How to Make a Blog: 10 Best Blog Builders and Platforms
Find out how to make an outstanding blog on your own using one of the best blog platforms available. Presenting the top 10 blog builders, including free options.
Got something to share? A blog is the best way to be heard on the web platform and share your content with the world. All you need is an idea and an internet connection. Thanks to blog website builders, almost anyone can create a blog in a matter of minutes without writing a line of code. But the question remains, how do you go about developing a blog? And more importantly, what kind of blog builder would best suit your online venture?
Don't worry - we have got you covered. Read on to know more about blog creation. Also, after we cover the basics, we will check out the top 10 best blog builders and blog platforms that are currently trending in the market.
So, What is a Blog?
Technology has made our lives a lot easier than it was in the yesteryears. Today we can share information with anyone across the globe with a single click, a feat that was considered impossible a couple of decades ago. With a blog at your disposal, you can talk about almost any topic! From sharing your everyday experiences to posting recipes, beauty hacks, and expressing your political opinions - a blogging platform supports everything.
Be it individuals or corporate entities, almost everyone seems to want a blog these days. You can shape a blog such that it suits your needs. For some, it might be a way to express them and vent out their innermost thoughts. For others, blogs are a means of promoting their services by spreading knowledge and gaining customers. But at the end of the day, every blogger aims at reaching more and more people. How are you going to get more followers? Well, that's something we'll be covering in the next section of the article.
The Basics of Blogging
A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. That is exactly how one should approach blogging as well. Start with the basics and gradually work your way up to the more advanced functionalities. The web is an open field with millions of people posting content every second. You wouldn't want your content to be lost in the vast sea of information now, would you?
Every good blog has three elements working for it - creativity, clarity in content, and consistency. Once you have figured out what you are going to blog about, the next step would be to create the content. Avoid following the generic tropes and same-old content creation strategies. Instead, try writing on new topics or present a fresh perspective on the trending ones.
Note that simply having creative content doesn't assure the success of the blog. Your blog might have the most innovative posts, but it is of no use if people don't see it. Try posting regular updates and incorporating the trending keywords in your posts for better chances of web visibility.
The Best Blog Builders and Platforms
The first step to blogging is selecting the appropriate platform. The very foundations of your blog depend on how reliable and versatile the builder is. The blog builders you'd find online are all user-friendly and code-free. So, anyone who wants to build a blog can do so with minimum technical expertise; all you need is an idea. We have compiled a list of the top 10 best blog website builders that would suit the needs of both amateur entrepreneurs and professional developers.
To help you make an informed decision, we've compiled a comparison table featuring the top 10 best blog website builders. These platforms cater to a range of needs, from amateur entrepreneurs to seasoned developers. Take a look at the table below to find the one that best suits your requirements.
Comparison Table
| Blog Builder | Cost | Platform Type | Web Hosting | Custom Domain | Storage Space | Bandwidth | Templates | SEO Tools |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wix | free | website builder | included | yes | 500MB | 500MB | 800+ | included |
| Weebly | free | website builder | included | yes | 500MB | unlimited | 58+ | included |
| Webnode | free | website builder | included | yes | 100 MB | 1GB | 100+ | included |
| Squarespace | $16 /month | website builder | included | yes | 500 MB | unlimited | 240+ | included |
| Jimdo | free | website builder | included | yes | 500 MB | 2 GB | 100+ | included |
| Wordpress.org | free | CMS | buy additionaly | yes | determined by hosting | determined by hosting | thousands of free/paid themes | require plugin |
| WordPress.com | free | CMS/blogging platform | included | yes | 3GB | unlimited | hundreds of free/paid themes | included |
| Tumblr | free | blogging platform | included | yes | not specified | not specified | hundreds of free/paid themes | included |
| Joomla | free | CMS | buy additionally | yes | determined by hosting | determined by hosting | hundreds of free/paid themes | basic included |
| Medium | free | blogging platform | included | no | not specified | not specified | limited customization | basic included |
Wix
Considered to be one of the most popular and user-friendly website builders out there, it shouldn't come as a surprise as to why Wix features first on our list. Wix, though a website builder, is also used by many to support their blogs - both personal and commercial.
