The best blogging platforms and how to choose the right one for you

 The best blogging platforms and how to choose the right one for you

There are many blogging platforms out there, which one is best for you? Which one will have the features you want? Is WordPress better or Blogger?

The best blogging platforms and how to choose the right one for you

And the other more important question is, which of these platforms is right for you in terms of cost? Maybe you're looking for the best blogging platforms, which means you've seen some information and know that some platforms are too expensive and don't fit your budget.

Don't worry, all these questions and more will be answered in this detailed guide, God willing, and as with the winners, every piece of information you'll find is explained in a simple style and with lots of practical examples.

just before the start

1. If you are new to the blogging world and do not know what a blog is, how it differs from a regular website, and how you can benefit from a blog, I recommend you to review the following guide: blog, how to use it and how to own it.

2. You will find a simplified explanation for any term that may be new to you, and you will also find all the resources and explanations you may need in this guide.

3. We have not included any Arab blogging platforms in this guide, as most of them do not provide the features and capabilities that global platforms provide, knowing that we will soon provide a guide on Arab platforms and how to use them, Allah willing. them, so be sure to follow us so you don't miss them.

Now let me explain everything about the best blogging platforms, starting with their types, how to use them and choose the one that suits you… important advantages and disadvantages on a practical basis.

Different types of blogging platforms

Before talking about the best blogging platforms, you should know that there are different types of these platforms and each type has advantages and disadvantages, so you should know all types to choose the one that suits you.

1. Free Hosted Platforms

These platforms allow you to have a completely free blog. The platform takes care of everything. It is the owner of the server that saves your data (texts - images) and is also responsible for maintaining the service and protecting this data.

One of the most famous examples of these platforms is the Blogger platform provided by Google, which we will talk about in more detail later.

This type of platform has certain features, namely:

• You can start very easily.
• You can change the design of your blog, but there is a limit to what you can change.
• The platform you are using owns your content and has the right to delete or disable your blog at any time.
• Some such platforms are very slow.
• In most cases, it is difficult for your blog to appear on search engines such as Google and Bing.
• You can link a domain name to your blog, but you will most likely have to pay for this service.

Disclosure: Free blogs give you a subdomain like (myblog.blogspot.com) because you can see that your blog's name (myblog) is linked to the same Blogger site (Blogspot.com).

And if you want to have your own domain name (myblog.com), you will have to pay a certain amount depending on the platform itself.

Personally, I would never recommend using this type of platform except for those who are absolutely newbies or just want to try a few platforms to choose the one that suits them best.

In addition to the fact that the content you publish on these platforms does not belong to you, another major disadvantage is that sometimes you cannot transfer your content to another platform or to your own site.

2. Hosted Platforms

These platforms are very similar to the previous type, but the main difference is that you pay for this service in exchange for the capabilities that the platform offers you, for example:

• Link your blog to your domain.
• A design tool for your blog.
• Save your files on the platform's servers, whatever their size.

The main disadvantages of this type of platform are:

• Your site design options are somewhat limited.
• Most of these platforms do not give you full control over your blog, for example, you may not be able to use email marketing or use some data analysis tools and track visitors.
• The cost is high compared to other types of platforms.
• Some of these platforms do not allow you to make good use of SEO to drive traffic to your site from search engines.

Description: SEO stands for (Search Engine Optimization) and is meant to tune your blog's content so that it appears in the first results of search engines, thereby gaining free traffic.

Perhaps the most famous example of this type of platform is SquareSpace - Wix - Weebly, which you may have heard of before. It's worth noting that you can get started with most of these platforms for free (like the first type we mentioned) until you try the platform, and then pay to get more features.

This type of platform is suitable for people on the right budget who are looking for the easiest ways to blog, everything about your blog is in one place but you will have to give up some features and controls on blogs. be interested in getting free traffic from search engines.

3. Content Management Systems (CMS)

A content management system is a tool that puts you in control of everything on your site, without needing to know any of the different programming languages. This is why this type of blogging platform is called (Self-Hosted Platforms) because you are responsible for your blog itself, so you need:

• Buy your domain name.
• Buy a server to host your blog.
• Connect the domain to your server.
• Download the content management system of your choice.
• Design, manage and update your site in a style that suits you.

Perhaps the most famous example of this genre is the famous WordPress platform, and by the way, the winners site where you read these words is now tied to such platforms.

General features of content management systems:

• You are the full owner of the content.
• You can use an endless number of different website design and creation tools.
• You can take advantage of all available marketing channels (email marketing - SEO marketing - social media marketing).
• Most of the popular CMSs are very fast, which ensures that your blog offers a good user experience.

And the other features that make up the world's most famous and powerful blogs and sites rely on WordPress and other content management tools, but that doesn't prevent these platforms from having flaws.

Disadvantages of content management systems:

• You need to constantly monitor your site and constantly check it to ensure its security.
• Numerous tools and plugins available in the market open the door to exposing your site to danger, so you should carefully search for the best and safest tools.
• You need capital to buy hosting for your blog, but this cost is much lower than the previous type.

• The bigger your blog, the more visitors you'll have, the more powerful hosting you need to buy, which increases the cost.

If you want to have a professional blog, I recommend you to use this kind of platform, don't worry, I will tell you everything you need to know to have it later.