10 Best Blogging Sites to Give Your Content Justice

New Instagram influencers and YouTubers appear every month. People who aspire to be famous bloggers might think that the ship has sailed and blogs have no place in this world. Don’t worry, because blogging is still as relevant as ever, and I will tell you why in this article.

What is more, in this article, you will find blogging sites to get you started on your blogging journey.

Isn’t Blogging Dead Already?

It’s not surprising that people think of visual platforms as the new trendsetters. According to Statista, approximately one billion Instagram users are active in 2018. With that kind of userbase, who wouldn’t think it’s on top?

But blogs are definitely still relevant and going strong, with no sign of going away. Demand Metric claims that companies which have blogs retain 67% of customers’ interest. Around 59% of B2B marketers believe that blogs are an excellent channel to reach customers.

Moreover, 70% of consumers prefer to learn about companies through articles. Seeing the impact, no wonder 78% of chief marketing officers believe that custom content is significant!

This practice is called content marketing and combined with SEO it can benefit your website in many different ways.

Businesses use blogs to place their content on SERPs and spread their brand awareness, as search engine result pages help businesses reach more potential customers. That is why high search engine ranking is essential.

On a smaller scale, blogging can be used for various reasons – personal branding, promotion, etc. Bloggers can also monetize their sites and make a pretty good income.

10 Best Blogging Sites for Your Content

To help you get the hang of all the different blogging platforms, I have provided several examples you should take a look at, based on functionality, price, and ease of use:

1. WordPress.org

WordPress is one of the most popular self-hosted CMSs (content management system) in the world. It is rich in customization and will help you create a robust website, thanks to its plugins, themes, and easy setup.

WordPress is also free to download. However, WordPress is self-hosted, meaning you will need a hosting provider such as Hostinger or BlueHost to launch your site.

The Good

• Easy to customize ‒ WordPress is easy to use. Everything is straightforward and the platform has a support forum and an extensive knowledge base.
• Rich in themes and plugins ‒ There are at least 30,000 themes and 48,000 plugins for WordPress. This means you can create any kind of website, be it a blog or an ecommerce store.
• Multilingual ‒ WordPress is available in 50+ languages.

The Bad

• WordPress is self-hosted ‒ You will need to purchase hosting services from third-party providers. Fortunately, many hosting providers offer easy 1-click WordPress installation, and custom-developed optimization to ensure great WordPress performance.
• Self-maintenance ‒ Using WordPress means running your own website, so you’ll have to take care of everything by yourself.

The Verdict

WordPress is definitely worth the money you spend on a hosting provider. It has many features for creating a website, no matter what kind of project you have in mind.

WordPress is great for beginners, yet advanced users can definitely push the platform to its limits, and create very sophisticated sites.

2. WordPress.com

WordPress.com has several differences from WordPress.org. With this choice, you don’t have to get hosting, as your site will be hosted by WordPress itself.

Moreover, the dashboard is easier to use and master. That simplicity does come at a cost – you can only add plugins and themes from the official WordPress marketplace, and don’t have access to the source code.

WordPress.com has multiple paid options: the premium plans range from $3/month to $45/month, and they are billed annually. Depending on the plan you choose, you’ll get different features. If you go with the free plan, your website will have a WordPress subdomain.

The Good

• Has a free plan ‒The free plan has no locked features whatsoever, so you start with the complete set.
• Support ‒ you get email and live chat support for all premium plans excluding the Blogger plan (it only has email support).
• Easy to master ‒ Everything on WordPress.com is simple. It will take no time for you to master the platform.

The Bad

• Limited space ‒ The free plan only offers 3GB of space. For more, you have to buy its premium plans.
• WordPress ads ‒ The free plan places advertisements on your blog. You can remove them by buying WordPress.com’s premium plans.

The Verdict

WordPress.com is excellent for bloggers who are just starting out. The available features will help you focus on your blogging and content creation.

Unfortunately, you will have to spend extra money to make your blog feel like your own and looks professional. Moreover, the customization is quite limited.

You can begin with WordPress.com, and then buy their premium plans to upgrade. Better yet, you can even migrate to your blog to WordPress.org!

3. Blogger

Blogger is one of the oldest blogging sites on the internet. It was founded in 1993 by Pyra Labs. Google acquired Pyra Labs in 2003, making Blogger fall under Google’s umbrella.

Blogger’s dashboard is pretty straightforward. It has all the necessary things you need, from Statistics to Theme Controls. There is also a section that focuses on Google AdSense in the Earnings section, which will make gaining profit that much easier.

The Good

• Easy set-up ‒ Blogger’s integration with Google results in an easy registration process.
• Integrated Google AdSense ‒ Your Blogger sidebar has a section dedicated for Google Adsense to help you monetize the blog.
• Complete statistics ‒ The statistics section shows all relevant information about your blog. From traffic sources to the type of audience – everything is there.

The Bad

• Paid domain ‒ Your free domain will have the Blogger subdomain. You need to buy your own if you wish to have a professional-looking blog.
• Account termination ‒ Google can terminate your posts and account if they believe you violate their terms of use.

