“Discover the perfect platform for your blog! Explore the pros and cons of WordPress and traditional blogging. Make an informed decision today, Blogging vs WordPress“
Blogging Vs WordPress : Making the Right Choice for Your Website.
Introduction :
In today’s digital age, where content reigns supreme, having a website is crucial for sharing your thoughts, stories, or even running a business. But the first step is deciding on the right platform, and it often comes down to two popular options that are available for a Blogger: Blogging Vs WordPress.
In this comprehensive guide, we’ll dive deep into the pros and cons of both the platforms, helping you make an informed decision. There is always a different opinion between the two users who come up with their own justification for choosing a particular platform. However, the motive of this article is to analyse each and every aspect of both the Platforms and recommend you the ideal Platform suitable for taking your Blogging Profession. For those who are new to blogging, find more about Blogging Here.
Blogging and its Simplicity
The Pros:
Ease of Use: It is obvious that with every new business people look out for the ease of doing the business without any complexity atleast in the beginning and so also is for Blogging. Traditional blogging platforms like Blogger, Tumblr, and Medium are known for their user-friendliness and ease of doing the Blogging business. You can start writing and publishing content almost instantly. The only thing you need is to have a gmail account in your name and a name for your Blog and that’s it you can straight away start writing Articles instantly without any customization, investment, initial set-up or Registration as nothing is required in case of a Blogging platform. This simplicity is perfect for those who want to dive into blogging without getting bogged down by technical details.
No Technical Hassles: Unlike WordPress where you need a Domain Name Registration and a Hosting service, without which you will not be able to start your blogging, however Blogging platforms “blogspot” takes care of handling all technical aspects such as hosting, server management, and software updates for you and instantly provides you with a Sub-domain for your blog. For example instead of having main domain name like “Bloggingparadise.com” you will have sub-domain like “Bloggingparadise.blogspot.com, wherein blogspot owns the domain name and provides you the subdomain authority to publish your articles. This hands-off approach allows you to focus solely on creating and sharing content and does not required site related settings like domain registration, hustings, initial setups, plugins installation etc.
Quick Start: If you’re eager to start sharing your thoughts with the world and don’t want any technical delays, blogging platforms offer a speedy solution. You can be up and running in a matter of minutes. As in case of WordPress where you need to plan the name of the business / website and see if the domain name is available in .com, or .in, or .org, or any other extension before you can really purchase the Domain Name. Also you need to consider the Hosting service parallelly before you can start publishing your Articles. Even though it is a one time exercise, for most of the bloggers who enter into the blogging business, find Blogging platform not only easy but also ready to use platform. Even I started my Blogging profession from a blogging platform and then later on switched on to WordPress blogging.
Space Constrain and Theme Selection : Since Blogging platforms offer you the hosting service along with the sub-domain service, you don’t need to worry about the space constrain of your hosting. This will have direct effect on the Theme selection as well. For example, in case of WordPress, since you will be owing the domain and hosting, you have limited space available with you as per the plan selected and hence you will not be able to customize with hifi themes and can only go in with light traffic themes that has limited options. Whereas in case of Blogging, since domain is maintained by Blogspot, you can customise your blogspot website with the best of Theme available in the market with a professional look without necessarily spending any money from your pocket for the professional themes.Start with a Zero investment : Right from starting of the blog site, till getting adsense approval and monetizing your site, there is no requirement of spending any money and you can start earning money once you achieve the clicks and the required traffic. Even though you have the option to purchase a domain in Blogspot, most of the bloggers start with a sub-domain and start monetizing and once they are familiar with how things work, they switch on to buying a Domain Name.
The Cons:
Limited Customization: While blogging platforms are simple to use, they often provide fewer customization options compared to WordPress. This limitation might restrict your site’s uniqueness, making it look similar to other blogs on the same platform. For example, one of the efficient ways of writing an Article is to add a Table of Content (TOC) in your article. While WordPress provides readymade plugins that can help you insert Table of Contents in no time, whereas Blogger sites have no option to add Table of Contents and you need to add complex codes, CSS codes in your blogging script which can be too technical for a beginner blogger.
