When you decide to start a blog, there are a lot of decisions that you will have to make. One such decision is the choice of a blogging platform. Blogging has become a popular activity these days and countless blogs have been set up by people all over the globe for different purposes. Some are entertainment blogs, business blogs, informative blogs, media type blogs and personal blogs. There are numerous blogging platforms available for making such blogs. In order to make the best decision, you should take a look at some of the common platforms and their pros and cons. Read on to know more.
WordPress.com
Price: Free
The most popular blogging platform today, WordPress.com doesn’t charge you for saving content on their servers, but there are limitations. It is a great choice for hobby bloggers who aren’t interested in investing money. It is also a good option for those who have just ventured into the blogging industry.
Pros:
• You don’t have to pay any setup costs.
• You don’t need to have any design or coding language as it is simple to use.
• There are hundreds of themes available to you.
Cons:
• You get limited functionality as upgrades come with cost.
• You don’t get to choose your domain and it isn’t very professional.
• Technically, you don’t own the blog so your website can be suspended at any time and you don’t get advertising revenue.
WordPress.org
Price: The software is free, but hosting charges are $4 per month.
This is a self-hosted WordPress blog, which uses the software on a third-party server. It gives you greater control as you can edit the HTML code, install plugins and create a professional look. A self-hosted WordPress blog is great for business owners, professional brands and bloggers who want to expand the functionality and appearance of their blog.
Pros:
• Easy-to-use with lots of customization options.
• You can get options that are search engine friendly.
• There are about 20,000 free plugins and 15,000 themes.
Cons:
• Security threats are a problem.
• Some technical knowledge required as hosted on third-party server.
Blogger
Price: Free
Since Google owns Blogger, you have access to lots of tools like Google Analytics, AdSense etc. It is the best choice for brand builders and hobby bloggers who may not want to invest a lot, but do want to earn some money. It is also a great place to start for beginners as it is easy to use.
Pros:
• You can place AdSense ads and it is free to use.
• Customization options available as you can access HTML code.
Cons:
• Less storage and themes as opposed to WordPress.
• No freedom to choose domain name and no option of self-hosting.
Tumblr
A very social platform, Tumblr can be used easily. This platform is deemed ideal for micro-bloggers i.e. those who aren’t interested in writing long-form content.
Pros:
• There is unlimited storage and you have 1000 themes available.
• Customization possible with access to CSS and HTML.
Cons:
• Limited plugin options and it is difficult to monetize.
• Importing content from other platforms and backing up content is tough.
You can choose any of the above blogging platforms based on your preferences and start blogging on your favorite subjects. For more tips and guidelines, log on to how to make a blog.