The Verdict

The fact that everything (except the domain) is free makes Blogger appealing for many. Moreover, its integration with Google makes things easier. However, you need to be cautious with your content, or else your account will be terminated.

Google fans should use Blogger, as the feature support is definitely a large benefit, allowing you to utilize other Google services like Drive and Photos.

4. Joomla

Joomla is a powerful content management system that allows in-depth site customization. It has everything you need, from templates to extensions, all to help you integrate every feature required for an impactful site. You can find Joomla’s extensions in its market.

While extensions work slightly different from WordPress plugins and go by a different name, you will definitely grasp the core concept easily enough.

The Good

• One for all ‒ Joomla’s customization makes it an excellent choice for any kind of website, from a blog to ecommerce.
• Multilingual  ‒ You can change, install, and switch your blog’s primary language. You can also do the same for your dashboard and your admin’s languages.
• Rich in templates and extensions ‒ Joomla has more than 1000 templates you can choose. Moreover, it has sophisticated categorized extensions for easier search.

The Bad

• Paid domain ‒ You need to pay extra to have a personalized domain.
• Technical ‒ You need to understand HTML and CSS to fully comprehend Joomla’s system.

The Verdict

Joomla has a great system that allows rich customization. You can turn your site into nearly anything you want. Unfortunately, it might be hard for those who do not have technical experience in website development, maintenance or management.

5. Ghost

Ghost has a unique history. It first started as a Kickstarter campaign backed up by more than five million users. Its positive reception turned Ghost into one of the most popular blogging sites on the web.

Ghost is a platform that is meant purely for blogging. Its creator saw WordPress as being too bulky due to the number of plugins and sections it has. Ghost is supposed to be a simple alternative.

This blogging site has a 14-day free trial. The plan prices range from $29/month to $199/month.

The Good

• Simplicity ‒ Ghost’s simplicity makes it easy for people to focus solely on blogging.
• Built-in Analytics Tracking ‒ Ghost can be integrated with Google Analytics to know exactly how your blog is performing.
• Free SSL certificate ‒ You won’t need to worry about your inputted data being compromised by man-in-the-middle or similar attacks.

The Bad

• Limited theme selection ‒ Ghost’s themes are pretty, however very limited in numbers.
• Limited plugins ‒ Ghost has a limited number of plugins, so there is only so much you can do when it comes to customization.

The Verdict

Ghost is an excellent platform for blogging and publishing. It is a simple blogging site, so if you’re not looking to create a very robust website – it might just be the best option for you.

6. Medium

Medium is a blogging site that is similar to social media platforms. It has a timeline that shows articles according to your chosen niche. You can respond to those articles by commenting or “clapping” (Medium’s term of liking an article).

You can buy a membership plan, which costs from $5/month to $50/year. It will give you access to Medium’s articles from public figures and experts such as Roxane Gay and Eve L. Ewing.

The Good

• Easy registration ‒ 1-click registration through a Gmail or Facebook account.
• Simple to use ‒ Creating and publishing content is as easy as ABC.
• Social media concept ‒ Published articles are shown in a chronological order based on who you follow.

The Bad

• Limited customization ‒ You cannot customize anything.
• Content-control ‒ Since you publish under Medium, your articles belong to them. Of course, this means they can take out your articles if they are deemed unfit.

The Verdict

Medium’s simplicity makes blogging feel like a breeze. However, the lack of customization gives little control over your account.

This blogging site is best for people who want to publish their work without having to manually build an audience.

7. Wix

Wix is one of the most popular website builders on the web. However, it can be used as a blogging site as well.

With the WYSIWYG editor, you’ll build your site in minutes! It’s full of great features and is very beginner-friendly.

Wix provides hosting services, so you don’t need to purchase it from third-party sites. The cheapest plan is $4.50/month, while the most expensive one is $24.50/month.

The Good

• Free plan ‒ If you don’t want to spend money on your site, you can make use of the free Wix plan.
• Wix ADI ‒ Wix’s is known for its artificial design intelligence. The ADI will ask you a few questions regarding your website, and it will tailor a template based on your answers.
• Money-back guarantee ‒  You can request your money back within 14 days if you’re not happy with the services.

The Bad

• Advertisement ‒ If you choose the free plan, Wix will place its advertisements on your site. What is more, you’ll have its subdomain.
• No migration ‒ You can’t migrate the content of your website from other blogging sites to Wix.

The Verdict

Wix is the perfect choice for those, who have no technical skills and wish to build a site in mere minutes. With the easy-to-use editor and a great variety of plans, you’ll build your website with no hassle.

However, the customization options are limited and Wix does have annoying drawbacks, such as ads on your site.

8. Squarespace

Squarespace is a website builder, which focuses on aesthetics. It’s a perfect blogging site for those, who want to focus their blog on visual elements.

Squarespace has a great mobile app, which is great if you want to manage your site and its content on the go.

