What Is The Best Platform For Blogging?

It seems everyone is either starting a blog or writing one but if you’re still sitting there pondering the ‘hows’ we’ve got some step by step guidance to give you a head-start. Everyone has something to say and being able to shout it out to the world is easier than it has ever been. With a blog, you can write how you feel about the price of living, or you can give that a wide scope and opt to write how your business is booming since you designed and published your website. Blogging is fun, but it can also create quite a challenge if you’re just starting out. You’ve got to ask yourself what you’re going to write about, how you’re going to launch your blog once it’s finished and then there’s that decision you have to make on which platform to use. And how can you get yourself a growing bunch of readers? We’ll tackle the bigger picture first and suggest ways and which platform you can choose to blog from. We’ll ask you some of the questions you’ll finish up asking yourself when you get around to choosing a blogging platform and then we’ll walk through some of the successful ones while letting you know why one might be better than the other.

Think About The Blogging Platform

Ask yourself:

• Do I want only a blog or do I want a website to work from?
• Do you want to be hosted or will you self-host? Being hosted saves you from having to deal with code and a head full of technical knowledge. If however, you wish to self-host your own website and domain name, here are some guidelines.
• How does your budget feel about monetising your blog? Self-hosted sites do require feeding, and you’ll need to pay for hosting and a domain name. There may also be monthly fees to keep your site live.
• Are you looking to earn money with your blog? Because some platforms limit your ability to earn money from your blog, you may want to look at one that doesn’t present any restrictions.

So, now that those questions have been sorted and you’re clear on your direction, we’ll journey through some of the blogging platforms and from there you’ll be able to make a choice.

WordPress.org

WordPress has a self-hosted version. It’s called WordPress.org, and it’s a popular platform due to its adaptability. It’s quite clever. You can use it as just a blog from which to reach out to people with your opinions or you can expand it to become a website over which you can obtain full control and monetise it however you like. With themes and page builders available to use, you’re able to create stunning websites, and you don’t even have to know anything about HTML code or design. WordPress is free. All you’ll need to pay for is hosting and your domain. For further information

WordPress.com

This is a free and an easier solution, particularly for beginners. Hosting and domain names aren’t necessary as all you need here is a username and away you go. However, you’re pretty well controlled in what you do and changes that are afforded to those whose site is on this free platform. And if you’re thinking you might use this platform to monetise your business, WordPress won’t allow it. If all you’re wanting is a blog and a little enjoyment along the way, then this might be the way to go. For further information

Medium

This blogging platform is very different and serves the blogger well in that you get a built-in audience with Medium. Should any of your blogs become editor’s picks, they have the potential to go viral, but there’s a catch. You don’t actually own your blog at Medium, but it is free and hosted at medium.com. Another is you can’t customise it either nor can you monetise it but if you’re just looking for a happy platform to give your thoughts and opinions an airing then this is it. For further information

Ghost

Ghost is the new kid on the blogger’s block and looks and feels like a leaner interpretation of WordPress and is a blogger’s paradise. Ghost is downloadable for free if you’re going to host it yourself or you can opt to pay $19 per month. Fully hackable, this platform is for creating and running a consistent online publication. But again, it doesn’t offer the same flexibility as does WordPress. For further information

Tumblr

Tumblr is more for the image conscious and although it is a free hosted platform this one is not really too focused on text. If you want to tell a story, you tell it in pictures instead. This doesn’t mean you can’t use Tumblr for text, you can, but it’s the pictures that say the most. Tumblr also has its own built-in audience and with plenty of people to see your posts, like Medium you will lose the ability to customise and monetise if you’re going to use Tumblr. For further information

Blogger

Blogger used to be stepping out with WordPress, but for a few years now, it lost it’s dancing shoes and remains just another platform. It is a free hosted blogging platform, but again you’re compromising your ability to customise your site. You’re pretty much under the control of blogger. However, you can display targeted ads on your blog so that you can earn a little money while writing what you’re passionate about. Although focused on the written word, Blogger is easily integrated with AdSense; it’s all done for you when you display your ads. For further information

Squarespace

With Squarespace, you are able to create a blog and a regular website which is hosted, but you will need to pay for the use of this platform. For the business owner, this is a site that will focus on blogging and content. With everything in place to showcase your images, you’ve got a good choice of templates to choose from. This is more for the artist, the photographer and the chef. Musicians will get a delightful taste of what’s available here while wedding planners will also find this platform easy to use. Beginning at $12 per month its worth considering. For further information

Conclusion

The sites provided here are with the beginners in mind. Whether you’re the type that likes to journal your daily experiences or showcase a host of photographs, include audio or video, you’ve got the world at your feet. Sharing is fun and if you want to share your anecdotes, your dog’s daily antics or just your thoughts, consider working with Medium or Tumblr. For those who want to share more meatier blogs and don’t care for the monthly fees, then a blogging platform where facts, figures, graphs and strong advice can be included is often a better to one to run with like WordPress.com or even Blogger to get your message across. However, if you want absolute flexibility and freedom of move, then a self-hosted version of WordPress would be your better choice.

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