want to add a blog to an existing website, I highly recommend checking out your website platform's blogging capabilities.

This is the easiest way to add a blog to an existing website.

Alternatively, you can migrate your website to Wix, WordPress.org, or Squarespace. However, I recommend sticking to the platform you are already using if you can.

Customization options

Paid blogging platforms give you more control and design flexibility so you can build a complete website and brand around your blog. And you can customize the look and feel of almost any aspect of your website.

If you are serious about blogging as a business, you need this control.

For full flexibility and customization options, head over to WordPress.org. And if you want something simpler than WordPress yet flexible, Wix and Squarespace are great drag-and-drop options.

Free blogging platforms, on the other hand, don't offer the ability to customize to that extent. You may be able to change the colors and choose between different layouts.

Aside from that, there isn't much you can do.

If you're into personal or hobby blogging, you don't need anything special. Free blogging platforms have everything you need to quickly write content and share it online with just a few clicks.

The different types of blogging platforms

There are different types of blogging platforms.

And the right one for you depends on what you want to do with your blog.

Before we dive into my top recommendations, let's first go over the different types and how to use them.

Free

Free blogging platforms come in different shapes and sizes.

They are perfect for anyone interested in personal or hobby blogging. And it's the easiest way to quickly write and publish content online.

However, free blogging platforms don't usually allow you to make money from your content. You can't make money from ads, use affiliate marketing, or sell your own products.

In addition, their design flexibility and customization options are very limited.

You may even be stuck with random ads on your blog. Migrating your content from one free platform to another is not easy. As such, they are not suitable for business bloggers or anyone interested in making money blogging at any point in the future.

Website builder

Website builders are comprehensive drag-and-drop design tools that allow you to quickly build an entire website without touching any code. They are easy to set up, easy to use, and come with a full suite of blogging tools.

However, they are not free. However, web hosting is included with your subscription, and some even offer a free custom domain name for the first year.

In addition, you get a high level of flexibility and adaptability. However, some areas may be restricted depending on the blogging platform you choose.

This is a good place to start if you want to make money but have never created a website before. Remember, in exchange for ease of use, you are sacrificing flexibility.

Open source

Open source blogging platforms are free to download and install. They are fully customizable from the inside out, making them perfect for serious bloggers and business owners interested in creating a full-fledged custom website.

There is a steeper learning curve, however.

Once you get the hang of it, you will see how flexible and customizable this type of blogging platform really is. You can build ecommerce stores, company websites, portfolios, service-based websites, interactive blogs, and more.

With this in mind, before you can install any open source software, you need to buy web hosting.

However, most web hosts make installing this type of software easy with one click.

# 1 – Wix Review – The Best Drag-and-Drop Blogging Platform

If you are looking for the simplest, premium blogging platform, go for Wix.

It's an all-in-one website builder with more than 100 million users worldwide, making it one of the most popular options out there.

In addition, it is great for beginners who want to create a full-fledged website with a blog. Wix's intuitive drag-and-drop builder makes creating great blog content a breeze.

Plus, it contains everything you need to start making money on your new blog.

With Wix, you get premium blogging features including:

  • 500 professional design templates
  • Industry leading SEO tools
  • Rich text editor
  • Embed HTML codes
  • Categories and hashtags
  • Advanced search functions
  • User roles for authors and editors
  • Easy image editing
  • Social media tools
  • Visitor analysis

Wix is ​​arguably the easiest and fastest way to get your professional website and blog up and running.

You can also take advantage of the ADI (Advanced Design Intelligence) tool, which can help you create everything you need to get started in minutes.

Just answer a few questions, customize the design, add your website copy, update your images and you're ready to blog.

Wix offers a free plan that will allow you to build your website and get it all done. However, I highly recommend upgrading to a paid plan so that you can remove Wix ads and connect a custom domain name.

Paid plans start at $ 13 / month and increase based on the features you need.

# 2 – WordPress.org Review – The Best Open Source Blogging Platform

WordPress.org is an open source blogging platform with complete design flexibility.

It also powers 38% of the entire internet including the blog you are reading now, making it the most popular blogging platform out there.

And the best part about it? It can be downloaded and installed for free.

However, you need web hosting to use it. This usually costs between $ 3 and $ 10 per month, so it's the cheapest option on this list.

Still, it's not as easy as Wix. There are still a few more steps to take, but it's worth the extra work if you're looking for complete design control and flexibility.

