Should I use Blogger?

Its never too late to get into blogging, and starting up a blog is now easier than its ever been. The most pertinent decision initially is to pick a platform to build it with which often means choosing between Blogger vs WordPress.

Blogger is a simple service that enables you to create a blog and publish it online immediately. WordPress, on the other hand, is a full-featured Content Management System (CMS) for building websites (in this article, were talking about self-hosted WordPress, which is different from WordPress.com). Each has its own unique pros and cons, which youll want to be aware of before settling on one over the other.

WordPress: A fully-featured platform for any type of website

WordPress is a fullContent Management System (CMS) a platform designed to help you build online content. In practical terms, this means that you can use WordPress to create nearly any type of website.

WordPress began life as a blogging platform, however, and its still suited to that application. Like Blogger, WordPress is also free, although it wont host your blog for you. Youll need to choose a hosting plan and pick out a domain name, after which you can install and set up your WordPress site. If youre looking for a affordable WordPress host with easy-start features, we recommend Bluehost.

Once you do so, youll be able to access your WordPress admin dashboard:

You can create posts and pages for your blog, edit its settings, add other users, and so on. Like Blogger, you can also use themes to alter your sites layout and appearance, although there are many more options to choose from:

In addition, you can download and install plugins to add all sorts of additional features to your blog such as including a simple contact form, providing functionality to help you rank better in search engines, or even adding true eCommerce functionality to your site:

Theres a lot more involved in using WordPress far too much for us to cover here. Fortunately, weve written many guides to the platform, which you can check out for more details about how it works.

Finally, its important to note that what were talking about here is WordPress.org, the downloadable open-source software.WordPress.comis a different thing,which you can read more about in our comparison of the two platforms.

Blogger: A simple way to create a blog

Next up, lets talk about Blogger. As the name suggests, Blogger makes it easy to get up and running with a simple blog.

All youll need is to create a free profile, which requires a Google account. Then, you can build a new blog right away:

You can choose from a variety of themes to determine your blogs appearance and layout, give it a title, and choose a URL (which will have blogspot.com added to the end, unless you pay for a custom domain). Then, youll get access to a simple dashboard:

Here, youll be able to create posts, add pages to your blog, see and respond to comments, and perform other basic blog-related tasks. Whatever you add or change here will immediately be updated on your live site.

The pros and cons of Blogger vs WordPress

Now weve introduced the two platforms and explained what they do, lets get a little more detailed about their relative advantages and drawbacks. Well start with Blogger, then move on to WordPress.

Keep in mind that these arent comprehensive lists. Instead, were focusing on the most relevant pros and cons to a first-time blog creator.

Pros of Blogger:

• Its very quick and simple to get started with you can literally create a blog in minutes.
• Youll be able to learn how to create content and use all the primary features right away.
• You dont need a hosting plan, making this a 100% free solution.
• While limited, there are options for personalizing your blog.

Cons of Blogger:

• The platforms functionality is very basic you cant do much with it beyond creating a standard blog and posting content.
• Your options for customizing your blogs appearance and features are very restricted, as is the potential for adding custom code.
• You dont fully own your content because its all sitting on Googles servers (though you can export your content if needed).

As you can see, Blogger really shines when it comes to getting you up and running quickly. However, its less impressive if youd like to fully customize your blog. In contrast, lets take a look at WordPress.

Pros of WordPress:

• While it requires a bit more work than Blogger does, getting a blog started with WordPress is still a pretty quick and painless process, and most quality WordPress hosts can handle the setup for you.
• The platform is beginner-friendly and easy to learn, especially if youre using it for something simple (i.e. a blog).
• There are thousands of customization options in the form of plugins and themes, enabling you to shape your site into whatever you want.
• For more advanced users, WordPress makes it simple to add custom code and complex features to your blog.

Cons of WordPress:

• Starting up a WordPress site typically requires a small monetary investment. You actually can find free WordPress hosting, but we wouldnt recommend it for a serious site.
• Youll be more responsible for ensuring that your site performs well and is secure.

These summaries should give you a solid idea of where both platforms shine and where they fall short. Now, heres how to decide which one you should use.

How to choose between Blogger vs WordPress

Both Blogger and WordPress have their place, and are useful for certain types of users. However, what youll want to know is which one you should opt for.

Blogger is useful for those who want to create their blog and have it fully up and running immediately. If all you want is a very simple hobby blogging platform, this may be the solution for you. You wont have to pay a cent to get started, and you wont need to worry about hosting or any other technical considerations.

However, it is worth noting how restrictive Blogger is. Again, you have limited options for customizing your blog. Plus, you wont be able to do much else with the platform. If you want your blog to be a part of a larger website such as a business site, a portfolio, or a store Blogger wont provide the features youll need.

Therefore, when it comes to Blogger vs WordPress, we recommend the latter for most people who are creating a new blog. The start-up costs are very small, the setup is fast, and its designed to be beginner-friendly. You should have your blog up and running in less than an hour, and the learning curve when it comes to creating and publishing posts is quick.

Ultimately, even if all you want to do right now is build a very basic blog, WordPress is almost always the better option. This way, if in the future you want to expand your website, add new features to it, or even change its focus entirely, youll have all the options you need right at your fingertips.

Conclusion

When deciding between Blogger vs WordPress, heres a quick recap of what youll need to know:

1. Blogger: This is a completely free, very simple blogging platform that will have you up and running in minutes. However, your options for customizing your blog or doing much beyond creating basic posts are very limited.
2. WordPress: This platform requires a little more time (and the cost of a hosting plan and domain name) to get started with. On the other hand, its easy for beginners to use, offers a ton of customization options, provides many features for more advanced users, and will scale easily with your blog as it grows.

Do you have any questions about how to pick between Blogger vs WordPress for your new blog? Let us know in the comments section below!

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