If you’re really passionate about making your presence felt on the World Wide Web via blogging, then you should know some basics before you jump in. Every blogging site requires a foundation. Content management systems (CMS) offer that foundation along with a canvas to design your blogging site own. Therefore, it’s essential to choose a CMS carefully regardless of the type of website you’re aiming to launch.
However, before listing the strengths and weaknesses of popular CMS platforms for blogging websites, let’s look at why starting a blog makes sense for most entrepreneurs.
Blogging Is a Powerful Tool for Any Entrepreneur
It’s the digital age, where people turn toward the internet for the majority of their shopping, as well as to consume news, read reviews, and more. Yet, some entrepreneurs and companies are still neglecting the advantages of publishing content frequently.
What benefits, you ask? Well, those who engage in blogging generate far more leads than those who don’t. The uptick in leads alone is a good reason to start a blogging website today. On top of that, blogging is one of the best types of content you can create because, unlike Facebook posts and third-party reviews, it is the content you publish, own and distribute. A blog offers a frequent opportunity to engage your audiences, convey your subject matter experience, and bring traffic to your business.
If you’re interested in launching a blog for personal brand/business or looking for a more robust platform to switch to, there are a multitude of content management systems to choose from. To lessen the confusion, here’s a neat list of best CMS for blogging websites that’ll make the selection process a breeze.
Best Content Management System for Starting a Blog
1. WordPress (.com version)
You’re probably already familiar with WordPress. Introduced in 2005, it is a freemium blog service. Over 50 million websites rely on WordPress for blog hosting. Handling the hosting process is easy for everyone no matter how skilled a person is. Because it’s a hosted solution, you don’t have to manage the installation or download of software.
However, hosted solutions don’t provide users with 100% control over their blog. If you want to completely own your blog assets and perhaps reduce expenses a bit, maybe you should consider hosting on WordPress.org. That said, it’s free to use WordPress.com. The starter plan has 3-5 GB space and might display some advertisements. Additionally, you’ll get loads of plugins and templates to make your website look attractive and beautiful.
Collectively, the features make WordPress the ideal solution for people who only want to blog and require a mix of usability, customization, and aesthetic appeal.
2. Blogger
Blogger is one of the first providers of blog hosting solutions. It was introduced in 1999 and got acquired by Google in 2003. Like WordPress, it’s quite easy to get familiar with. Usage is free, and it can even be monetized through display advertisements. However, the Blogger platform has some limited customization capabilities.
If you want to use a blogging website for talking about your hobbies, Blogger could work well for you. If you want your site to be taken seriously, Blogger isn’t recommended. Though it offers unlimited bandwidth (100% uptime powered by Google), there’s a lot of old templates, along with lack of plugin options and limited customization.
Novices might want to test waters with Blogger. Eventually, as their blogging website grows, they can migrate from Blogger to WordPress to gain more control over their site and access more features.
3. Squarespace
If you’re looking for an option that removes the guesswork, consider using Squarespace. It’s a website builder (cloud-hosted) that offers incredible templates that are ideal for building sleek websites – including a blog. In fact, you can create a Squarespace blog in a matter of minutes using the platform’s drag-and-drop builder.
Squarespace primarily serves small and midsized companies who may not have the budget and skill to create high-end blogs. Plus, it individually offers e-commerce shops and domain names (with HTTPs/SSL). However, you can only set up 20 pages for your blog on the basic plan. Another drawback is that the platform’s integrations are limited to a few select tools and services.
That said, you get a range of professionally developed templates. Also, there’s no need to look outside the platform or its website for handy templates, and Squarespace provides it all for users. Moreover, its easy-to-use visual editor lets you edit your blogging site by merely clicking on individual webpage areas.
Squarespace’s pricing ranges from $16-$20 a month for its Personal Plan, or less if you pay annually in advance. The Business plan costs more to host a blog with. Because Squarespace charges more than other content management systems, some users might make a switch to WordPress after a while to minimize their costs and include more features on their blogs.
4. Wix
This is one of the most renowned blog site builders that has made a name for itself over the years. It uses the WYSIWYG concept along with a drag-and-drop editor that simplifies the blog creation process. What’s unique about Wix is that it allows you to drag and drag things wherever you want on a canvas, as opposed to predetermined parts or areas.
Another prominent aspect of Wix is that it also allows you to animate text content and additional elements, which further enhances its intriguing prowess. With an extended length of features including social network integration, search engine optimization, blog building, and user-friendly post editor, you get terrific options to create the perfect website.
Also, the latest version of Wix offers “feature ADI” to users. That functionality allows users to insert a link to a website so that the tool creates the exact copy version of that site for you to customize and edit. Plus, Wix offers an extensive application market to help you find the extensions that’d it easy to operate and run your blog.
The most basic plan of Wix costs $4.50 a month and offers 1 GB bandwidth and 500 GB of storage. The price increases by $4 if you want more bandwidth and storage. Ads are included in the basic plan which may create distractions.
5. Medium
Introduced to the blogging world in 2012, Medium has expanded into a community of subject matter experts, journalists, writers, and bloggers. Medium is straightforward to use and doesn’t require coding skills or knowledge of CMS setup. Also, it enables bloggers to reach an existing community of audiences with similar interests. With Medium, you solely focus on the content aspect of blogging, rather than designing a site.
However, Medium’s features are limited regarding creating a brand or engaging in custom design. Also, Medium keeps control over your audience, so if you lose your Medium blog, you can end up losing a significant portion of your following. Plus, Medium doesn’t allow you to display ads to make money. Therefore, it’s not the ideal choice for those looking to earn via display advertisements.
Medium doesn’t cost anything to use. While the platform may look attractive to those who just want to share their thoughts, the lack of control and monetization features may make some bloggers switch to WordPress or Squarespace.
6. Tumblr
Or Tumbler, as it is pronounced, is a media-rich website for bloggers. Introduced in 2o07 as a micro-blogging and social networking platform, it was taken over by Yahoo in 2013. Famous celebrities including Taylor Swift use this platform. However, it might not be the best option to leverage when it comes to text-based publishing, as it severely lacks robust plugins. That said, it can be the ideal platform if you’re an artistic individual.
Basically, Tumblr is adjusted to visual content. It is comfortable and free to use. On top of that, it includes social networking features that enable you to connect with other users. That said, it doesn’t include comment filtering features or SEO options that indicate your blog’s performance.
When you sign up for Tumblr, you’ll get a .tumblr.com extension. However, Tumblr does let you use and own a custom domain. Because Yahoo powers Tumblr, you can directly head to Yahoo’s website to purchase a domain. This would be a better option than buying your domain from GoDaddy or another domain registration since buying from the parent company comes with the lest complications.
Tumblr has a guide on how to set up a domain. Additionally, premium themes are available at a price range between $9 and $49. Plugins are free to use but are limited to basic functionality. These two options are not necessary to run a successful Tumblr blog.
Final Verdict
Apart from these options, there are many other content management systems in the cut-throat World Wide Web. However, these are the best ones to choose from. To simplify the process, and save the time spent in research, feel free to compare the pros and cons of each. You might also be able to take a few of these on a test run. All these factors will help you pick the best CMS for your blogging needs.