With WordPress.org you also get:

  • Over 55,000 plugins to expand the functionality of your website
  • Thousands of free and premium themes
  • The Gutenburg block editor
  • Extended user roles and permissions
  • Powerful media management
  • A huge community of experts
  • Infinite design control

The best part is that you have 100% control over your website and blog. In addition, you are not bound by rules and regulations. You can decide what to display, what not to reveal, and how to make money.

There are tons of ways to get started with WordPress.org. However, I highly recommend starting with Bluehost.

This is the easiest way to get everything you need.

They also include a free domain name for the first year. So, all you have to do is choose a hosting plan, secure your free domain, and use the WordPress installation feature with one click.

# 3 – Squarespace Review – The Best Blogging Platform for Visually Based Businesses

Squarespace is an all-in-one website builder like Wix. However, it is famous for aesthetically pleasing templates that are perfect for visually oriented businesses like photographers, designers, and artists.

It's easy to use too. It also includes web hosting services and a free domain for the first year (if you choose an annual premium plan).

It's perfect for bloggers who want to easily and aesthetically share pictures, videos, and portfolio pieces, as well as blog posts in long and short forms.

And with Squarespace, you create blog posts the same way you create pages.

Once you know how the drag-and-drop editor works, you'll know how to use the entire platform. You also get access to powerful blogging features including:

  • Free blogging templates to get you started
  • Five unique post layouts for your home and archive pages
  • Categories, tags and featured posts
  • Built-in post scheduler
  • Contributor permissions
  • In-depth analysis
  • SEO and social media tools
  • Email Marketing (Additional Charges)
  • Competent customer service
  • App

Squarespace isn't as customizable as Wix or WordPress.org, but it's perfect for creative bloggers and visual-based businesses looking for something fascinating and simple.

Paid plans start at $ 12 per month and increase depending on the features you need.

# 4 – Medium Review – The best traditional blogging platform

Medium is a platform that helps readers and writers find new ideas, knowledge and perspectives. This is unique in that there are no ads on the platform.

To date, they have over 120 million readers, making this a great way to get your content out to more people. It's also great when you want to share personal stories and perspectives to get your thoughts out into the world.

However, it's not a great platform for making money as a blogger. Medium has an affiliate program that rewards writers for the time paying members spend reading their content.

However, you have a hard time making a decent amount of money from Medium alone.

And you can't include your own calls to action in affiliate posts. So, you have to decide whether to make money or add to your email list.

It's not a flawed model. However, I highly recommend treating Medium as an extension of your Wix, Squarespace, or WordPress.org blog.

To get started, you can create a profile or a publication. Publications look more aesthetic, and you get more organizational and viewing functions. You can also use publications to send newsletters to your followers.

However, it doesn't matter which one you choose.

Note: If you are using Medium as an extension of your blog, make sure you use the import feature to add existing blog posts. This allows you to add content from your blog to Medium without creating duplicate content for SEO purposes.

# 5 – Blogger Review – The best for personal blogs

Blogger is one of the original blogging platforms. It's been around since 1999.

It's completely free with no paid plans, upsells, or anything like that. And it's incredibly easy to use. This makes it perfect for personal or hobby bloggers who want to share their thoughts and ideas with the world.

You have several free templates to choose from that will determine what your blog will look like. However, they are not very customizable.

You can change the colors and layout of some things, but that's about it.

The platform is solely focused on blogging, so this is where most of its features reside. Blogger gives you free access to key features including:

  • A free SSL certificate and free domain mapping
  • Google integrations
  • Image storage with Google Photos
  • Integrated advertising campaigns
  • Simple text editor

And while these features are great, other departments seriously lack the platform, including customization, custom post types, and overall design.

In essence, it's an old school blogging platform. It works well for basic blogging, but you can't build a full-fledged website. So I don't recommend it if you want to build a brand and make money blogging.

However, since it acquired Google in 2003, you can display Google ads on your blog for some extra cash on the side.

However, it is not a sustainable or long-term way to make a full-time income from your blog.

Summary

The best blogging platform for you depends on where you want to take your blog. For private and hobby bloggers, a free platform such as Blogger or Medium is the perfect starting point.

They're easy to set up, incredibly easy, and the fastest way to get online. Plus, you don't have to pay anything to share your thoughts and ideas.

However, if you want to make money and turn your blog into a business, free platforms won't stop it. The easiest premium blogging platforms are Wix and Squarespace, which makes them perfect for beginners.

However, if you want the ultimate in control, choose WordPress.org, which is hosted by Bluehost.

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