Making the decision to start a blog is a straightforward process. You most likely already have some ideas for what to write and how everything should be laid up in your head. Maybe you’ve learned a thing or two about blogging, marketing, and website development, but if you haven’t built your own website yet, the odds are good that you’re still unsure about which platform to choose for your endeavor.
WordPress and Blogger are unquestionably among the most popular blogging systems, whether you learned about them from friends and coworkers or found them through a search for comparisons. As a result, the question arises as to which one should you choose for your inaugural blog.
What are WordPress and Blogger, and how do they differ?
WordPress, which powers around 43 percent of the world wide web, is not unfamiliar to the majority of people. Even if you haven’t started a blog yet, we are confident that you are familiar with the platform and have even come across a few websites that are built on it. Considering that we’ve just discussed WordPress, please take a look at what WordPress is and why it’s so popular.
For example, while Blogger differs from the other platforms, it has nonetheless established a presence on the Internet. Because it is controlled by Google, many bloggers have decided to place their trust in Blogger’s services. Start your first blog for free using the service, which requires only that you sign up for a Google account (which you most likely already have). However, as has already been established, there are significant differences between Blogger and WordPress, which is why we chose to write this article.
1. Simplicity
WordPress and Blogger are both considered to be straightforward platforms. However, unless you have someone else prepare WordPress for you, things will be significantly more complicated than if you only have a Blogger account.
WordPress
WordPress, despite the fact that it is user-friendly for beginners, takes time to master. Even before you can publish your first post, WordPress must be properly installed and configured. As a result, someone who is unfamiliar with the platform may find himself drifting in the wrong direction by accident. Getting WordPress up and running is not difficult, even if you are doing so for the first time. However, the procedure is not nearly as simple as setting up a Blogger account, which takes only a few clicks.
Blogger
It doesn’t get any easier than this with Blogger. To use Google, you must first create a Google account if you do not already have one. Then log in to Blogger, select a template, and you’ll be ready to start running your blog and publishing new articles.
Related: Differences Between HTML & WordPress Based Websites
2. Ownership and control are important concepts.
Consider whether you want to own your blog or allow others to have control over it before you begin writing.
WordPress
You and anybody else can use WordPress because it is an open-source platform, which means it is available for free. Once you have downloaded the installation files, you are solely responsible for them. From the time you begin hosting a website, you have the distinct impression that the site is yours. And this is correct. Despite the fact that you will most likely be paying a few dollars per month for hosting, the website will remain completely yours. Consequently, you have the freedom to do whatever you want with it – move it, enlarge it, edit it, eliminate it, and so on.
Blogger
Blogger is a Google property because it is provided as a free service. That means that the service is completely up to the discretion of the company’s executives. It is still possible that the technology giant will decide to shut down Blogger, despite the fact that this is quite unlikely. And, in that scenario, no one would be interested in what you were saying. What do you think you’re thinking? Additionally, Google may refuse to allow you to access your own blog for no apparent reason.
While you are somewhat safe when it comes to Google, the mere knowledge that you are no longer in control of anything as intimate as a blog may cause you to have a headache. For our part, we prefer the idea of having complete control over our own website or blog, regardless of what other people think.
Apart from that, Google will not allow you to modify anything if you don’t like how the server works or if you want to change a few things about accessibility. The power is in their hands, and all you can do is hope that their actions will be beneficial to you in some way.
3. Templates
It is possible that you are not a web designer, but one of the most exciting aspects of creating a blog is deciding how it will be presented to visitors. Can Blogger and WordPress assist you in making your website look more professional and appealing?
Whatever area you are interested in, there are hundreds of free templates available to assist you in creating the blog of your dreams.
WordPress
Taking a glance at the official WordPress themes repository, which offers hundreds of free items, you can see that there are thousands of templates available.
For a few dollars more, you can choose from thousands of premium WordPress themes that look even better and include additional features that can catapult your blog into the next level of popularity.
Regardless of whether you choose a free theme or pay for a premium one, you retain complete control over the final product. The majority of the themes come with a plethora of modifying options that allow you to completely customise your website. And one of the best parts is that you have the ability to alter the source code as well. As a result, if you have a basic understanding of HTML and CSS, you may customize any aspect of your website. Even if you don’t have the necessary skills, you can always engage a professional designer to do the necessary improvements for you.
Blogger
Blogger lags far behind the self-hosted version of WordPress in terms of functionality and usability. While there are a large number of designs that you can use on your free blog, the selection is relatively limited when compared to the options available on WordPress. And, once you’ve decided on a template, you’ll only be able to experiment with a restricted amount of customization options. Without a doubt, the customization choices that come with Blogger are user-friendly and generally beneficial, but they cannot be compared to those that come with WordPress.
