How to Choose the Optimal Platform for your Blog
October 19, 2008
I can’t think of a more common concern or question among both new and veteran bloggers alike: what blog platform should I use? Aside from learning how to blog, it’s an almost universal concern.
And there is no definitive answer. All bloggers NEED to own their domain names, but platform choice is primarily dependent on the indivudal blogger’s needs. That said, I’ve compiled a list of disadvantages and advantages of the two primary platform choices below.
Hosted Platforms
Hosted platforms refer to services whereby a service provider grants you access to their software, network connection, and hardware, and you setup a blogging account for use on their service. With a hosted blog, you have access to an admin panel for your blog, and nothing else.
Popular hosted platforms include packages like LiveJournal, TypePad, and Blogger.
Advantages of Hosted Platforms
- Economical: most are free; others (like TypePad) are offered with multiple price points
- Quick to setup: just create an account and then quickly learn how to create blog posts
- Automatic updates: you needn’t concern yourself with keeping hosted software patched and updated.
Disadvantages of Hosted Platforms
- Inflexible: there are fewer personalization choices with hosted platforms.
- Not as many design options: you usually only get to choose from a limited number of standard designs, and you often can’t make updates to them
- Generic URL: some hosted platforms don’t offer the option to use your own URL
- Less control: you are at the mercy of the platform
- Migration issues: migrating from many free hosted platforms results in a lot of effort and often the temporary loss of search engine rankings
Self-hosted Platforms
Self-hosted platforms consist of your own web hosting account with a host, and the blogging software you install on the host’s server. With a self-hosted blog, you have access to an administrative panel for your blog, but you also have access to a server account and the blog software where you can do just about anything.
Common self-hosted software includes WordPress, Joomla, and Drupal.
Advantages of Self-hosted Platforms
- Design flexibility: you have full control over design and layout
- Great software: killer software exists on self-hosted platforms
- Custom URL: custom URL’s are common on self-hosted platforms
- Adaptability: your blog can change as your needs change
- Easy migration: if you ever want or need to move to another platform or another server, migrating is a snap
Disadvantages of Self-hosted Platforms
- Difficult setup: setup can sometimes be difficult, but this can be overcome with a good blogs how to
- Cost: while the blogging software is free, the hosting platform will cost you money
- Hosting issues: unless you choose a good host, you might have to suffer from down-time or poor support
- Upgrades: you will need to keep your software patched
The majority of my blogs are self-hosted, and that’s what I usually advise anyone looking to create a professional presence. There are too many benefits to ignore, and you usually have the ability to host many domains and blogs on one account, driving the cost per blog down to a small amount.