Similarly, using Contact Form and other customized Forms are easy to plug and use in WordPress, whereas there is no ready made options available in Blogger sites to use Customized Forms and need complex coding which is not possible for a blogger without a technical know-how.
Scalability Issues: As your website grows, you might outgrow the capabilities of certain blogging platforms. If you start as a hobbyist blogger but later want to expand into a full-fledged website, you could face limitations. For example if you decide to include a product range or a Books range in your Blogging site, by adding a payment option there will be a policy violation as you need to declare that you will not be using any commercial activities while adding Terms and conditions page.
Bonded Control : While Blogging platform gives you full freedom with ease of starting blogging business, it also has Bonded control from Google Adsense as your articles, pages and posts will be constantly monitored by Google adsense and even slightest deviation in the policy will get you account terminated without assigning any reason thereof. Whereas in case of your own website from WordPress, you have the flexibility to add many commercial features during the course of your blogging business.
Monetization is difficult : Once you are through with publishing some articles, as a blogger you will be applying for Google Adsense to monetize your site. Here getting approved by adsense is much difficult, when compared to Wordpress main domain websites. Adsense scrutinizes your blogspot carefully and even in case of small violation like not adding any mandatory page or following the rules, will not approve your blogspot website for monetizing. This is because google will only be the owner of the website and you are only a sub-domain owner and hence policy rules and procedures need to adhered to the fullest extent. I can see many bloggers struggle here and leave their blogging procession as they are not getting their site approved by adsense even after repeated submission.
However the real fact is that if you learn the nuts and bolts of AdSense approval criteria, getting adsense is much easier. We will learn about the check list in our later part of the 90-day challenge.
Limited SEO Control: Some blogging platforms may offer limited control over SEO optimization. This can affect your site’s visibility in search engine results, making it harder for your content to reach a wider audience. Whereas in case of WordPress you have various options to include SEO effective keywords, meta description, power words and much more before publishing your article.
The Power of WordPress
The Pros:
Unparalleled Customization: One of the standout features of WordPress is its ability to provide unmatched customization options. With thousands of themes and plugins available, you can create a website that aligns perfectly with your vision. Whether you’re a blogger, a small business owner, or an e-commerce entrepreneur, you can tailor your website to suit your needs. There are numerous themes that can be chosen based on your requirement. You just need to install the theme, and the plugin and then activate the plugin to be able to include the option instantly available in the WordPress dashboard. In other words, WordPress offer a seamless pug and play options while trying to explore various options from basic to advanced.
Scalability: WordPress is a versatile platform that can accommodate your website’s growth. Whether you’re starting small with a personal blog or aiming for a large-scale e-commerce site, WordPress can scale with you. This scalability ensures that you won’t outgrow your platform as your online presence expands. In other words you can develop and grow your website based on your current financial capacity by increasing the capacity of your website, or installing advanced plugins to automate your website seamlessly, which is not possible in blogging website.
SEO-Friendly: Search engine optimization (SEO) is vital for your website’s visibility. WordPress understands this and offers robust SEO plugins and tools to help your site rank higher in search engine results. You have control over meta descriptions, alt tags, and other SEO elements, giving your content the best chance to reach your target audience. For example by adding a single Plugin “SEMRush” you can totally take control of all your SEO settings, Meta description, power words in each and every article that you publish as Sem Rush offers readymade suggestions and hits before publishing your article.
Community Support: WordPress boasts a thriving community of developers, designers, and users. This community support means you’re never alone in your journey. Whether you need help with troubleshooting, advice on design, or recommendations for the best plugins, you can tap into a wealth of knowledge. Unlike the Blogging community using Blogspot, WordPress community offers technical know-how as they constantly engage the knowledge and experience in various platforms, and Facebook groups and you can learn a lot by just joining a relevant group. This is because wordpress users do research on daily basis as to how they can upgrade or improve their website and use advanced plugin features, and this aspect is missing in Blogspot users.
Sharing made easy: Marketing your website is part of your gaining traffic to the website and as such you can constantly make an attractive landing page of your website or the article and share it in Facebook, insta and other social medias. Whereas you cannot freely share your blogspot address very often, as FB and other medias prevent you from sharing Sub-domain websites very often, considering it as a spam.
