Someone I know registered a domain, then asked me how to access her blog. I asked, “What platform is it?” She was confused. She was also confused about hosting.
Like, she only had the domain.
Ignoring the nuance, you need a blog platform or software in order to start a blog.
Your blog platform + your host (which might be the same as your platform) AND YOU are like a romantic match.
Some you marry, some you enjoy life with for a while before parting ways.
My first-ever blog was a DiaryLand account. Somewhere in the recesses of my dissociative brain are the names of my ancient accounts that I could lookup and see if they still existed.
The first website that truly felt like mine was tropical-panic.com. I didn’t blog on it in the “normal” sense.
I’ve used Blogspot, Cutenews, FanUpdate, LiveJournal, MySpace and Xanga. I also manually blogged by updating HTML.
This blog I’m currently on started out as 6birds.net. WordPress looked so different then; the bells and whistles today didn’t exist yet.
What I’m saying is…platforms change over the years. How the platform you choose might change in the future is important to consider.
The “future” could be the next update, next month, next year — we don’t know. 🤷♀️
This post contains affiliate links. I only bother signing up for affiliate programs I think worth it & recommend products I’m confident recommending. If you purchase through one, I will receive a percentage or flat fee as commission for the referral.
⚡ “Enough with the ambiguity, Jane. Tell me what platform and host so I can be on my way.” WordPress + GreenGeeks. Or GreenGeeks and any one-click install scripts.
For those who enjoy choosing which platform to use themselves, here are a few of the top considered that I also recommend.
Free
Free blog options are best for complete blogging beginners and those who don’t know if they will be able to commit.
If you’re not ready to fully commit to blogging, give yourself a year on a free service.
Blogspot
- Free
- Subdomain (
you.blogspot.com) or your own domain - View my tester for an example
Blogspot is the best choice for people who struggle to navigate technology and want to start a blog quickly. The blog software is lighter in technical difficulty than more advanced options.
Since BlogSpot is run on Google servers, you don’t need to worry about hosting. This gives you time to spend learning the mechanics of blogging, such as
- Accessibility
- Creating meaningful content
- Design
- Digital marketing
- Search engine optimization (SEO)
Instead of spending a lot of time figuring out webhosting, you can spend time learning about email marketing and creating a solid blog foundation.
Later, you can switch to self-hosting.
Many bloggers started out on BlogSpot, even if they dismiss it as a good starting point. BlogSpot is only “bad” for people who know how to blog and understand how to use software.
It’s not a bad blogging software. It’s a great starting point.
All you need is to create an account. Worry about the rest later.
Contrary to what you may read elsewhere, you can redirect your BlogSpot to another site. If you have $15 to spare, register a domain with NameCheap to avoid needing to redirect BlogSpot altogether.
Note: I stylized “Blogspot” by capitalizing the “B” in “Blog” and “S” in “Spot” to ensure screen reader annunciation. The brand name is stylized as one word, only a capital “B”.
Jekyll + GitHub Pages
I would switch to Jekyll if it was self-hosted and I didn’t have 1000+ blog posts. 😂
GitHub Pages = free hosting. Jekyll and GitHub Pages pair nicely together.
The only caveat is that it’s not typical web hosting. You would need to buy email hosting if you wanted an email at your domain (e.g. you@example.com).
I only recommend this path if you’re comfortable with web development.
WordPress.com
WordPress-dot-COM is not to be confused with WP.org.
WordPress, abbreviated WP, is blog software with two options:
- .com = commercial blogging platform running WP, with free and paid options
- .org = open-source blogging software you can download and install on your own web host account
I only recommend the free WP.com plan due to Matt Mullenweg’s recent behavior and other web hosting being much cheaper — and giving you more autonomy! The paid plans are restrictive in comparison to third-party managed WP hosting.
WP.com will help you get used to using WordPress; it’s more complex than BlogSpot. I daresay WP.com is more complicated than WP.org because of the commercial aspect. I don’t enjoy navigating it myself. 😅
Paid blog platforms
Already familiar with running a website?
Ghost
Ghost is fast. You can self-host with a virtual private server (VPS), though it required more technical know-how and is more expensive than shared hosting.
I love Ghost. The interface is so sleek. Their plans, though, feel too limiting for me and I don’t want a VPS.
Squarespace
SquareSpace (stylized for screen readers) is a popular choice. Pricing is more expensive than self-hosted WordPress.
People like SquareSpace for its site builder. There has been a WP.org vs. SquareSpace “war” since the 2010s.
It’s snobby — that’s it. Like Android vs. iPhone users, or MacOS vs. Windows.
Some people have tried both WP.org and SquareSpace and have preferences. Each software has its pros and cons. SquareSpace isn’t self-hosted, whereas WP.org is.
So it’s also a self-hosted camp vs. hosted camp battle.
…of preferences. It’s literally only a battle of individual preferences and needs.
I don’t like SquareSpace. I don’t need you to dislike it, too. We’re not agreeing to disagree about human rights here.
WP.org
Self-hosted WordPress is WP-dot-org, not dot-com.
You’ll need a webhost who supports WordPress.
My top webhosting recommendation is GreenGeeks. From 2009 to about 2015, I ran or worked with webhosting companies. The support at GreenGeeks is superb.
The Lite package has more than enough disk space for new bloggers with only one site.
The Premium package was overkill for me even when I had tons of sites. 👀
I’ve been on their smallest Reseller package, but I found I didn’t actually need it. I have the Pro plan; my first year was $50 because of a sale. 😏
Which blog platform feels right for you at this time? Let me know in the comments.
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