A blog is a website that contains a chronological or different topic-specific series of posts. Blogs are a great way to share your thoughts and ideas with the world. Blogging has become increasingly popular in recent years, and there are now many blogging platforms to choose from.
In this article, we will discuss some of the best blogging platforms in the US. We will also provide you with some information on how to choose the best one for you.
What is a blogging platform?
Blogging platforms are the places that bloggers use to create, manage and publish their blogs. For example, WordPress is a blogging platform. There are several blogging platforms now available to you. These platforms have different features and benefits.
Choosing The Best Blogging Platform – What to Look for?
Before looking at some of the best blogging platforms in the US, let’s first look at what to consider when choosing one.
a). Easy to use
As a beginner, you will find that most of the blogging platforms are similar. The only difference is that they have different themes, but they are easy to use. You do not need to know how to program. All you need to know is how to create a blog and publish it online.
b). Flexibility
A great blogging platform should be flexible. In other words, it is flexible enough to meet all your needs as a blogger. It should be able to integrate with various systems such as Dropbox which is a system for file sharing and storage among other tools.
At the same time, it should accommodate your future changes such as adding more categories, adding more topics, etc.
c). Customization
A blogger has to customize his or her blog to make it look professional. This is why, when you select a platform, you should ask yourself, what type of content do you plan to post?
This will help you select the right blogging platform for your blog.
A good blogging platform should be customizable. Customization is achieved through the ability to modify the template or the design of the blog. This improves the overall appearance of the blog.
d). Content Editor
A powerful content editor is one of the key features that every blogger should look for. They provide the option to embed videos, photos, maps, and even other types of media. It should be integrated with the rest of the platform.
e). Themes and Templates
One of the best and most useful features of a blogging platform is the ability to customize the look of the blog itself. Some of the best blogging platforms have a variety of themes and templates that allow you to change the theme of your blog.
f). SEO Features and Tools
SEO makes a powerful blog. One of the keys to a successful blog is search engine optimization. A good blogging platform will have the ability to give the blog a search engine ranking so that it will be found by people who are looking for information on a specific topic.
With that said, let us look at some of the best blogging platforms in the US.
1). WordPress.org
WordPress is one of the most popular blogging platforms. It’s a free platform and it is the most widely used platform for bloggers.
In fact, it is estimated that over 50% of all blogs are now using WordPress. It’s easy to confuse WordPress.org with WordPress.com, but the differences between them are important to note, so we will explain them.
WordPress.org is a very popular free blogging platform. It is hosted on a server, and the blogger pays only for a domain name to access it. In other words, the blogger does not pay for the software.
On the other hand, WordPress.com is a free website builder. Here, you get access to a free domain and hosting. All you have to do is sign up and pick a template.
Pros:
a). Offers self-hosting – With a self-hosted blog, you can do as you please. You can change the look, the content, the theme, or the templates of the blog. The only drawback is that it’s easier for hackers to access your data.
b). Allows extensive customization – The blogger can get complete control over their blog by customizing it. The blogger can modify the template, change the look and feel of the blog and add as many features as she or he wants.
c). Plugins are available – A plugin is a collection of features and tools that you can add to your site. It can be anything from a slideshow to a widget or a special layout.
With WordPress, the blogger can develop plugins to add extra features. These plugins can be installed and removed as needed.
d). Great support – WordPress has a large community of bloggers and developers who can help the blogger when problems arise.
Cons;
a). You need to buy hosting and a domain first – WordPress does not come with a free domain and hosting. The blogger must buy it from a hosting provider first.
b). You will have to perform backups and security by yourself – You will have to take care of backing up your site, and you will have to find a security solution to protect your blog on your own. There are services available, but they can be costly.
Either way, WordPress is very user-friendly. This is why it has been adopted by so many companies and bloggers. In fact, the WordPress team offers a lot of support for the blogger.
2). Blogger.com
Blogger is a popular, free blogging platform in the US.
In fact, blogger.com is owned by Google and, as a result, it is very popular among many users.
It was launched back in 1999, but Google acquired it in 2003 and then redesigned it to the platform we know today.
Pros;
a). Blogger.com is free – Anyone can use Blogger.com to create a blog. All you need is a Google account and you are set.
b). Easy to use and manage – Blogger is very user-friendly. You can easily create a blog, change the look and feel and, more importantly, manage it all from your dashboard.
c). You can edit HTML and add widgets – Blogger allows you to edit the HTML of your blog. Widget is small, mini-applications that are added to a blog to make the job of the blogger faster.
d). Easy integration with other Google products – With Blogger, you can easily integrate your other Google services, such as Google Analytics, Blogger, Google+, Google Drive, or Google+.
Cons:
a). Can’t categorize posts – Blogger has no inbuilt functionality to categorize posts.
b). Limited design options – Blogger provides limited design options. The blogger can only change the look of the header and sidebar, and you can only change the background of the blog.
c). You can’t self-host – Blogger is a hosted service. You can’t host your blog yourself.
