When a brilliant idea is struck for creating a blog, people immediately get baffled by the multiple choices. The most basic yet vital question people ask is, “Which platform will be best for starting a blog?”

This question comes into every person’s mind who has ever thought of starting a blog. That is why I wanted to answer this question and help you choose the best blogging platform so you too can have a successful blogging career.

Every blogging platform in existence lets you write and publish, but where they differ is the capabilities or lack thereof. For creating an impactful blog, you need to find a platform that has the following features. Without these, you cannot take your blog much further.

The essential features of a blogging platform must include:

  • It should provide the ability to customize the look and feel to match your personality.
  • Lets you add a custom logo.
  • It should also let you have a custom domain name.
  • It should let your readers subscribe to your blog updates.
  • It should also have the option to add a Google AdSense code so that you can generate revenue.
  • It should also offer social media sharing and subscription options to grow your audience.

These are some of the crucial things you cannot afford to neglect if you are serious about starting a blog. You can find many free blogging sites that don’t offer the most critical features to let you drive traffic and make significant revenue.

Some things are such that you won’t realize their significance when you start, but as you go further, you will recognize the limitations imposed by not having those small things in the beginning. Many people end up asking the question after a few weeks of blogging, “What else can I do with my blog?” It is when you understand how restricting it can be to go with particular blogging platforms.

So, keep on reading to avoid regretting the mistake of choosing the wrong blogging platform.

How To Choose The Best Blogging Platform?

It is essential to understand the must-have features of a blogging platform. In addition to something that you can easily set up and which does not require any coding skill, the best blogging platform should also be easy to learn.

The following are the factors that you should consider while choosing a blogging platform:

Design

A Blogging platform should have various design options to choose from for easily customizing your blog. Depending on your blog’s niche, it should provide you with designs compatible with your blog. Also, it should have easy customization as well.

Features And Extensions

Every blogging platform has many built-in features. However, a good platform has the option to add third-party tools and scripts to the blog easily. Though this might not be a big deal initially, your blog will get stuck later without these capabilities.

Easy Learning Curve

It is also essential that the blogging platform you choose is easy to learn, even for a beginner.

Support

Where would you turn to if a problem arises; this is where good support comes into play. Some of the blogging platforms have thriving communities that always help newbies with all sorts of issues.

Blogging From Mobile

It is crucial to ensure that the blogging platform you choose lets you access all the features from a mobile device (phone or tablet). Though you might think a business blog can go by without this feature, you should note that it is not all about posting blogs on the go. Having the ability to moderate comments, reply to comments, and upload pictures on the go can be a significant factor for your blog’s success.

What Is The Wrong Blogging Platform?

It is evident, a blogging platform that limits a blog’s growth possibility cannot be a good blogging platform.

Apart from what we discussed so far, another essential factor to consider when opting for a blogging platform is how often it gets updated. It is necessary to check if the blogging platform is up to date with all the latest trends and tech advancements.

For instance, a few years back, it wasn’t necessary to have a mobile-friendly blog. Fast forward to now, and all blogs need to be mobile-friendly to survive.

Having a mobile-friendly blog is convenient for the reader, but it also gives the publishers the flexibility to manage their blogs using nothing but their smartphones. By choosing a mobile-friendly platform, you don’t have to worry about carrying a laptop everywhere you go.

You will get peace of mind if you choose a blogging platform that receives regular updates.

Going further, we will talk about:

  • org
  • com
  • BlogSpot by Google
  • com

You might also find platforms like Squarespace and Weebly listed in some blogging platforms lists, but they are not, strictly speaking, blogging platforms. Those are website builders that are good but not ideal for blogging.

Guide To Selecting The Best Blogging Platform

WordPress.Org – Self-Hosted WordPress Platform

WordPress, since its inception is the most popular blogging platform out there. WordPress is powering over more than 37% of all websites in existence.

