I have written several posts about blogging. In blogging you will always encounter a basic question -”Which blogging platform should I use?” In this post, I would try to answer that question and let you know about the issues that you need to think through regarding choosing a blog platform.

Following are some of the questions that I received after writing the first few posts on blogging. Bloggers who are starting out and trying to make a decision on the basic question often ask these questions.

  • ‘Which Blog Platform Should I use?’
  • ‘Should I use a free Blogger.com blog or a WordPress blog or get my own hosted blog on my own Domain?’
  • ‘Which Blog Platform is best?’
  • ‘What are the Pros and Cons of using Typepad instead of WordPress as a blog platform?’
  • ‘Should I start blogging on a free Blogging Platform and then upgrade later?’

But let me clarify one thing here- the choice of the blog platform depends on the goal of your blog as every blogging platform has its good and bad points. You choose the blogging platform based on your blogging goals.

I have been blogging for quite some time now and besides this blog I also write for http://www.takeaplunge.com. For both the blogs we have been using WordPress because we find few advantages in it.

Below I will try to show you few points about all types of blogging platforms. All these information, factors come from the experience of years of blogging. Feel free to share what you think about the various blogging platforms.

Before You Decide on a Blog Platform

Before you decide on the blogging platform to use, you need to consider a few points. There are many blogging platforms are available today. You can always change the blogging platform at a later stage but it MAY have some negative implications on your blog. Such negative effects may be on the search engine value, domain name change and traffic. You need to pay money for the transfer if you want to move to own paid hosted blog from a free blog hosting service. But ore important is the traffic issue. So I would advise that you do not take a hurried decision here. Do some research, read my posts and then think about it.

The following questions might help you to find the answer

Your Goals - What are your goals?

This is the most important goal you need to decide while choosing the blog platform. Think about the aspiration or goals you have in mind. Even though you have just started out, try to answer the questions with best of your ability.

  • What is the main purpose of my blog?
  • Do I want it to do for a long time?
  • Do I want to monetize?
  • Do I want to do it professionally?

These questions will help you to sort out the probable options in blogging platforms. These questions will help you because some of the blogging platforms are better suited to hobby bloggers and some others are suited to professional bloggers.

What is Your Budget?

Different blogging platforms come with different prices. You will find free blog platforms and you will find blog platforms with different prices. What is the cost associated with blogging?

  • The blog platform
  • Hosting for your blog
  • Domain Name

Different blogging platforms have different levels of service.

Blogger.com - the platform, domain name and hosting for free

WordPress.com - the platform, domain name and hosting for free

Wordpress.org (Not WordPress.com) - Free platform but you will have to pay for your own hosting and domain name.

MovableType -They charge a fee for a license for the platform (However it depends on number of blogs you have and whether the blogs are commercial, personal, educational or not-for-profit.) It also has a free version and you need to pay for your own domain name and hosting.

There may be some other costs associated with blogging, which you may need or may not need.

  • Design - All the blogging platforms come with free templates. But if you want a customized template for your blog, you will need to design it yourself or get it designed from someone by paying a fee.
  • Blog tools/metrics - There are different metrics and tools in blogging which can be really helpful. You need to pay for some of these tools. As a beginner these tools and metrics may not be necessary but in future, you may need to have them.  

How Technology friendly are you?

While choosing a blogging platform, make sure you understand the technological aspects of it. In some platforms, you will need to have a good technology understanding. If you are like me, a less technical person (I don’t know any coding or programming), then you should stick to a platform that needs lesser technical knowledge. Some blog platforms offer set ups which do not need much technical and technology knowledge.

However, you can also find someone else to do your job by paying a fee for setting up the necessary things. But then you become dependent on others for everything technical. However you will find in the form of community and forums where you can get answers to your technical questions.

What Blog Platforms are others using?

Ok this is something which also has got some importance. Peer pressure, forums, communities put pressure on you to adopt some things. Find out what others are using and what advantages and disadvantages they are having. Their answers and information will help you in deciding the right blogging platform.

In the next post we will discuss about free blogs, hosted and Stand alone blogging platforms. Stay tuned.