blogging

A lot of people assume that there are a lot of costs associated with blogging, but the truth of the matter is that it is relatively cheap (and sometimes even free) to get your blog running.

The power of blogging has been established countless times- companies who blog are 97% more likely to get links to their website. This is not exactly surprising since a whopping 77% of all interest users read blogs.

Even creating a blog of your own can be a great way to make money on the side. Unfortunately narrowing down on the right blogging platform is tough which is why I am here to help out with some advice-

#1 WordPress.com

WordPress.com (often mixed up with wordpress.org) is a great option for anyone who is looking for basic website functionality. This is a hosted service that will allow you to create an account through their website for free.

There are also paid options available.

Pros & Cons

Pros Cons
It is a free service. No plugin uploads allowed.
You can have your website or blog set up in under 5 minutes. No backend code.
There are tons of free and premium themes to choose from, Your website will look like this- ‘mywebsite.wordpress.com’ which is not very professional compared to ‘mywebsite.com’.

Best suited for

This option is best suited for hobby bloggers who are not trying to make any money off of their blog. If you wanted to eventually monetize your blog, web hosting is the way to go.

#2 Wix

Wix is one of the best blogging platforms for newbie bloggers. It has a drag-and-drop site builder to create small websites and you do not need to be very tech-inclined to figure it out.

Pros & Cons

Pros Cons
Wix has countless important features to help you generate traffic on your website. For example, every page is mobile optimized and you get a free SSL certificate. It is not the right platform to choose if you want to monetize down the road.
You can even create a website for free with Wix ads and no personal domain name. Most ad networks will think twice before approving an application from a Wix powered website.
There are multiple pricing options starting at $13 a month for personal use.

Best suited for

This is a good option for freelancers or artists who want to display their portfolio, restaurants who want a basic website to showcase their menu or even just small businesses.

#3 LinkedIn

LinkedIn’s blogging platform is called Pulse and can be found under the ‘Interests’ tab of your account page. Anyone with an account on their platform can post blog posts that are then connected to their account.

Pros & Cons

Pros Cons
You can connect to readers and likeminded people in your industry through your blog. You cannot make any money through this blog.
The articles you post on LinkedIn are very easy to share. It is extremely competitive on the LinkedIn blogging platform.
LinkedIn shares your new posts with your followers and your connections.

Best suited for

Posting articles on LinkedIn is super simple and is a good way to expand your audience but you aren’t going to get any leads or sales through these blog posts.

#4 Medium

Medium is very much like LinkedIn’s blogging platform wherein you create an account to publish your posts and then Medium will share these posts with their audience. Think of it as Facebook for bloggers.

Pros & Cons

Pros Cons
You can focus on writing without worrying about the technical side of things. Third-party publishing means you lose SEO benefits you would gain if you were self-publishing.
Easy to reach a wide audience. There are limitations to what you can add to your post using Medium’s software.
Medium partner program sometimes allows writers to be paid.

Best suited for

Medium is a good secondary platform to focus on for bloggers who want to reach a new community of people. It can also help you generate leads as a small business since you will be widening your audience reach.

#5 Constant Contact Website Builder

Constant Contact’s website builder is a relatively unknown blogging platform compared to the others on this list but nonetheless, it is a good website builder to use for beginners who want to create their website without having to understand much fancy coding jargon.

Pros & Cons

Pros Cons
You can have your site up and running after only answering a few simple questions. Constant Contact’s website builder very clearly added the blogging feature as an afterthought. It is more focused on eCommerce stores.
There are multiple customizable layouts to choose from.
You can get started with this blogging platform for free.

Best suited for

Constant Contact’s website builder is best suited for people who want to run a blog alongside their online store.

Conclusion

According to OptinMonster, internet users in the U.S. spend 3X more time on blogs than they do on email which is why now is a better time than ever to start one.

There are countless benefits to starting a blog and having a good blogging platform that is flexible and has room to grow will give you the best foundation in the long-run.

So, what is your favorite blogging platform?

Burkhard Berger is the founder of awesomex™. Follow him on his journey from 0 to 100,000 visitors per month on www.awesomex.com. He gives intensive insights into his growth hacking strategies, digital scaling tactics as well as his successes and failures. Follow him on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.

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