This post is originally posted at kimarodriguez.com

Choosing the right blogging platform is a little bit confusing but there are several things that you need to consider before starting.

Why do you want to build a blog/website?

You have to know your whys and what before you will know your where and when.

Example: I want to start my blog because I want to share my shots and photos taken every day. (Your what and whys are here) and for you to know your where and when you have to consider these things:

• Needs
• Budget
• Platform
• Knowledge

Needs

What kind of blog/website are you planning? Is it a personal blog? For business? For school projects?

You have to consider first why you need a blog/website. If it is just for fun, project, and want to try things out then a free platform is highly recommended. However, if you want to be a successful blogger or you’re running a business and wanted to earn money in it then invest!

Needs over wants matter. If you need it, buy it. Your future self will thank you for that.

Budget

Are you on a budget or money isn’t an issue?

Well if you’re on a budget, choose the free platform with their subdomain.

But if you don’t want to spend/invest that much then still choose the free platform and buy your domain name just to have your branding.

But if you can and wanted to invest and spend your money on your blog/website because you’re serious about it and wanted to earn money from it, then I suggest buying hosting plans (that can host the platform you desire) and a domain name.

Platforms

WordPress – is the famous and widely used blogging platform in the world. So meaning, if you consider using WordPress and you have series of questions, a problem came up then you can easily ask for assistance or tutorials on the internet. There are a lot of blogs, websites, video tutorials that you can follow and understand to solve your problems.

Also, WordPress has two variants, WordPress.com which is free hosting, and WordPress.org which is used for paid hosting.

Wix – is a free platform that offers a paid plans that are probably best known for its drag-and-drop software. If you wanted a blog/website that you can freely manage because of its features then you might want to consider wix.com

Squarespace – is a paid platform that uses drag-and-drop software (similar to Wix) that makes their platform a user friendly. It is loaded with lots of themes to start with. It offers a 14-day trial before you upgrading to their plans.

However, if you want to have more premium themes options, cheaper plans, and install plugins then drag-and-drop software is not right for you. But if you want to tweak everything on your own without so many limitations, then drag-and-drop software is the best option.

Blogger – is owned by Google and is the most commonly used platform to start a blog. Since it is a free and no paid plans option, you will have a hard time if you wanted to earn and monetize your blog. It has few plugins that might cause a problem in your future needs especially if you’re not a techy person.

There are so many platforms that offer free blog hosting but then again, it depends on your needs, budget, and knowledge on how much can you handle in maintaining a blog/website.

Knowledge

Not all of us can understand everything on the internet. Not all of us are aware of codes, programs, and others scripts that are used to build a blog/website.

I’m not a major in programming or any other computer-course-related. I just know basic codes like HTML and CSS but then, I don’t know how to start a blog from the scratch.

So if you’re a person who doesn’t know that much about these codes and scripts then I suggest a user-friendly platform that can help you and start your blog with a few clicks. Drag-drop software is a good option here. On the other hand, WordPress is a good choice too since it has a lot of plugins to install with just a few clicks away but sometimes, you have to edit or tweak some codes depending on your blog/website needs.

For the summary, it is still your final decision on what and where to start your blog. They are all there, waiting for you. Free or paid, it doesn’t matter as longs as your happy and contented with what you’re doing.

I am not a professional blogger or programmer and these things are based only on my experiences. Good luck! ❤️