This platform does not have a free plan. Its prices start from $12/month and go up to $40/month.

The Good

• Guided set-up ‒ Similar to WIX, Squarespace will give you questions about your niche and will offer templates based on your answers.
• Integrated ecommerce and marketing tools ‒ For ease of use, you’ll have integrated tools for marketing purposes and selling products online.
• Free domain migration ‒ You can transfer your domain to Squarespace without having to pay a single cent.

The Bad

• No free plans ‒ You can try Squarespace for 14 days, but you have to pay after that.
• No site backup ‒ Squarespace doesn’t provide site backups as a built-in feature, so to keep your data safe, you’ll need to use workarounds that might be hard to follow.

The Verdict

Squarespace’s design is visually pleasing, and its easy set-up will help you create a blog in minutes. However, it does not have a free plan, so if you’re on a budget this might not be a good option. The lack of site backups also adds extra trouble for its user.

9. Weebly

Weebly is another website builder that can easily be used as a blogging site

Like with most website builders, Weebly is beginner-friendly, since you don’t need any technical knowledge to set up your site.

Weebly’s plan ranges from $12/month to $38/month.

The Good

• Marketing-friendly ‒ Weebly emphasizes on marketing and branding. It even has a section for social media advertisements.
• Easy set-up ‒ All you need to do is enter your niche, and Weebly will suggest templates to choose and customize, speeding up the website creation process.
• Mobile-friendly ‒ Websites made with Weebly are responsive to any size screen.

The Bad

• Limited customization ‒ The customization available is quite limited, so if you want a completely original website it might be hard to achieve.
• Ecommerce oriented – While Weebly can be used as a blogging site, it’s best suited for online stores.

The Verdict

Weebly’s ease-of-use will help you create a beautiful website without trouble. Moreover, its ecommerce specialization can help build an online store quickly, adding a potential revenue source to your blog. However, its lack of customization will limit freedom to edit your site.

If you want to delve into the business of ecommerce while you blog, Weebly is for you.

10. Tumblr

Tumblr is definitely a unique platform, as it combines the concept of social media and blogging.

It has everything you need for a blog, from quoting to text formatting, adding media, etc. However, you can also repost other people’s posts on your own blog. There is also a feed where you can see updates from the people you follow.

The Good

• Large community ‒ Tumblr has many users. There are more than 300 million blogs powered by Tumblr.
• Interactive ‒ Due to its reblogging system, Tumblr has become one of the most interactive blog networks ever.
• Multiple blogs option ‒ Tumblr has the option of having several blogs under one account. Multiple blogs are perfect for those who want several Tumblr blogs with different niches.

The Bad

• Content removal ‒ Since your blog is owned by Tumblr, your content might be removed at any time.
• Limited customization ‒ The only thing you can customize easily is your theme and dashboard content. If you want to add custom widgets, you will have to edit HTML.

The Verdict

Tumblr is great if you want to have an interactive blog. Its large community will keep you busy with other users. Unfortunately, because it’s not your site, you can’t do anything if something happens to your content.

This blogging site is best used for personal blogs. While it is possible to monetize Tumblr blogs, its limitations will make it hard to do so.

What Makes a Blogging Site Great for You?

With the number of blogging sites available, it is understandable if you don’t know which one to pick. All of them provide amazing features while having different drawbacks.

To help you pick the perfect blogging platform, I have provided some points to take into account:

• Ease of use is the most critical aspect of a blogging platform. If you cannot master a platform, even its most fantastic features will be useless. So when you pick a platform, choose the one you can control the most.
• Customization plays a big role in blogging. Make sure your blogging platform provides the extensions, themes, and widgets you need.
• Security and maintenance are very important. When you pick your platform, makes sure it’s with a good track record and has security proper features.
• Options for monetization should be available. Although you can monetize your blog through third parties, make sure your platform allows it. Having ad space and widgets for an online store is an example of what to expect.
• Pricing is another important factor. Take into consideration what features you get for the price offered.

So, Which One Should You Choose?

As discussed, each blogging site has its specializations. You can pick whichever suits you the most:

1. WordPress.org ‒ rich with customization options, perfect for those who want a flexible and robust website.
2. WordPress.com ‒ easy to use, but a lot more limited compared to WordPress.org.
3. Blogger ‒ integrated with Google, making it safe and trust-worthy.
4. Joomla ‒ plenty of customization options, best suited for those who have technical skills.
5. Ghost ‒ simple and easy for best suited for blogging.
6. Medium ‒ easy to use publishing site.
7. Wix ‒ easy to use for beginners.
8. Squarespace ‒ visually pleasing and easy to use.
9. Weebly ‒ perfect for ecommerce.
10. Tumblr ‒ for those who want to blog while having an active community around them at the same time.

For those who want to create an online store without fuss, Weebly is a perfect choice. If you’re going to stay engaged with other users, you should stick with Tumblr. However, if you want a flexible and robust website, you should definitely go with WordPress.org.

Once again, everything depends on your needs.