INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Some blogs are standalone sites, but others are a more personal section that fits into a larger, corporate web site.In order to blog, a
blogging platform is required, which takes care of formatting the content in the form of text and images, and provides a framework for
getting it onto a website
The blogging platform also makes it easier for a search engine to categorize the blog entries, and to be able to take advantage of marketing
and advertising opportunities.So before you start cranking out posts, and welcoming your virtual visitors from around the world, you need to
choose the best blogging platform to suit your needs
Check out these great options.1
BloggerThe old master of blogging soldiers onFreeAutomatic Google Search indexingDifficult to transition to other platformsAsk any old-time
blogger about what platform they started their blog with, and chances are they'll answer that it was Blogger
means you have a Blogger account.A broke startup blog will appreciate that it is free to use, and it will even provide the blogspot.com
domain name, as well as the option for a custom domain name
It is also one of the easier platforms to use, and provides a choice of templates that can be flexibly modified.As it is a Google offering,
should be used to help grow traffic
you can pay for the coffee as you sit in Starbucks and blog into the night.With all that going for it, is there any reason not to use
Blogger Well, the problem is that as your blog grows, its simplicity means that you may outgrow Blogger at some point
WordPressMerging ease of use with flexibility and powerTurnkey blogging solutionIntegrated credit card moduleExpert supportFree tier has no
way to monetizeWordPress is a popular blogging platform which is used on a claimed 30% of web sites, that offers an excellent balance
between ease of use, and more powerful options.They can handle all the details, and take care of the domain name, the security and the
hosting for a one stop shopping option
WordPress offers hundreds of themes, with flexibility in fonts and options for a custom look
There is also a free tier available, which is suitable for a noncommercial blog as there is WordPress advertising, and no way you can
JekyllThe Ruby-based blog generator with tons of advanced featuresFree costAdvanced feature setNot user friendlyRequires knowledge of
Then you build your site via Liquid language templates
Jekyll then merges the content and the template together, and voila, a website is generated that can be uploaded to a server
For those that need a host, there is integration with Jekyll to host the website for free on GitHub.While there is a comprehensive
However, the benefits that Jekyll offers are the advanced features, which include options for paginating posts, available plugins,
templates, and community maintained themes
It also supports blog migration from other platforms
TumblrMicroblogging meets simplicityIdeal for a mobile platformChildlike simplicityContent remains in Tumblr ecosystemNo option for
monetizationWhile some blogs are well developed, and blur the line between a blog, and a full fledged website, at the other end of things we
It seems to be doing something right as it claims a staggering 421 million different blogs.It focuses on the more concise end of the
spectrum, with an emphasis on shorter content, like just an image, or link, that can appear as more of an alternate social media platform
Content is definitely more short-form, with posts consisting of a variety of material, for example, pics, jokes, quips, Spotify tracks, and
Like a social media platform, you can also follow other blogs, and republish posts you like to your own blog.The pro is that Tumblr is quite
simple to use, costs nothing, and is ideal for use on a mobile device
However, this is not ideal for a more developed blog, as the content remains in the Tumblr ecosystem, and there is no way to monetize it
TypepadThe professional blogging platformFree trialEndless customization optionsFully hostedNo free tierTypepad is a fully developed
blogging platform, designed for the professional blogger
It offers a ton of flexibility, including the ability to publish from email, a web browser, or mobile
It also easily integrates with Google Analytics, and has its own affiliate plan.Typepad supports design customization with a Theme Builder
for a custom look, and the option for creating your own custom template or modifying a theme with custom CSS
