How to Choose the Optimal Platform for your Blog

I can’t think of a more common concern or question among both novice and veteran bloggers alike: which blogging platform should I pick? Aside from learning how to blog, it’s an almost universal concern.

And there is no stock answer. All bloggers NEED to own their URLs, but platform choice is mainly dependent on the individual blogger’s requirements. With that stated, I’ve compiled a list of pros and cons of the two primary platform choices below.

Hosted Platforms

Hosted platforms refer to services whereby a service provider gives you access to their network connection, hardware, and software, and you register a blogging account to use on their service. With a hosted blog, you have access to a control panel for your blog, and nothing else.

Typical hosted platforms include solutions like Blogger, TypePad, and LiveJournal.

Advantages of Hosted Platforms

1. Economical: many are free; others (like TypePad) are offered with multiple price points

2. Easy to get started: just signup for an account and then quickly learn how to create blog posts

3. Automatic updates: you don’t have to worry about keeping hosted software up-to-date and patched.

Disadvantages of Hosted Platforms

1. Rigid: there are fewer configuration choices with hosted platforms.

2. Fewer design options: you usually only get to select from a limited number of mediocre designs, and you often can’t make improvements to them

3. Generic URL: some hosted platforms don’t offer the option to use your own URL

4. Less control: you are at the mercy of the platform

5. Migration issues: migrating from some free hosted platforms results in a lot of effort and often the temporary loss of search engine rankings

Self-hosted Platforms

Self-hosted platforms consist of a web hosting account you establish with a host, and the blogging software you install on the host’s server. With a self-hosted blog, you have access to a management panel for your blog, but you also have access to a server account and the blog software where you can do nigh anything.

Commonly-used self-hosted software includes Movable Type, Joomla, and WordPress.

Advantages of Self-hosted Platforms

1. Design flexibility: you have full control over layout and design

2. Great software: the best software exists on self-hosted platforms

3. Custom URL: custom URL’s are common on self-hosted platforms

4. Adaptability: your blog can change as your needs change

5. Easy migration: if you ever want to migrate to a different platform or another server, migrating is a snap

Disadvantages of Self-hosted Platforms

1. Difficult setup: setup can sometimes be difficult, but this can be overcome with a good blogs how to

2. Cost: while the blogging software is free, the hosting platform will cost you money

3. Hosting issues: unless you choose a good host, you might have to suffer from down-time or poor support

4. Upgrades: you will need to keep your software patched

Most of of my blogs are self-hosted, and it’s what I generally advise anyone looking to create a professional blog. There are too many benefits to pass up, and you usually have the ability to host many domains and blogs on just one account, lowering the cost per blog down to a small amount.

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