There’s a high chance that you may have heard people around you talk about blogging. Because blogging has really become the talk of the town ever since it has been shining in the limelight.
Even if you are someone with zero experience, blogging has easily become one of the easiest in recent years. Just like you’d require a pen and paper for writing, for you to shine as a blogger, all you need is some creative content and a blogging platform.
Now, the question arises is “Which Platform?”. More than writing content for your blog, choosing the right blogging platform can make you anxious. It can be very overwhelming for someone to choose a blogging platform when there are so many options found over the web.
Some of the blogging platforms are free, while some are paid. It depends on your criteria and requirements which blogging platform should you choose.
Let us talk about some of the best blogging platforms that we have, and will benefit you as a blogger.
Blogger
Ever since the term ‘blogging’ has been coined, Blogger has been in existence. Ask any of the old-time bloggers, there won’t be any who would not have worked on blogger. Even to this day, Blogger which is offered by Google has a lot of advantages.
Apart from the fact that Blogger is completely free, and provides its users with the “blogspot.com” domain name, Blogger is known to be an easy-to-use platform with the flexibility to modification. The only problem with Blogger is that eventually, you’ll have so much data in the form of blogs, that you’ll outgrow Blogger. Plus, the transition can be difficult, if you want to shift from Blogger to some other platform. Nevertheless, Blogger is still not out of the game!
WordPress
It’s known to be the ultimate choice for bloggers. And, why should it not be? It powers almost 24% of the total number of websites that exist on the web. That is a huge percentage! It’s free (also paid versions!) and open source. WordPress is known to make your blog perform well through SEO.
Search Engine Optimization makes your blog rank higher in the search engines. Since it is open-source, you can make changes in the code according to your preferences. You have complete control over how your blog looks. Though some costs like for domain name, and hosting may add up, it is the best blogging platform out of every other available.
Jekyll
It’s an advanced blogging platform which is based on Ruby with numerous features. The content’s in the form of text files, which are then put into folders. There’s a concept of liquid language templates which are merged with the content to create your website, which is further uploaded to the server.
The biggest advantage is that it is free.
But, the downside for some may be that there’s only community support, and it entirely takes place in the development environment of Ruby. So some newbies who are not technically aware may not be in awe for this blogging platform.
Weebly
If you want to create a blog quickly and easily, Weebly is the one for you. Its ease of use and the flexibility are the features that lure all the different bloggers to get into blogging through this platform. It’s a beginner-friendly platform, so if you want to get your hands dirty into the world of blogging, you’d better do it through this platform.
The range of blogging features is really vast. These features include scheduled sharing as well as comment management. Unlike WordPress, it is a drag-and-drop builder. And, it does not require you to touch any code. Though it is not as powerful as WordPress, the unique features make it really different than the other blogging platforms.
Tumblr
This is the platform where micro-blogging and simplicity meet. It’s a really simple, yet effective blogging platform. It has an emphasis on the content of shorter length, just like an image or a link.
Just like any other social media platform, you can follow other bloggers, and republish some of the blogs that you like to your page. And, of course, it costs nothing. It’s ideally made for use on a mobile device. But, if you are looking for a professional blog, then Tumblr is not what you are probably looking for.
Medium
Its popularity has really grown in recent times. It’s known for its simplicity. This platform is for people who really want to write, and make it reach to a wider audience of similar likes. Medium is for someone who really loves words. Such a simple design is what makes it unique, and the spaces between the text make it legible.
It comprises of an audience of more than 60 million readers globally. The medium really makes your blog look professional through its plain yet sophisticated interface. Medium is not meant for a specific blog type — can cater any type of blogs.
SquareSpace
Because of its high-quality templates, and different features, it is made specifically for artists and designers. Though its price is either $12 or $18 (expensive!) per month, it is worth spending money on such a platform. The visual quality of templates is really worth the money. It includes both free and paid version for templates. Thus, SquareSpace has really become popular in the recent times of unique features, and aesthetic looks.
So, these are seven of the best blogging platforms out there. In the end, which blogging platform would suit you depends on your requirements and expectations. If you are really investing your time and money for a blog, then the most recommended blog is WordPress.
Otherwise, any other would be fine for you as all the blogs provide you with some of the same basic features, and in addition to, some features are different. Make sure you give each of it a try, and get to know the insights about blogging.