If you’re planning on starting a blog to make money, you may be wondering which blogging platform to pick. It can be difficult to pick the right one, which is why I wrote this post to help you figure out which blogging platform is the best.
The idea here is to pick a sustainable platform – you don’t want to switch platforms in the future if you picked the wrong one.
It’s important to keep in mind that if you intend to make money with your blog, you should opt for a paid platform. The free blogging platforms are hard to customize and you won’t get full control over your blog.
Before we start, let’s see why you should be using a blogging platform in the first place.
Why Use a Blogging Platform?
A blogging platform can also be known as CMS (Content Management System).
When you use a platform, you don’t need to code everything from scratch. So, unless you’re a software developer or website developer, you probably prefer to skip the coding part altogether, and that’s where the blogging platform comes in.
Paid vs Free Blogging Platforms
The first thing to keep in mind here is that blogging platforms are always “free”. By free, I mean that all hosting companies provide free blogging platforms as part of their plans. In simple words, you pay for a hosting plan, but you don’t have to pay for the blogging platform.
But, in general, we do refer to paid and free blogging platforms because there are free blog hosting and paid blog hosting.
In short, if you are serious about blogging, you should go for a paid blog hosting plan. If blogging is just a hobby, then, you can opt for a free blog hosting option.
What Exactly Is Blog Hosting?
Every website on the web is hosted by a server. That said, to create a blog you must host your website on a server. There are several companies that provide servers to host websites.
When you opt for a free blog hosting service, you don’t need to set up anything. The company takes care of it but it also means you can’t get full control over your website. The storage might be limited, you may have a domain that looks like yoursite.wordpress.com. Let’s be honest, it doesn’t sound too professional. More importantly, you won’t be able to fully monetize your blog.
When you opt for a paid blog hosting service, you’ll need to purchase a plan, a domain, and you’ll need to install WordPress. It may sound a bit overwhelming, but it’s quite simple. That’s what we call a self-hosted blog which means you take care of your hosting.
Now, if you’ve been following, you understand that you’ll need to go self-hosted if you wish to make money blogging.
Let’s see what blogging platforms you should pick.
Most Popular Blogging Platforms
For the purpose of this blog post, we will concentrate on the most popular blogging platforms. Although, you should know that there are more blogging platforms out there. These were picked since they are the most used blogging platforms in the world.
WordPress
WordPress is the most popular platform when it comes to blogging. There are two versions of WordPress.
The free version is found on WordPress.com – and is a great option for hobby bloggers. As we explained earlier, the free version is limited.
The paid version is found on all hosting providers. For example, when you sign up on Bluehost, you can buy a domain and a hosting plan and install WordPress in just one click.
WordPress was my pick for the following reasons:
- Full control over my blog (design and monetization)
- Access to WordPress plugins and easy integrations with other software
- Most popular blogging platform which means it’s easy to hire people who can work with WordPress
- Lots of free resources and tutorials about WordPress are found on the web
- It’s relatively easy to use and easy to install
- WordPress is the best blogging platform for SEO (Search Engine Optimization)
If you’re happy to use WordPress, you’ll be able to install it in just one-click when signing up with a hosting company like BlueHost. They offer you a free domain for one year when you sign up.
Squarespace
Squarespace has become more and more popular in the last couple of years. It’s easy to use, thanks to its drag-and-drop builder. Ideal for beginners, this option is great for small businesses.
That said, when it comes to blogging, it’s not that great.
- Squarespace is more expensive than WordPress since there are fewer hosting companies that provide this blogging platform.
- Squarespace is more limited with plugins, themes, and integrations.
Wix
Wix is a popular blogging platform ideal for those who are enjoying drag-and-drop builders. It’s easy to use and probably easier than WordPress.
The free version is not ideal because it’s limited but also your website will include Wix ads.
If you wish to monetize your blog, you should opt for the paid version.
Now, there are a few things to keep in mind about Wix. If you just start a website that will have a few pages only, Wix can be a good option, but when it comes to blogging, it’s not ideal.
- Wix is more expensive than WordPress since there are fewer hosting companies that provide this blogging platform.
- Wix is more limited with plugins, themes, and integrations.
Blogger
Finally, Blogger is a blogging platform owned by Google. Its main benefit is its easy access to Google AdSense so you can earn ad revenue with this free blogging platform.
Although bloggers make money in different ways, Google AdSense isn’t the best way to monetize with ads. In simple words, you can’t expect to be able to monetize your content easily on this platform.
How to Start a Blog to Make Money
Let’s summarize everything we just said. If you wish to make money blogging, the best blogging platform is WordPress with a self-hosting plan.
We recommend hosting companies like BlueHost since they have great support and affordable plans. I personally use BlueHost for most of my websites because I can host multiple websites under one plan.
Once you pick your hosting plan and your domain, you can install WordPress with one click.
Related Questions
Got some more questions? Let me answer them.
Which blogging platforms are the best if blogging is a hobby?
If you have no intention of making money blogging, you can opt for the free version of WordPress on WordPress.com. You could also pick Wix or Squarespace.
If I realize I want to go self-hosted after launching a free blog, is there a way to do so?
You’ll be able to transfer your website to a self-hosted platform in the future, but it’s not an easy task. I did it for my first website after a few months, and I lost all my images in the process. It’s better to think of a long-term option to avoid any headaches later.
Is it too late to start a blog?
No. Blogging is not dead. You can go ahead and read my article about what it’s like to blog these days and which strategies still work.
Final Thoughts On Blog Platforms
As I already mentioned, the best way to go about picking the right blogging platform is to think long-term. WordPress has more options than its competitors and it’s definitely cheaper.
There are more hosting providers offering it, which explains why it’s so cheap. You can host a WordPress blog on BlueHost for just a few dollars per month (yes, it’s less than $5 per month).
Learn more about blogging by reading one of the following blog posts:
