Blogger vs. WordPress: Which is right for you?

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WordPress vs. Blogger

A question we get asked all the time by new bloggers is “which is best: Blogger or WordPress?“. Let’s start by saying that both are amazing blogging platforms that are widely used by bloggers all around the world. Since we design for both platforms, we have a pretty good understanding of the advantages and disadvantages of each and hope this post will clarify which platform is right for you.

Please note:  in this post, when I say “WordPress”, I am specifically talking about the self-hosted version of WordPress, not the free WordPress.com version.

Learn more about the differences between WordPress.com and self-hosted WordPress.

Blogger vs. WordPress – pros & cons of both

Before you choose which will be better for you, let’s compare their pros and cons and learn some basics. It will help you determine if things that are important for you are strong or weak sides of the platform you are considering.

Blogger

It is a free platform hosted by Google. It is located under www.blogger.com and lets you start a blog completely free in less than 5 minutes. However, it is never truly yours, and it has quite limited options to choose from.

Blogger Pros & Cons

Pros

  • free to set up and use

  • user-friendly interface that doesn’t require any tech skills

  • hosted on Google’s servers, so you’ll rarely experience downtime

  • less likely to be hacked

Cons

  • gadget options and features are limited

  • limited room for growth

  • limited image storage space

  • you don’t actually own your blog – Google owns it, which means they can remove it at any time if you violate their terms of service

WordPress

It is a free system; however, you need to pay for the space on which it will be hosted (more information about costs can be found in how to start a blog). You are fully responsible for your site; however, you have almost unlimited growth options, including various shop extensions.

WordPress Pros & Cons

Pros

  • quick & easy to install

  • beginner and advanced friendly

  • extremely feature-rich and flexible – almost unlimited possibilites

  • constantly updated/improved

  • SEO friendly

  • you own your site and content

Cons

  • there is a small learning curve

  • requires you to purchase a domain and a hosting account with monthly or yearly hosting fees

  • more vulnerable to hackers

  • back-ups and updates are your responsibility

  • you have to be more tech-savvy or be willing to hire someone who is

Blogger vs. WordPress… so which is right for you?

In short, if you have a tight budget or are just starting out and not entirely sure if blogging is for you, then Blogger is probably the best option.

It allows you to get some blogging experience under your belt before you jump into the big leagues with the time and expense involved with a self-hosted WordPress site.

If you need more in the future, there is always the option to move over to WordPress after you’ve established yourself as a blogger. Designer Blogs offers Blogger to WordPress migrations and can help you with this if/when the time comes.

If you aspire to become a professional blogger and/or earn any type of income from your site, then a self-hosted WordPress site is the best option.

If you are building a feature-rich blog like a DIY blog, recipe blog, fashion blog, etc, and plan to add recipe pages, portfolios, and galleries, then again, WordPress would be your better choice. The best thing about WordPress is that it provides your site with endless possibilities for growth.

I’ve chosen – what’s next?

Ok, you know which platform may be good for you – what should you do now?

If you picked Blogger

Visit www.blogger.com and follow the steps to create your first blog. Once it is all set up, you can browse our Blogger Tutorials and check our Premade Blogger Templates.








If you picked WordPress

The process is a little bit longer for WordPress, but don’t worry – we have you covered! Visit our 4-Step Guide on How to Get a WordPress and you will get one in a few minutes.

If you need help with setting up WordPress or attaching your domain to it – contact us!

Once your Blog is ready, you can browse our WordPress Tutorials and Premade WordPress Themes.

A personal example

I have a family blog (I don’t use it much anymore) set up on Blogger, and it has been perfectly sufficient for my needs. I don’t need a lot of bells and whistles and also don’t have a need/desire to profit from it in any way, so Blogger has been the right platform for my family blog.

WordPress vs. Blogger

In contrast, I originally set Designer Blogs up on Blogger but quickly realized Blogger just wasn’t cutting it and moved it over to self-hosted WordPress. I intended to profit from Designer Blogs from the very beginning, so starting out on self-hosted WordPress would have been the better choice. Switching from Blogger to WordPress allowed me to expand the site in ways that would not have been possible had I remained on Blogger.

That’s my story. Now I want to hear yours!

Do you use Blogger or self-hosted WordPress? Why has it been the better choice for you?

NEED HELP MIGRATING TO WORDPRESS?  We’d love to help you! Contact us for a quote.

The post Blogger vs. WordPress: Which is right for you? appeared first on Designer Blogs.

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Author: Kate

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