The platform is powered by HTML5 giving you full access to tweak the CSS stylesheets and basic design code of the page if you have the coding skills. The stunning templates and pre-set layouts are optimized for mobile screens. The free version gives you 500MB storage space and the ability to develop unlimited static web pages. Wix also offers free web hosting and a mobile site that's automatically created as soon as you publish the blog online.
Weebly
Weebly is not your conventional blogging platform, it is known more for its e-commerce options and web development tools. However, you can convert the platform into a blog builder. The drag and drop website builder is designed on the WYSIWYG framework. This allows you to get a preview of the content as it would appear on the user-end browser before you actually upload it to the server.
The dashboard is clutter-free and has all the necessary elements you'd require to insert and customize different features on your blog. Add images, videos, buttons, maps, contact forms, analytic tools and more in a few simple clicks. The themes, templates, and layouts are all vibrant, appealing and optimized for mobile screens. Weebly also supports apps and extensions developed by third parties.
Webnode
Webnode is a relatively new player in the market that is slowly gaining popularity among bloggers. The platform currently powers over 30 million websites worldwide. Webnode has an intuitive interface that can be customized any way you want. Just drag and drop the elements you need form the dashboard and edit them using the many features available on-site.
There are over a hundred templates and themes that can be accessed for free and are compatible with both desktop and mobile screens. Other than that, you get free web hosting and domain registration services, along with several SEO tools, CMS solutions, e-commerce support and Google Analytics integrations. First-time users can try out the 15-day free trial version to test the waters before they invest in one of the paid plans.
Squarespace
Now, most people recognize Squarespace as a platform that solely caters to large-scale businessmen and entrepreneurs who want to expand their venture globally. Squarespace also supports budding bloggers and is one of the most responsive and reliable of blog development platforms in the market.
Everything, from the beautiful templates to the WYSIWYG framework, is designed to empower bloggers in creating premium-quality blogs that have a high SEO appeal and reach. The drag and drop in-house editor, though minimalistic, is user-friendly and customizable.
Just choose an appropriate template, drag, and elements you'd need on it, customize it, preview and publish it- it takes but a couple of hours! On the downside, Squarespace has no trial versions, and the Personal plan allows you to build just a single blog with 2 contributors.
Jimdo
Jimdo is a superb all-around free website builder that is also popularly used for blogging. Known for its simplicity and robustness, it makes the blogging experience straightforward and enjoyable. Its interface is clean and user-friendly, which means you can create and publish blog posts without needing any technical expertise.
Jimdo provides a good range of attractive and responsive templates that can be customized to fit your needs. The platform offers integration with social media networks, helping you to increase the reach of your blog. The SEO optimization tool is also a great feature, allowing you to fine-tune your blog for better visibility on search engines. Another standout feature is the Jimdo mobile app which lets you create, edit, and publish posts right from your smartphone. Although the basic package is free, there are also premium plans available with more features and functionalities.
Wordpress.org
WordPress.org powers about 29% of the blogs you find on the internet, and the community is growing by the day! First-time users would find the platform pretty interactive and helpful. For starters, there are loads of articles and tutorials on WordPress that will guide you through the tough spots of blog creation. Secondly, the drag and drop interface is a joy to work on.
WordPress also brings to the table a powerful feature-set to enable SEO management for your blog. Your blogs are automatically optimized to be competitive for search visibility in Google and other search engines. The themes, templates and other graphics are vibrant, eye-catching and compatible with all mobile devices. What's more? WordPress also offers you a host of responsive plugins for adding analytical tools, integrating e-commerce, and further expanding the reach of your blog.
WordPress.com
If you're a fan of the WordPress software but don't want to host your own website, WordPress.com is a great alternative. It is a blog hosting service offered by Automattic, a company created by Matt Mullenweg, the co-founder of the WordPress software. WordPress.com offers basic blog hosting services for free, but you can also purchase various upgrades, such as advanced customizations, more storage space, and the ability to upload videos.