Blogger template (http://www.blogger.com/templates/blogger-template/)
If you have any plans to create a custom theme or tweak an existing template in detail, you should put those plans on hold because Blogger does not permit such activities. Despite the fact that there are some unauthorised Blogger templates available, it is normally best to avoid using them because they are of poor quality the majority of the time.
4. Content Management is a term that refers to the process of organizing and distributing information.
It is all about content management when it comes to blogging. Before you begin writing your first post, check to see that the platform you are about to utilise is well-suited for blogging. If it is not, look elsewhere. That makes sense, doesn’t it?
WordPress
WordPress is a one-stop shop. Once you become acclimated to Blogger’s standard editors, you will find that no other blogging platforms can compete with them. It is a delight to add new content to WordPress at any moment, thanks to the Visual and Text editors that are available. Text formatting is second nature, and it only takes a few articles until you can relax and get to know both editors on a personal level. In addition, the management of media files is straightforward, and it is simple to upload new photographs and movies.
However, because WordPress supports plugins, it is possible to customise both the editor and the media management systems to your preferences. You may add items straight to the editor using a number of free and premium plugins, and you can reorganise your Media Library if you so like with many of them.
WordPress makes blogging easy for both novice authors and more experienced users, who can utilise HTML and CSS code directly from the Text Editor, which making it ideal for both.
Blogger
Blogger is designed specifically for the purpose of blogging, as its name implies. As a result, it is important that content management is done correctly. And it is, in fact, true. Google made it simple to create your first article and to manage it without encountering any difficulties.
Logging into your Google account and opening Blogger are all that is required to get started creating a blog post. If you’ve worked with other Google docs in the past, the setting will be familiar.
Blogger allows you to enjoy the process of writing. A basic bar at the top of the page displays all of the choices for formatting text and including media.
5. Support
Even the most seasoned users require assistance from time to time. We are confident that you will require assistance with WordPress or Blogger at some point, no matter how much experience you have with these platforms.
WordPress
It takes time to become proficient with WordPress. Despite the fact that it is extremely user-friendly, WordPress is packed with features and settings that require some time to become familiar with. However, when it comes to support, you can expect a plethora of online resources to be available to you. Whether you open official articles that explain how things work or visit one of the various websites devoted to the platform, you will almost certainly be able to discover the solution to your queries in a short period of time.
There are thousands more topics in the official support forums, which are open to the public. You will, however, need to handle problems on your own or employ pros if the task is more complicated. Unfortunately, the self-hosted version of WordPress does not come with any support by default, which is a shame.
Blogger
Given that Blogger is provided by Google, one would expect a substantial amount of documentation. But, sadly, this is not the case in this instance. Despite the fact that there are documentation files can be accessed, the level of support is extremely restricted. You can even move your browser to the help forums, but don’t hold your breath for anything in terms of results.
6.Portability
Although you must choose a location for your blog’s launch, this does not imply that you must constantly host it on the same server or even utilise the same platform. It is fairly uncommon for bloggers to transfer from one hosting service to another at some point, and many of them do it on a regular basis. As a result, what is the behaviour of WordPress and Blogger when it comes to exporting content to another location?
WordPress
With WordPress, switching hosts isn’t a problem at all. Even though you’ll need to be familiar with servers and WordPress, transferring the data isn’t a major undertaking.
Additionally, WordPress allows you to instantly export the content of one site and swiftly import it into another site without the fear of losing any of the data in between.
Blogger
Despite the fact that it is feasible to migrate from Blogger to another platform, Google has made the process extremely complicated. The procedure of exporting a blog from their service is time-consuming and difficult to navigate. Additionally, you are putting your SEO at danger while doing the transfer. Blogger does allow for data export, but the reality is that Google retains your information for an indefinite period of time even after you have finished with them.
Concluding Remarks
Determining which platform to use (Blogger or WordPress) should be a no-brainer. Despite the fact that both WordPress and Blogger allow you to rapidly launch a personal blog, the two platforms are vastly different.
While Blogger allows you to create a free blog with just a few clicks of the mouse button, the platform itself is extremely limited in terms of functionality. It is only adequate for individuals who prefer a straightforward blogging experience without a lot of customization choices. Blogger, on the other hand, makes anything beyond that nearly difficult.
WordPress, on the other hand, has virtually no limitations. Not only can you use it to start a blog, but you can also use it to create any other form of website that comes to mind. You may also turn your blog into an online business, and you can customize it with thousands of plugins and themes, all while maintaining complete control over the content.
In the event that you are ready to study WordPress, we strongly advise that you use it as your first platform.
