Being new to the online realm of blogging and web design, it can be a daunting task to figure out what is the best option for you.

I want to start this article right from the beginning by saying: WordPress is the best platform for blogging, that is WordPress.org and not WordPress.com.

Confused? I will explain later.

I sat in the same boat trying to figure out what is the best platform for blogging and I really like the idea of the drag and drop builders like Wix, Weebly and Squarespace.

There was no coding involved. It was fast and seemed easy so I like it a lot.

WordPress back in the day seemed super confusing for me and left me feeling frustrated. So I quickly abandoned my efforts with WordPress and jumped right into Weebly and not long after that, Wix.

Back then, I did not have all the learning materials and tools I have today. It was much different then.

Don’t get me wrong, these are magnificent platforms and tools for a beginner to design a website of their choice. (Notice how I said website and not blog?)

So, I did. I built my very first website with Weebly with a mediocre blog. I was setting out to make “millions” (yeah right!!)

That website failed very soon after it launched because I couldn’t get my site to look like other bloggers I was following. It was so frustrating.

It felt like my options were limited and I couldn’t get myself to look past the issues, let alone focus on creating high-quality articles.

So I did what any frustrated person usually does… Give up and abandoned my website and moved on.

A couple of years later Wix started to make its rounds and became a very popular page builder and I liked it, I like it a lot.

Starting another blog within the same niche and it worked. It looked great, but I still felt like something was missing. I felt like I needed to join the WordPress community. Somehow I knew, if I wanted to make a success of this online ‘thing” I had to use the best platform for blogging.

WordPress was the way to go but I was very intimidated about trying to master it again.

I started watching YouTube videos and spent hours learning WordPress and Divi (Divi is a theme by Elegant Themes) and since then come to realize that it was is so simple! 

The new kids on the block like Divi changed the game completely. 

It is actually an extremely easy “page builder” with a back-end for normal style WordPress building.

No coding necessary and just what I needed.

And here is the best part, all of this can be done and installed in a matter of minutes.

Ok, I admit. It is a learning school but so is blogging in general. You have to sacrifice some time learning everything there is to know about the platform. It is the best way to give yourself the ultimate advantage when it comes to moving your blog in the right direction.

Now, one would think “where do I start?”

I would say, start with hosting. If you start with the right hosting company you can install WordPress with a single click of a button.

Hosting companies like NameHero and SiteGround are great companies to start with. Both specialize in WordPress hosting and provide awesome tools to speed up your website.

Hosting with NameHero starts at R59.30 a month.

NameHero offers a free domain registration with all their hosting packages.

If you want to put it into steps it should look like this –

1. Register with NameHero, pick a plan and domain.
2. Install WordPress with a single click of a button.
3. Purchase Divi and upload to WordPress.
4. Import a free template from them.
5. Start writing articles

WordPress.org vs Worpress.com

Now that is confusing, I know.

WordPress.org is the only way to go as WordPress.com is extremely limited with their free plans. No ads, no making money or even plugins.

You can simply not do what you need to do with WordPress.com

Simple as that. It is almost better using a drag and drop page builder like Wix, Weebly or SquareSpace before using WordPress.com

With WordPress.com you can upgrade to a higher paid plan to unlock certain features and tools, however, that is more for the individual who wants an information site with static content.

Stick to WordPress.org, it’s free. Learn to master the skills and you will be fine.

 For a more in-depth look at the major differences head over to Wpbeginner and read their article about WordPress.com vs WordPress.org

Advantages to using Worpress.org above all other platforms –

• It’s free
• It is self-hosted (you pick and do the hosting for your site)
• You can fully customize your website without restrictions.
• It is manageable and perfect if you need to upscale your website.
• Display ads or implement money making strategies easily without any unnecessary problems.
• You can create a store or even membership websites.
• Install as many free and premium plugins as you want.
• WordPress has a large community for help and guidance.
• There are tons of learning material all over the internet.

 WordPress is really what you make of it.

Some disadvantages –

• It is a learning school to figure out the basics. (Nothing major. It’s easy, a little bit of patience can go a long way.)
• You have to do all the updates manually. (Quick and easy with a few clicks)
• You have to be sure to have plugins in place that’s handling your backups. WordPress won’t do it for you.

Why not other platforms then?

Well, I am not going to stand in your way and tell you, you are not allowed to start a blog with any one of them. It is easy and fast.

Before you start, think about your end goal for a minute. Are you serious about starting a blog? If your answer is yes then trust me when I say, begin your blog the right way and choose the best platform for blogging – WordPress

If not, start with any page builder you feel comfortable with.

Just remember the following –

• Your functions are going to be limited
• You won’t be able to monetize (earn revenue) on your blog the way you want or have to.
• Limited access to 3rd party plugins and apps
• Some platforms hold you to the theme you choose in the beginning.
• If you choose to not upgrade to a premium package you are going to have a subdomain and you will sit with a website full of branding from the platform.
• It is going to be a nightmare to transfer your site to a new platform.

These are all valid points and to be quite honest with you, it’s not all negative. Platforms like Wix, Weebly and Squarespace are really a wonderful option, but an option to build websites and not blogs. They were never meant to be fully content management systems.

Choose the best platform for blogging, choose WordPress.

It’s the true blogger’s option. 

If you have any questions regarding this article please leave a comment below. We would love to hear from you.

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