WordPress is available in two versions:

  • org
  • com

Let’s start with WordPress.org. We will talk about WordPress.com in the next section. It is WordPress.org that is fueling the exponential growth of the internet.

WordPress.org is so popular because it is simple to use and gives full control of your website. On top of that, it is open-source software and gets updates every few months, allowing users to access the latest technologies.

WordPress also offers a mobile app that lets people blog from their mobile phones. You can write posts, reply to comments, and upload images using the WordPress mobile app. However, the best part about WordPress is the ease of use. Anyone can start blogging on this platform in a couple of minutes.

It is convenient to start customizing the blog’s structure. WordPress app is available on all major platforms, including Windows, Mac, Linus, Andoird, and iOS, making it easier to manage your blog.

Unlike other blogging platforms that are owned by a company, WordPress is self-hosted, which means that you own your blog and the data associated with it. It also means you don’t have to worry about competitors falsely flagging your blog to the blogging service and getting it deleted, as these things often happen.

However, if you are not blogging to be famous or make money, you can do without this platform. You can start with a free blogging platform and move to WordPress when you are ready.

If you are seriously considering blogging, WordPress.org is the only platform you need.

WordPress.Com – Easier To Use But Have Limitations

WordPress.com is the other version that WordPress offers. If you don’t want to host your blog and deal with the things that come with managing the hosting service and still want to use WordPress, you can opt for WordPress.com.

WordPress.com is entirely free, which means you can play with it without any worries. It will help you understand the WordPress platform and learn things such as writing a blog, moderating comments, and managing a dashboard.

WordPress.com also provides your blog with a free domain name that will be like “yourblogname.WordPress.com.” you can later upgrade to a custom domain name like “yourblogname.com,” but that will cost you some money.

You can unlock more features on WordPress.com by paying extra. However, if you want to use the premium WordPress version, it is cheaper and better to go with WordPress.org.

Blogspot By Google – Free And A Compelling Alternative To WordPress

For people who want to test blogging, BlogSpot is an excellent platform. It is free to use and doesn’t take much to get started. BlogSpot is a service from Google, which means it is entirely different from WordPress.

In general, BlogSpot is easy to use for beginners. However, its popularity is on the decline.

BlogSpot also has a mobile app that lets you do all the publishing and management from your phone, but it doesn’t receive updates as frequently as it should.

The one thing that is going in BlogSpot’s favor and bringing it to this list is the ability to monetize your blog. You can use AdSense, sponsored posts, Amazon Associates, direct ads, etc., to make money from your blog.

Though BlogSpot isn’t going to disappear overnight, it is undoubtedly declining in popularity. If you want to publish your blogs on a free blogging platform, starting with WrodPress.com or Medium.com, will provide better results.

Medium – Excellent For Publishing But Lacks Monetization Option

Medium is an excellent blogging platform, as its primary focus is on writing and reading. If you want to write and don’t mind the lack of customization, personalization, and monetization, then Medium.com is for you.

Medium offers a minimalistic design, and it is quite enjoyable to read and write on it. Medium.com can also be an excellent place to reshare your content to get extra traffic.

As far as free blogging platforms go, Medium.com is the most robust. It also offers a mobile app that is as intuitive and clean as its web platform.

Medium.com is excellent, but you can’t use it to generate revenue. However, for businesses whose goal is not to monetize their blogs but to generate traffic for their website, Medium.com can be a compelling option.

Which Blogging Platform To Choose

WordPress.org is the winner when it comes to the best blogging platform. It is the most used blogging tool globally and gets regular updates to incorporate the latest and most excellent tech. It also has a mobile app is devoid of any restrictions.

WordPress.com is for those wanting to experience the strength of WordPress but don’t want to go for a self-hosted blog.

Medium.com is a free platform that allows you to write and share; if that is your objective, Medium is perfect for you.

BlogSpot is there if you want a free blogging platform with the option to monetize your blog.