Blogging has become a good career option in recent times. At first, it was considered a good hobby or a skill to add to your resume but now, people are gravitating towards it and are interested to make it their career choice. One of the most common ways of sharing and transmitting knowledge and news has rapidly become blogging. Millions of blogs are practically online. It's a great way to express yourself and a great way to share information, thoughts, and feelings with others as well. The best part is anyone can be a blogger who has a flair for writing.
Blogging started getting popular in 1999 and since then it has not looked back. More and more people now are opting for blogging, which is not only allowing the bloggers to share their views on some topics but is also helping businesses to talk about their products and services, and share a significant amount of information about the industry that they are tied to, its changing recent trends and much more. These blogs that we see, need hosting platforms where the bloggers actually store their files, data, and website code.
As a novice, you would want a forum for blogging that is easy to set up, has a low learning curve and needs no coding skills. You'll also need to think about what kind of blog, you want to create at the present and in the future. You may want to update the look of your site as your blog expands and add more features for your growing audience. That implies that it is important to choose a flexible blogging platform, with room to grow.
In this article, we will talk about what to look for in a hosting platform and some popular platforms where you can host your blogs. However, before we start with the same, let's once quickly recap why we need these hosting websites and choose them carefully!
What is a Web Hosting Platform and Why do you Need it?
Just like a blog or a blogging channel is important for the audiences who are always eager to consume content and roll their eyes over what's new online, the web hosting platforms play a central role for the bloggers to help their blogs stay alive and easy to access for the audiences. These hosting platforms for the websites and blog sites help the users store everything that's essential for the blog including the essential files related to the website and other data.
In simple words, it is the web host or the hosting platform of your blog site that makes it connected with the internet and the audiences. Along with playing a significant part in the creation and accessibility of your blog, the web hosting platform also is central to SEO. Yes, it is the web hosting site that is peculiarly responsible for the speed of the website, its security, and more. Hence, going for a foolproof web hosting platform is the key to successful blogging.
What Should You Look For in a Hosting Platform?
Many variables go into this, and you can get confused about things as you try to find the best web host for your site. What you should know is that at the lower level, most web hosting services would all be pretty identical with the same features. But, here’s what you want to look for in a good hosting company:
Security
Website security is critical, you don't want to get hacked, and you definitely want the customer data to be safe. So, remember to check what kind of security features are available with the platform before going ahead with it.
SSL Certificates
Google is all about ensuring that sites are safe today, particularly if personal data or credit card information is collected. SSL certificates help encrypt data, so when you see "https" in the URL, you can tell if it's there. It is best to set this up from the start.
Backups
Backing your site up on a regular basis is really necessary, so make sure you are provided with convincing backup options by your hosting company.
Customer service
You're going to run into problems when you start building a site, so you must choose a hosting service that has very good customer support to help you get out of the trouble if you encounter any.
Email
You would want to use the same domain as your URL with a professional email address. So, make sure you can also allow your hosting company to add email as well.
Reliability
You don't want to be down on your web, ever. That means it's crucial to work with a reliable hosting company that keeps downtime to a minimum.
Affordability
Along with all the factors mentioned above, it's true that you also need to be aware of the pocket pinch of the web hosting services as well, and ensure that the cost of the hosting is bearable in the long run. Web hosting is not a short-term plan, and you should be careful to choose a hosting provider that is affordable.
Flexible subscription plans
Subscription plans are different for different web hosting platforms. Here, flexibility is the need. You will get monthly hosting plans, the plans that work quarterly, yearly options, and half-yearly options, even more. Choose your subscription plans wisely, and never go for a costly or inconvenient subscription plan.
Stick to the website requirements
Know your website requirements very well right at the first. Here, you need to know whether you will be starting with a static or a dynamic website. Also, the type of blog site you want to create. For example, if you are up for a writer's blog, then it shall not be that heavy a site, whereas if you decide to host a travel/cooking blog with regular vlog updates in it, then you should better go for a more powerful hosting platform with convincing services.
Scalability options
The options for scalability are also a must. Suppose you are starting with a blog site yourself, just as a personal blog. Now, you can either keep it that way or eventually, as your audiences grow, expand it, thereby making it workable on behalf of an organization. Such a thing requires your blog site to be scalable enough, which depends largely on the hosting site you choose!
Ease of use
No matter what, hosting and upgrading the same, should be easy to do. The ease of use of hosting sites matter much for bloggers. An easy-to-use hosting site helps the bloggers carry on with their work with a growing passion, without letting them fret about the hosting issues.