3). Medium.com
Medium is a popular, free blogging platform with a simple, clean look. It was launched back in 2012, and it has grown rapidly.
If you are looking for a place to launch your blogging career in the US, Medium.com is the best place.
It already attracts millions of readers per month, which means there is an audience for your articles.
Pros;
a). Built-in audience – Medium attracts millions of readers per month. This is an important factor, because the more readers you have, the easier it is to drive traffic to your blog.
b). Quality content gets more readers – Medium is read by millions of people each month. As a result, they easily rank and promote content based on quality metrics.
c). Easy to get started – Medium makes it very easy to get started as a blogger. You can just sign up and start blogging with them in minutes.
d). You can make money publishing articles on Medium – You can make money on Medium as an author. You get paid up to $1000 per month, which is a great way to generate some extra income.
Cons:
a). Limited control over branding – Medium doesn’t allow you to fully control your branding.
b). Doesn’t allow you to self-host – Medium doesn’t allow you to self-host your blog. This means that you don’t have full control over your blog.
Medium.com is a perfect blogging platform in the US for beginner bloggers who don’t want to build an actual blog. Also, if you dread building an audience, Medium.com is perfect for you since it comes with an in-built audience.
4). Wix.com
Wix is a free, easy-to-use, and reliable website builder. Many bloggers use Wix to create a simple, modern, and professional-looking website.
The most interesting thing about Wix as a blogging platform is the fact that you don’t need any coding knowledge to use it.
All you need to do is create an account, pick a template, and change a few things like images and texts. And then start publishing articles.
Pros;
a). You can customize your blog using hundreds of templates and third-party apps – You can use all the themes you want to customize your blog. Many of them have a full set of features, such as social icons, custom logos, and custom fonts.
b). Drag and drop tools – Wix has a drag and drop tool that lets you change the look of the blog without any coding knowledge.
c). Offers text and other element animations – You can add animations to your text and other elements for fun and dynamic content.
Cons:
a). You can’t change templates – Wix does not allow you to change templates. You can customize a template, but you can’t change once installed.
b). Ads on your blog when using the basic plan – Wix is a freebie and comes with ads, and the only way to remove them is to upgrade to paid plans.
Wix is the best blogging platform in the US for creatives such as artists, musicians, photographers, creatives who want a blog and a site to showcase their work.
At the same time, you can use Wix to build your business blog using industry-specific templates. This also means that you won’t need any coding skills to get started.
5). Weebly
Weebly is another one of the best blogging platforms in the US for beginner bloggers. It offers a free plan that has all the features that you could come to expect from a blogging platform.
Essentially, Weebly is a website builder that lets you create a website or blog using drag and drop tools.
Pros:
a). Free templates – Weebly offers a large number of free templates that you can use to quickly create a website.
b). Free hosting – Weebly comes with a free plan, and you can host your website on any of their servers.
c). Third-party integrations – Weebly offers a variety of third-party integrations that make it easy to use social media and other apps on your website.
Cons:
a). No self-hosting – You cannot self-host a blog on Weebly. You can only choose between the different plans offered by Weebly, and the free plan does not let you self-host.
b). No editing of the code – When you create a website using Weebly, you can change the look of the website using templates and third-party apps. But you can’t edit the code of the site.
If you are looking to create an online store alongside a blog, Weebly is your best bet.
What are the Pros & Cons of Using a Free Blog Builder?
Pros:
- Free blog hosting and blog builder
- Easy to create and manage a website
- No coding skills are needed
- Free templates and themes to use
- Unlimited storage space for images, audio, video, and text
Cons:
- Limited features of the free blog hosting and blog builder
- Limited customization on the free templates and themes
Blogging Platforms Summary and Recommendations
Blogging platforms are a great way to create a personal blog or a business blog. This article will provide a summary of what the best blogging platforms are and why they are good for business owners.
There are many different types of blogging platforms available, but this article will focus on what’s popular among business owners. The best blogging platforms for businesses include WordPress, Blogger, Tumblr, and Livefyre. Each one has different benefits and disadvantages that make them better suited for certain people or businesses.
WordPress is the most popular platform because it’s free and has many features to help you manage your content effectively. Blogger is also free, but it doesn’t have as many features as WordPress does so it may be better suited for people who just want to create a personal blog without
Blogger was created by Google. It’s free to use and is the easiest blogging platform to use. It also has a lot of features that are easy to use, which makes it perfect for beginners. However, there are limitations to what you can do with Blogger because it’s not as customizable as WordPress.
Conclusion: What is The Best Blogging Platform for You?
The best blogging platform for you is the one that you feel most comfortable using. There are many platforms to choose from, so it is important to figure out which one works best for your needs.