The Cons:
Learning Curve: While WordPress is incredibly powerful, it may seem complex for beginners. Getting the hang of themes, plugins, and the platform’s overall structure can take some time, even months to have a grip. However, many online tutorials and resources are available to ease the learning curve. Nevertheless, nothing is better than practical experience and unless you do it practically you will not have a feel of learning. This point makes a big drawback for wordpress if you are a beginner in blogging.
Maintenance: WordPress sites require regular updates to ensure security and functionality. These updates involve themes, plugins, and the core WordPress software. Failing to keep your site up to date can leave it vulnerable to security threats. Many mandatory plugins like Askimet and other plugins are mandatory for running WordPress sites, as the internet market is flooded with scammers and phishers who may tend to hack your website which you not even know as you are just starting your blogging career. You need to be aware of all the mandatory plugins and would necessarily install and activate those plugins before you can have a smooth and seamless running of your website.
Making the Decision
The choice between Blogging Vs WordPress, hinges on your specific needs, your calibre, and goals. Here are some recommendations based on different scenarios:
Choose WordPress If:
You Have Long-Term Ambitions: If you plan for your website to be a significant part of your online presence for years to come, WordPress is an excellent choice. Its scalability and customization options make it suitable for long-term projects. This only means that if you start with your blogspot for blogging and get your adsense approved and later on wish to switch to your own website, then you need to get the adsense approval again for your new website, and its always better to start with WordPress in the beginning to be able to accommodate your diversification and earning potential.
Customization and Control Are Vital: If you want full control over your website’s design, functionality, and SEO, WordPress is the way to go. It’s the preferred platform for businesses, e-commerce sites, and professional bloggers who want to stand out. Some bloggers may also include some related products related to their niche, or offer some ebooks for sale by making an e-commerce sites by adding a payment gateway. In this case, going in for WordPress would be the ideal option, as you will be struggling to get it automated with Blogspot.
You’re Willing to Invest Time and Money : WordPress’s learning curve may be steeper, but the investment in learning pays off in the form of a highly tailored website. If you’re committed to mastering the platform, WordPress can be exceptionally rewarding. A professional Theme like Generate Press Pro and many advanced plugins require some investment on your part which when put in place, sky is the limit for your earning as you can play with your website with various options. But remember you need to have both time and money to spend.
Choose Blogging Platforms If:
You Want to Start Quickly and Effortlessly: If your primary goal is to share your thoughts with minimal setup, blogging platforms provide a hassle-free solution. They are perfect for personal bloggers and writers who want to focus on content creation. Also you can start with a Blogging platform and once you gain experience you can then buy your domain name and parallelly do another website using WordPress at a later date. I did the same way and now proud to have a blogspot website and a WordPress domain website.
Technical Aspects Aren’t Your Strong Suit: If you think that managing hosting, updates, and plugins gives you a headache, blogging platforms take care of these technicalities, allowing you to concentrate on writing and your job is just to write and post articles using the available features and yet monetize your sub-domain website like a pro.
You Prefer a Simpler Approach: Simplicity is the essence of blogging platforms. If you don’t want to get lost in the complexities of website management and just want to write, these platforms are designed for you. Or simply starting a blog is as simple as making your album after your travel trip. A typical example is to start a travel blog posting your travel experience in various blogs and that’s it. Nothing else is required. You can also start as many blogspot as possible in a single day with your gmail account.
Final Thoughts
In the Blogging Vs WordPress battle, there’s no one-size-fits-all answer. Your decision should align with your goals, technical proficiency, and long-term vision for your online presence. Both options offer unique advantages, so take your time, assess your needs, and choose the platform that best suits you. P:ost your queries and comments in the comments section or mail me to get replies to your queries.
Remember Blogging Vs WordPress, the success of your website ultimately depends on the quality of your content and your dedication to building your online presence. Whether you opt for the power and flexibility of WordPress or the simplicity and quick start of blogging platforms, focus on creating valuable, engaging content to connect with your audience. Your choice of platform should empower your content, not hinder it, so choose wisely, and happy blogging!
Also read How to Start a Blog today !!!