Top Blog Hosting Platforms
There are several blog hosting platform that enables bloggers to get started with their blogging career. Some of the most popular and top ones are:
WordPressWordPress Logo
WordPress.org is the most popular software for blogging in the world. WordPress, founded in 2003, now commands nearly 60% of the CMS market and controls more than 30% of all internet. WordPress.org is a free, open-source blogging platform that allows you to develop your blog or website in minutes. It is a self-hosted solution, meaning you would need to sign up with a hosting company for WordPress. When you want to have complete influence over the future of your blog, WordPress is a great choice.
Pros of WordPress
You can have control over every feature of the website
There are free themes available, that you can use to create your website and make it unique
Creating SEO-friendly URLs is very easy on WordPress
WordPress provides over 59000 plugins so that different aspects like contact forms, galleries, and others can be added to your website
The drag-and-drop editor is a plus point in WordPress as it helps in easy content creation
Cons of WordPress
Backups and Security have to be managed by yourself
The website can go down anytime, without any prior notice
The slow speed of the page can be a factor in not choosing this hosting platform
The Constant Contact website is an intelligent AI-powered website builder that allows you to create a free blog, company website, and even an online store within minutes. You can begin with their huge set of templates and use an easy-to-use drag-and-drop interface to customise your website design. Other helpful tools such as a personalised logo builder, a professional stock photo archive of over 550,000 images, an online shop, and much more are also available for you.
Pros of Constant Contact
The website is easy to build with tools compared to other hosting platforms
Provides good backup and security
Old Templates can be kept securely and can be used in the future
Cons of Constant Contact
The templates are not that stylish and looked a little bit outdated
There are no unique features that can make the blog website look more interesting
It is costlier than other hosting platforms
Gator
HostGator Logo
This blogging platform is created by HostGator, which is one of the most popular and top web hosting companies. Gator provides a drag & drop tool that can be used in building any kind of website which includes online stores apart from blogs, and business sites. Gator is said to be the perfect option for those who are interested in an all-in-one platform for blogs.
Pros of Gator
The drag and drop feature helps your website creation easier
Backup and Security are managed by the HostGator itself
SSL certificates and domains are free on every plan
Cons of Gator
Thre is a limited number of Plugins that can be used on a website
Medium was launched in 2012 and since then it has become a big community for writers, bloggers and journalists. Medium is an online publishing platform and anyone can use it according to their choice. It is very easy to use, after creating an account you can start publishing your blogs. Medium has somewhere between 85 to 100 million users per month, quite a big number.
Pros of Medium
It is easy to use as no coding knowledge is required
Designing the website is not an issue and one can just focus on their blogs only
The audience can be reached very easily as it targets people with similar interests
Cons of Medium
It is not easy to earn money through Medium as you cannot run ads on your own
There are no good features that can help you in building your own brand
You don't get to have the option of using your own domain name
Squarespace
Squarespace Logo
Squarespace was started in the year 2003 and this website-building service enables you to create beautiful websites. The best part is Squarespace provides drag and drop tools which are easier for people during the time of the creation of the websites. For those who want to create a strong online presence through their blogs, Squarespace is perfect for them.
Pros of Squarespace
Anyone can use Squarespace as it is very easy to use, there is no need for any technical knowledge
Squarespace provides a unique and good number of templates that can be used for the creation of the website
SSL Certificates are provided along with domain names
Cons of Squarespace
There are not many unique features that can make websites more unique and creative
Wix is a host platform to build websites. It offers a solution for small businesses to build a website using drag-and-drop tools. You can also add a blog to your website by adding the Wix Blog app. Wix.com was founded in 2006 as a platform where anyone could create their own stunning website with no coding skills required. It has currently over 200 million users across the globe.
Pros of Wix
There are a number of creative templates that you can use to make your website look good
No technical or coding skills are required while creating the site
Wix provides proper security for your sites
Cons of Wix
After you select a template, you cannot change it to another one
Your natural instinct would be to go for the option of value, something that is inexpensive, but has some nice features and provides plenty of customer support. Blogging as a career option is turning out to be a popular choice. So, selecting the proper hosting platform for blogs is a necessity. One has to choose a platform that will have all the variables that are needed in a blog hosting platform.
FAQs
What are the top blog hosting platforms?
The top blog hosting platforms are:
WordPress
Wix
Squarespace
Gator
Medium
What is Medium?
Medium is an online publishing platform. Anyone can use it for free and start writing their journey or start their journey of writing.
Is blogging a good career choice?
Blogging seems to be a great choice for your career for those who have a flair for writing. You can be your own boss and can have flexible schedules.
Must have tools for startups - Recommended by StartupTalky
