The best platforms for making a mark with your blog
You can trust
these blogging sites for marketing ideas on the internet, enhancing your
professional image or keeping your personal journals private
Blogging sites have come a long way, and it’s now
easier than ever to create a professional-looking blog to share a hobby with
likeminded people, express your opinions, and establish an online presence. If
you want to create a self-hosted blog, here are some of the best options that
promise flexibility, support for third-party plugins and popular features:
WordPress
Advanced features, plugins and a
generous storage allowance
Unlike some blogging sites, WordPress isn’t a
drag-and-drop affair, and you’ll have to familiarise yourself with its system
of menus. It’s worth the effort, though, and enables you to create something
truly personal. The post-writing interface is much like an ordinary desktop
word processor. As your blog grows, WordPress lets
you track its stats, including page views, visitors, likes and comments over
time. You can also see how readers reach your site, which content they viewed,
and where they are in the world, so you can tailor your content accordingly.
Blogger
Boasts mobile-friendly features
and Google app integration
Blogger is not quite as powerful as WordPress, but
more accessible for new users, which comes as no surprise when you learn that
it’s owned by Google. Blogger offers an excellent selection of templates, all
of which include mobile versions optimised for smaller screens. Blogger’s
post-editing tool is much like WordPress, but offers fewer options. As a
result, its toolbars are less confusing — a trade-off between power and
usability. You can monitor comments via Blogger’s dashboard, which also lets
you see visitor stats.
Wix
Great for new users, with free
stock photos to get you started
Wix is a popular general-purpose free website
builder, and is great for creating stylish blogs too. Its chief drawback is
storage — you have just 500 MB for your files and data traffic is restricted to
500 MB per month, so you will need to upgrade to a premium plan if your blog
takes off. One of its best features is its choice of image sources, including
your hard drive, social media, etc. If your blog posts are text-heavy, these
free images are a great way to make them look more appealing.
Weebly
Drag-and-drop your way to a
smart looking blog
Weebly takes a modular approach to blog-building,
with a drag-and-drop editor that lets you choose which elements to add to your
site, and where. Pick a basic template, then plonk various
types of content onto the page, including social
media links, text, images, maps, and sections of code. It’s a simple way to
build a blog that feels unique to you, but doesn’t require any messing about
with menus.
Penzu
A secure journal for your
private thoughts
Whereas the other free blogging sites are designed to
get as many eyeballs on your posts as possible, Penzu is the equivalent of a
locked diary stashed in a safe. It is a journal platform that makes your posts
private by default and locks them down with passwords. There are
free apps for iOS and Android that enable you to
update your Penzu diary anywhere, but the contents are for your eyes only.
techradar.com
ETP6MAR18
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