Starting a new blog is a big decision. You are committing to writing down your thoughts or ideas, so you need to make sure where it is hosted and held is the right choice for you. Over my years of being a blogger, I have tried out what must be close to a hundred different blog sites that all offer something different. So having whittled it down to just ten here are the very best of them…
linkedin.com
10 – linkedin.com
While a strange choose to start with this is one of the best websites to blog with if you are looking to get a name for yourself in a particular skill or business. While basic in design it ranks really fast and there is a good social media infrastructure full of real people just waiting to read it.
squarespace.com
9 – squarespace.com
Personally, I find squarespace.com a little slow to work with and the visitor login in annoying. But there are some really good options including a very easy to use blog builder.
wix.com
8 – wix.com
With it’s easy to use drag ‘n’ drop builder wix.com is perfect for business bloggers to start up a small blog that will look exactly the same as their website and all for free. While the basic themes are a little low in number, you can always make your own to look how you want!
penzu.com
7 – penzu.com
While very “diary” stylised this site could be the perfect way to get down all your thoughts be them good or bad. While they do put pressure on you to use the paid versions just ignore them and keep using the free one if you want to.
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weebly.com
6 – weebly.com
It might not have that many themes and it might not rank very well, but if you want a blog that is super easy to make and make new posts with Weebly’s drag-drop builder is the best. Want a picture? Just drag the picture box to where you want and type around it! Basic yes, but beautiful to look at.
tumblr.com
5 – tumblr.com
It’s quick, easy to use and while the theming options can be a little limited it is perfect for all those bloggers with more to see than read. Plus it ranks faster than a digital marketers blog post!
facebook.com
4 – facebook.com
This might be a controversial chose, but it is one I stand by. OK, so you are not going to make any money from it (unless you do affiliate marketing) but it will be easy to setup, free and has flawless social media integration! SEO per post might suck, but your page will do rather well in the rankings meaning you will get readers very easily. Maybe just start here and move into your own blog later on in life.
blogger.com
3 – blogger.com
While I am not a fan of the themes on blogger, it is a very powerful blogging network that has some amazing features including running ads with ease thanks to it being owned and run by Google. This site is for everyone looking to turn blogging into money.
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over-blog.com
2 – overblog.com
Most people might list Blogger here, but not me. Over blog is a very powerful system and while the theme selection is a little limited there is a very strong social media and blog subscribing network all built into and around it. If you want to get noticed in a hurry this is the one you should use.
wordpress.com
1 – wordpress.com
With loads of free, mobile-ready themes, free hosting and support, and even the flawless blog network reader underneath it. WordPress.com has it all and is still home to some of the biggest blogs in the world. They have been at the top for years and they know what it takes to make bloggers everywhere very happy to call it their home.
I started off on wordpress.com, but moved to self hosting about a year after.
Hi Gina. While I do agree with you about it being short term you can still get paid with affiliate links and some bloggers make a good living off Facebook.