8 Online Self-Building Website Platforms Every Blogger Needs to Know About

Blogging is the best way to connect with people around the world. It doesn’t matter your primary objective – whether you are blogging for passion or you are a blogger looking forward to making money online, a website is essential.

And the sad thing is that blogging is not all about posting photos or just writing. You need the right platform to do all these.

Above all, you will want to have a platform that is easy to use – no technical experience required. No certificate or degree required.

Because you are new, you want the most affordable or at least FREE. Besides, you want a website that won’t be stressing you with the HTML and CSS stuff. You need something simple.

In most cases, you will find yourself in a shoe-string budget. In this case, you may want to start with free platforms. It’s okay because there is no point starting with a paid platform when you are still a beginner with no technical skills.

The best of all is that there are blogging sites that will offer you both free and paid options. So, it’s your prerequisite. Go ahead and choose the platform that you find easy to use. It’s normal that when you are still a beginner, then you will always opt for a free and easy to use the platform.

Below are four self-building website platforms every blogger needs to know about:

1. Medium

Ever wondered why many top influencers like Jon Morrow would recommend that you start with Medium as a blogger before you can start your blog?

The reason is simple. Medium is a free platform that offers you with thousands of readers. Where else will you get such a good offer? The bitter truth is that you can never get this deal anywhere.

Besides, Medium is user-friendly. It doesn’t matter if you are a beginner. You will not have to be tech-savvy. Your work will be to add your post, and it goes live to thousands of readers.

And the best of all is that Medium will push your post up if it’s of importance – that is, your post is interesting and informative.

2. WordPress.com

If you are aspiring to be a blogger, it will be such an irony that you don’t know of WordPress.com because it is one of the most popular free platforms you can ever find.

WordPress.com is free and offers other services like hosting once you are ready to pay. If you feel like starting with a free platform, they will provide you with the services. If you wish to upgrade later, they also have your back.

3. Weebly

Have you heard about Weebly? It’s one of the biggest platforms that try to help beginner bloggers to find their feet – by offering a free platform to blog.

The good thing about Weebly is that it is easy to use because of it’s drag and drop options. So, there is no need to worry if you are a beginner.

Because Weebly is easy to use, most businesses are considering it daily. It started as a small platform but now supports millions of blogs.

4. Blogger

Just like any other free blogging platform, blogger is one platform that is easy to use. So, you don’t have to worry because you are a beginner.

All you need to do is to create your content, add photos to it, add some links if you feel like doing so and you are set. If you also need to edit your HTML, you are free to do so.

5. Joomla

If your priority is the content management system, Joomla should be your perfect match. Joomla has a more learning curve as compared to WordPress, though it’s easier to use than Drupal. Big brands prefer Joomla because it offers the flexibility of a variety of content options.

You won't be charged a penny in your first month. In the following month, you can be charged as from 2000 Indian Rupees to 10,000 Indian Rupees per month, depending on the package you have opted for. For beginner bloggers, this can be very expensive, unless you have a business that’s already fetching some income.

6. Tumblr

Tumblr is a blogging platform that’s most known by younger people because it does not require any skills or knowledge. One of the main reasons why people love Tumblr is because it provides a range of options for reblogging and sharing pieces.

The only problem with Tumblr is that it only focuses on visual content like photos and GIFs. That’s why it may not suit you if you are a writer. Besides, it may not satisfy many bloggers bearing the fact that Tumblr provides options for reblogging content. You don’t want that to happen to your content - you want to have the full copyright to your content.

7. Squarespace

If you are looking for a platform that has tons of customization options, then you should consider using Squarespace. And the advantage is that you can entirely change how your blog looks like without coding anything.

Additionally, Squarespace allows you to expand the services you offer, which is a significant boost if you are using your blog for business. Sadly, Squarespace themes and plugins support isn’t great. So, if you need such options, then you should have the coding knowledge.

8. Ghost

Ghost is almost similar to WordPress. While you can download the Ghost software without paying anything, you’ll have to pay some hosting fee. Having that in mind, you can opt for DigitalOcean which supports Ghost because it’s affordable and you’ll get tons of features that’ll help you get started.

You don’t have to worry about creating your first post on Ghost. It’s quite simple once you have set up your site. The editor is simple to use, and it offers a live preview of what you are doing and make corrections where necessary. Besides, there is an option near the editor screen, where you can select your preferences.

Bottom Line

Here's the good news: you don’t need to procrastinate anymore. You have to take action and start a blog using any of the above platforms. Most of them are free and suitable for beginners, but that doesn’t mean you should never try the paid platforms. Of course, every expert blogger will recommend that you have something paid.

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