Today, thanks to the internet, anyone can create a blog and share their thoughts, research and interests to the world. There are many very good blogging platforms that exist, but today I will be discussing two of the big boys, and by the end of this article you should have decided whether to choose WordPress or Blogger as your go-to blogging platform.
Let’s start with WordPress
WordPress
As mentioned in previous articles, WordPress is the most popular CMS. Getting started is easy with WordPress.com. Just create your account and site name. For new-starters, you can use the free WordPress.com hosting. The means that your site’s URL will look something like this: myblog.wordpress.com
If you want to host your blog on another server, or to use another domain then you can pay for a domain name and hosting from services such as GoDaddy or BlueHost. You can also purchase a premium domain name from WordPress.com too. I would recommend purchasing a domain if you are serious about your site, mainly because it makes your site appear more credible and professional. Depending on which domain type you choose, i.e..Com, Org, Rocks, Live etc… Will determine how much you will pay.
Once you have selected you domain, you will then be given a choice of payment options – click the free one if you prefer.
Using WordPress is rather easy, however, the Gutenberg layout builder on the Post and Pages screens might take some time getting used to.
The main menu screens that you will probably be most concerned with are: Posts, Media, Pages and Plugins. There is, of course, the Settings menu too as with all good systems. Within the Settings menu, you can change the date-time format, add your site’s logo, change the URL slug format etc.
The Posts menu is where you create your blog posts. To create a new post, highlight the menu and select Add New from the menu. Media is where all of your images and videos are stored. Pages is where you create your pages – home page, blog page, contact page, etc… Plugins is where you can see the list of plugins that you have installed and also where you can download plugins for your site. A plugin is essentially an extension for your site. A widget or an additional bit of code that helps your site.
On your new create post page aka blog post, you can use the block editor to start writing. The Add Title section will be the title of your blog and everything below it will be your text. Notice the plus icon. That is where you can add blocks. You might want to a heading tag (H1, H2, H3), a paragraph tag (p) or an image or a video block. Either way, be sure to check that out. On the right-hand side, be sure to upload a cover image too. This will act as the blog post’s main image or thumbnail image.
When you are happy with your post you just hit the Publish button. Alternatively you can save and come back to it later, or preview the post before hitting the publish button.
Blogger
Blogger is owned by Google and therefore if you have a Google account (Android users should do) then you can sign-up/register and log-in using your Google account.
To get started with Blogger click the New Blog link. Create a name and description, and boom! You’re on your way. The Posts menu is where your blog posts are stored. To create a new one, press the big plus icon on the bottom-right of your screen. A blog post screen will look a lot different from WordPress. If anything it resembles a Word document. The layout is perhaps a lot cleaner and easier to understand. When you are happy with your blog post, hit the save icon (floppy disk) or the arrow icon to publish
Both WordPress and Blogger allow you to add a theme to your site, both of which have a large selection to choose from. You can then also change the layout of the site too. In Blogger this is in the Layout menu. In WordPress – Appearance > Customise.
The Good and the Bad
Blogger is definitely the easiest to create blogs with, however, that isn’t to say that WordPress is difficult, there is is just a bit more learning when it comes to the block editor. Both WordPress and Blogger have really good design layouts. When adding a design or redesigning your site, you might find that Blogger is easier than WordPress too. And also, analytical information is much easier to obtain in Blogger too. Whereas with WordPress you might need to install a plugin to obtain page view information, but with Blogger that isn’t the case. But, with both, you can link your site your Google Analytics account. As Blogger is a Google product it much easier to do this too.
For me, WordPress is the better platform as it allows developers to do more with a site. Blogger is great for just having a blog website, but if you require a site with a bit more information such as an about us page, contact form and possibly even a shop, then I would WordPress. But if simple is your thing then Blogger might be your system, but that’s not to say WordPress is difficult to use. Not at all. So, when choosing WordPress or Blogger the choice is up to you regarding the plans for your site.