Just like WordPress.org, WordPress.com is incredibly user-friendly, making it an excellent choice for beginners. But it's not just for beginners: there are also powerful features for advanced users such as built-in analytics, search engine optimization tools, and hundreds of themes to choose from. All themes are automatically responsive, meaning they will look good on any device. If you want to go beyond blogging, there's also the option to build a full-fledged website with a static homepage.
Tumblr
Contrary to popular belief, Tumblr is not just a place where crazy fangirls reblog and repost gifs on Harry Potter or Supernatural. No, Tumblr is a legit blogging space that is (and we quote the official site here) “so easy to use, it's hard to explain”. It might not be wrong to say that Tumblr is a cross between a blog builder and social media platform.
It is free, super easy and very chic- the perfect place for amateurs to test their blogging skills. Here you can either use the domain name offered by Tumblr or create one yourself. The platform is, however, not suited to people who love writing lengthy posts as the text field is pretty limited. Tumblr is focused on short, concise content that catches the eye of the visitor. On the downside, Tumblr is not optimized for search engines at all.
Joomla
Joomla is another free and open-source content management system (CMS), like WordPress.org, that you can use to create a powerful blog. It's known for its flexibility and extensive capabilities. While it might be a bit more complex than some other blog builders, it offers a broader range of customization options. If you're tech-savvy or are ready to invest some time learning, Joomla can be a great choice.
Joomla supports thousands of free and premium templates and extensions, which can greatly enhance the functionality of your blog. The admin dashboard is robust and full-featured, including everything from custom post types to granular user permissions. You also get great SEO tools to help optimize your content for search engines. One thing to note is that Joomla doesn't offer hosting or domain registration, so you'll need to arrange that separately. But if you're looking for a powerful, flexible platform for a more complex project, Joomla might be just what you need.
Medium
Last but definitely not the least, Medium is a blogging platform that was conceptualized and founded by Twitter founders and is based on the concept of microblogging. A lot of well-known blogs have been developed using Medium. Because of the traction gained by this platform, it is already pretty popular in the community. There is one basic template that you get to use for publishing all posts.
Of course, you can customize the template, switch between the grid/stream based layout, add a logo, change the color, and insert images. But all said and done, the customization options don't offer a lot when compared to some of the other platforms mentioned above. The WYSIWYG editor is user-friendly and intuitive, to say the least. The in-built analytical tools and in-line commenting features further enhance the blog's performance online.
Setting up a blog is no child's play. Sure, things are a lot easier now than they were 10 years ago. However, there are a lot of things that you still need to look into before you develop a blog - the blog builder being one of them. Most blogging platforms are different from each other. Each consists of a special set of features catering to a particular business model or centered on a specific theme. Choose wisely. It gets pretty cumbersome to switch over to a different platform once you've started. Consider the functionality, customization options, customer support, pricing and SEO ranking before you pick any builder.
Ahmad Yani
Ahmad Yani is an IT specialist and innovator from Bali, Indonesia. With a degree in Information Technology from Bina Nusantara University, Jakarta, he combines his deep knowledge of tech with a passion for cultural storytelling. Currently focused on sustainable IT solutions for remote areas. In his free time, he writes articles for popular technology and 'How-to' websites and communities.
Comments (2)
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I've make my blog on WordPress (the sixth on your list). I believe that WordPress might not be the simplest way to create a blog, but it's definitely the most flexible and versatile. Having a blog on WP allows me to choose a web hosting provider, rather than settling for what an online blog platform might offer. However, on the flip side, WP requires certain skills - not every webmaster will be able to handle it.
Reply to Robuni
Wordpress is highly unreliable. The constant updates to Wordpress itself and its plugins often lead to frequent website malfunctions. It's hard to keep track of - you never really know what will stop working on your Wordpress site.
Reply to Haji Abid