Best Blogging Platforms For Every Type Of Blogger

Blogging has completely redefined what it means for people to consume content. Not only did it give creative people an avenue for expression, but it’s also helped many businesses achieve success in this internet-dominated world. Below are the top eight blogging platforms, each with its pros and cons.

WordPress

If you’re even remotely interested or curious about blogging, you probably heard of WordPress. Unlike other blogging platforms like Weebly or Wix, WordPress is free.

Pros:

• It’s free and allows you complete control of your site.
• WordPress has a huge collection of add-ons, extensions, and plugins you can use for your site.
• Blogging sites on WordPress are very easy to customize.

Cons:

• You have complete control of your site, so this means you are responsible for its security and making backups.
• You might need a little background knowledge of HTML and CSS.

The New Yorker’s official site was created using WordPress.

Gator

One of the hottest platforms right now, Gator Website Builder is HostGator’s version of a website builder.

Pros:

• Onboarding is easy with Gator. Onboarding means running your site using the platform’s software, and Gator has made this process seamless.
• Gator also has a wide variety of templates to choose from. So even if you don’t have a background in coding, you can still create a beautiful site with Gator.

Cons:

• There’s not much support when it comes to third-party apps, tools, and extensions.
• Gator is a paid service, something that many people find a disadvantage.

Birdsparty blogs have found great success with the help of Gator.

Tumblr

Created back in 2007, Tumblr became a massive hit among younger bloggers. At this point, Tumblr was able to foster a strong online culture that has never been replicated on other blogging platforms.

Pros:

• There are almost unlimited choices of interest on Tumblr. From TV shows and movies to music and art, Tumblr fosters a wide variety of topics.
• Tumblr is also considered a trendsetter, at least when it comes to pop culture. A lot of the memes, jokes, and text posts that garner viral status originate in Tumblr.

Cons:

• The arguments and bullying in Tumblr are especially rampant and cruel.
• The ability to repost can mean that compared to the whole user count, only a small portion of that post is original content. The majority is just reposted.

Argentina’s largest newspaper, Clarin, has quite a strong following on Tumblr.

Wix

There is an almost limitless way for you to build a website. One of the top brands in the website builder is Wix. Founded in 2006, Wix was able to build a good standing among blogging platforms due to word-of-mouth.

Pros:

• It’s a simple site builder that uses the drag-and-drop feature. Professionals are wary of Wix’s simplicity. But it’s highly favored by average business owners who have no time building a site from scratch.
• Both the backend and design of Wix was made to prioritize functionality. They’ve also managed to create an organized and clean aesthetics while maintaining functionality.

Cons:

• The pricing for using Wix is a lot higher than it’s two closest competitors, Weebly and Squarespace.
• Their drag-and-drop feature may seem simple. However, it can be a little frustrating and may even cause time when designing a site.

Here’s Tokyo Architect’s link on their blogs powered by Wix.

Squarespace

Squarespace is one of the best web hosting blogging platforms around. It has managed to attract a lot of casual and professional web developers with their ease of use tools and hundreds of available templates.

Pros:

• Many of the templates available are optimized for phone and tablet use, something many developers are leaning towards.
• Squarespace is perfect for blogging with its rich comment features, ability to queue posts, and multi-author functionality.
• Your questions are answered instantly, thanks to their live chat.

Cons:

• Squarespace can be challenging to use on large websites where an in-depth menu hierarchy is required.
• Many of the templates have scored a low rating based on Google’s Page Speed Tool.

Foto’s minimalist design for its blogs is ideally suited for using Squarespace.

Ghost

It’s simple, easy, and the best alternative to WordPress. But more than any other blogging platform, Ghost can accommodate other content. 

Pros:

• Ghost’s strongest point is its design. The creators wanted a site builder that churns out an elegant and simple design.
• It’s also effortless to create new content.
• Because Ghost has a built-in feature for search engine optimization, there’s no need for additional plugins.

Cons:

• Being a relatively young platform, Ghost is still at its beta-testing phase.
• There is still little feedback available for other people to read.

React Native is an excellent example of a site hosted by Ghost. Their blogs are about all things tech.

Weebly

This blogging platform boasts an all-inclusive solution for novice and professional bloggers. It’s free, easy to install, and convenient.

Pros:

• Weebly can host the sites built on its platform. Because of this, users experience fast load speeds.
• Weebly’s services are free, which is perfect for temporary and personal sites. Business accounts can avail of their competitive pricing.
• Those with free accounts experience email support. For paid accounts, they get to enjoy email, phone, and chat support.

Cons:

• The content management system of Weebly is far from efficient.
• It can be challenging to add advanced tools to your site.
• If you want to move your site to a different platform, Weebly doesn’t exactly make it easy.

Here are some blogs from The Box Brothers with minimalist web design.

Medium

Founded by Twitter’s co-creator, Medium specializes in content creation. If you already have a considerable following, publishing your content on Medium will bring it the right exposure.

Pros:

• Garnering more than 50 million visitors every month, this means more traffic for any website built on Medium.
• Because of the different content that Medium gets, search engines and readers prioritize Medium’s content, which helps with ranking.

Cons:

• If you like full creative and admin control on your site, then Medium is going to be difficult for you seeing as it was designed to be a one-size-fits-all platform.
• While Medium is preferred by search engines, it doesn’t always create consistent quality leads.

Check out this blog from Hacker Noon titled “How to make money writing blogs.” They surely see success from using the Medium blogging platform.