Picking a blogging platform is a pivotal decision that lays the foundation for your digital endeavors. The main problem is that there are many different options to choose from.
Well, instead of fretting, how about you make your life easier and focus on two major platforms of today?
First off, we have WordPress — a staple hailed as the king of content management platforms.
It powers the lion’s share of sites that form the bustling blogosphere.
The second option is BlogSpot, a free domain service provider, which is an integral part of the Blogger platform.
Now, it is true that BlogSpot and WordPress both offer the same thing: a free blogging platform geared to blogging success.
Yet, they are all but created equal.
We used both extensively and realized that one triumphs over the other in several key areas.
Without further ado, let’s get into the nitty-gritty.
Below are the Reasons that why WordPress is Best for Starting a new Blog or Website.
Contents In Page
Getting started
Setting up a blog has never been easier— we can do it with just a few clicks of the mouse.
Blogger is a popular choice precisely due to its unparalleled convenience.
It is a simple, streamlined platform for blogging and publishing that involves minimum hassle and even less money.
Beyond everything else, it gives users a chance to get their site up and running in no time.
All you have to do is create a free profile, which is linked to your Google account.
However, in case you want to create an authority blog that will earn you money, you might be better off going for a self-hosted or a regular WordPress.com blog.
WordPress is a fully-featured Content Management System (CMS).
Now that’s quite a mouthful, but what does that actually mean?
Right off the bat, it is clear that there are more “moving parts” to work with.
Among other things, one has to choose a hosting plan and a domain name.
Features and components
There is no need to beat around the bush: WordPress offers everything that BlogSpot does and much more.
The latter solution contains a basic WYSIWYG Editor, which can toggle into HTML mode.
It is excellent for embedding YouTube videos, defining permalinks, managing privacy, scheduling content publishing, and pasting text from Google Docs.
What’s more, you may adjust colors, create posts, add pages, comment, and modify layouts.
The frustrating part is that you cannot craft your own layouts and that the quality of the unofficial templates is subpar.
This deficiency is easy to overcome if you utilize Gadgets (the equivalent of WordPress Widgets) and third-party premium themes.
However, all of this does not alter the fact that Blogger is a bare-bones platform.
Its built-in tools enable you to do only certain things.
Contrary to that, WordPress can be used to build pages/content (not just blogs), edit various page settings, implement e-commerce components, and fully customize the appearance.
On top of that, there is a heap of additional features to explore, and when it comes to the number of templates and plugins, Blogger does not even compare.
The only problem is that the learning curve is steeper with WordPress because there are more technicalities involved.
Using a self-hosted solution (WordPress.org) forces you into dealing with your online security, managing resources, and creating backups.
This isn’t something we have a problem with, but some newbie bloggers might.
A matter of blog control and ownership
Google runs and owns Blogspot.
Therefore, the search engine behemoth can decide to shut it down at any moment.
Indeed, it is not uncommon for it to delete accounts or (mistakenly) flag certain blogs as spam.
This unfortunate outcome is the result of BlogSpot’s shady reputation.
Namely, many people use this free platform to implement notorious black-hat (SEO) tactics.
With WordPress, though, you exercise a higher degree of control over your blog.
After all, you are using a hosting provider for your own site and paying for that.
This also means that you control data and decide whether to share it or not with any third parties.
You don’t depend on Google maintaining its servers nor are you exposed to its arbitrary rules.
The only thing you have to worry about is that if you violate the WordPress Terms of Service, you may invoke a suspension.
SEO ranking benefits
Website traffic is the lifeblood of your blog; a factor that marks a difference between blogging success and failure.
And to drive it to your blog, you have to engage in some search engine optimization (SEO).
The good news is that WordPress has a wealth of customization options, as well as some amazing SEO plugins.
This is unlike BlogSpot, which features only a limited set of tools.
For instance, it does not include the much-needed Google Analytics support.
We also do not like how the platform favors Google+.
This makes it somewhat hard to launch successful social media marketing campaigns and score additional SEO juice in the process.
You’ll run into another issue when you try to transition away from the platform.
You face the risk of losing all hard-earned SEO points, apart from your precious followers and subscribers.
With WordPress, you don’t have to worry about that.
Moving your site to a new domain, CMS, or changing the domain name will be a real breeze.
A cornucopia of plugins and themes
The main thing WordPress has going for it here is the fact it represents an open source platform.
Thus, its future doesn’t depend on any single company, but the community as a whole.
Moreover, you may decide to modify and extend the set of core features without paying a license fee to anyone.
There is virtually a plugin for everything you could imagine or ever need, and free and premium themes abound as well.
With FTP (File Transfer Protocol), it is possible to completely customize the look and feel of the pages.
The result is a truly professional-looking website that stands out from the competition.
In fact, one can even obtain a custom code to upgrade the existing options of the blog.
We would also like to add that WordPress releases new versions and updates on a regular basis, which expands the number of options at our disposal.
On the other hand, BlogSpot releases (especially major updates) happen once in a blue moon.
Superior quality of support
Over the years, WordPress has attracted a massive and devout following.
Around it, the whole ecosystem of community support has emerged.
Comprehensive documentation, community forums, and chatrooms stand at our disposal.
And should we need it, we can count on professional support from various companies.
How does BlogSpot hold up in this area?
Well, it offers some rudimentary documentation and a forum.
Lack of support is not that nerve-wracking because this platform is beginner-friendly and easy to use.
The options are quite restricted but straightforward.
Still, if you ask us, it would be nice to have a more extensive support system.
Impeccable reputation
Out there in the cyber wilderness, first impressions can make all the difference.
They impact key performance indicators such as bounce and click-through rates.
Thus, this state of Internet affairs favors WordPress.
Most people will assume you are serious about blogging because you’ve paid for your solution.
Simply put, WordPress is an industry standard, and it allows you to do anything with your digital real estate.
As we indicated earlier, you can host your own files and adjust the website to match your audience’s preferences.
With Blogger, however, you get a generic BlogSpot domain name.
It is hard to set yourself apart from a cohort of other bloggers and prove that you denounce black-hat and manipulative SEO.
So, if you want to come across as more professional, you need to go the extra mile and get a custom domain.
Final consideration: the price
The only downside of WordPress is that it is pricier than BlogSpot.
However, if you are serious about your business, you have to spend money on things like bespoke themes and a hosting solution (free ones tend to be lackluster).
A free plan will not take you very far, so most bloggers opt for personal, premium, or business packages.
But, we think this is fine because you get what you paid for.
Not only that, but the small monetary investment is likely to pay dividends down the road.
It’s great that the Blogger platform is free. However, that’s also the main reason for many of its shortcomings.
This is not your ultimate tool for jump-starting your blogging career and delighting your audience.
Thus, WordPress remains the top choice, not just for us but for countless other bloggers too.
Conclusion
As we have seen, both BlogSpot and WordPress can be a good choice.
But that depends on your needs, and of course, your budget.
It goes without saying that you should always be cautious — weigh your options and don’t rush into making a decision.
That being said, you basically cannot go wrong with WordPress.
Yes, it is a bit harder to set up, and it is not 100% free.
But, in terms of sheer power and versatility, it wins by a landslide.
You are in the driver’s seat every step of the way and able to personalize the blog to the tiniest detail.
The site also performs well and is secure.
Hence, you are able to cut through the immense noise in the blogging landscape.
By comparison, BlogSpot is rather restrictive— it fails to provide many features and options for optimization (SEO).
We would say it works as a hobby blogging solution, while WordPress is the best for long-term business use and advanced user needs.
