Virtually every business today needs a blog, and it’s a blog is a must for any online marketer. A successful blog will be most effective if it’s powered by the best blog software available (obviously) which brings us to the question – what choice do you have as a blogger, and which is the best blogging platform to use?
If you’re going to swing an Ax, you may as well be swinging a sharp one.
WordPress.org has long been regarded as the best blog software around by the majority of bloggers in the Blogosphere, and with good reason. However there’s plenty of happy users on the others – some say Google’s own Blogger is the better blogging platform, others vote for WordPress.com, Movable Type, Typepad, Tumblr or LiveJournal.
Is WordPress Still the Best Blog Software?
Here’s a chart showing the platforms used by the top 100 Blogs in 2009 (Source: Pingdom).
WordPress is up on top – I haven’t been able to find such clear stats for 2011 but what I have found seems to paint a similar picture. (note: WordPress.com and WordPress.org are not the same. WordPress.com is free including hosting, but has far less functionality and generally doesn’t allow monetization)
What makes WordPress.org the best blog software?
1 – Ease of Use
WordPress.org doesn’t offer the simplest blogging platform, but neither is it the most complicated. The massive range of themes and plugins both premium and free mean that with only elementary skills a user can achieve a high degree of versatility from the software. Tumblr (for example) is certainly easier to set up and use (and it’s great for photo or ‘micro’ blogging), but far more limited in many other ways.
WordPress is technically accessible – a beginner can learn the basics very easily, and produce good results without a horrendously steep learning curve.
2 – Competitive Cost
The actual blogging platform of WordPress is free. Unlike WordPress.com which also provides hosting, you’ll have to pay for your own with WordPress.org (I recommend Hostgator) and if you want your own domain name (you do – it’s essential for professional appearance and branding!) then that will cost a little as well (GoDaddy is the place to go for that).
Note: Before picking your domain and blog name, read this post on picking a blog name
Expect to pay a few dollars per month for hosting and about $10/year for the domain name, no more expensive than the parallel packages from Typepad or Movable Type.
If paying a few dollars a month is really out of the question for you, Blogger and WordPress.com are two other blogging platforms which both offer a free alternative. Transferring to WordPress.org later is far, far easier from WordPress.com.
3 – Support
WordPress.org has accessible, comprehensive support forums and documentation. The number of experienced WordPress users on the web means it’s always easy to find the support you need for any problems or technical query.
4 – Customization
WordPress is as customizable as any blogging platform available. The number of themes and plugins available is huge (both premium and free), and altering the appearance, layout and functionality to suit your needs and tastes is very easy.
Other platforms also offer differing degrees of customization, Blogger is very adaptable but (my opinion) it’s more difficult to develop a professional appearance. Typepad has a high degree of customization too.
5 – Commenting and Reader Interaction
Reader commenting and sharing is very easy to enable and co-ordinate with WordPress, which in the world of internet marketing is exactly what you want to build relationships and create a buzz around your blog. The interactivity in WordPress is generally easy to setup and superior to the others, making it very easy to establish vibrant dialogue and discussion (assuming you put out high quality content!)
6 – SEO
The Search Engines love WordPress! Learn the basics of SEO, do some solid keyword research, optimize your blog and content and build some links - it’s surprisingly easy to get first page and even #1 Search Engine Rankings bringing boat loads of free traffic to your blog.
7 – Interface
WordPress’ simple logic runs through the software. Anyone willing to put in a little effort will be able to find their way around fairly easily, although more skilled technicians will not find themselves limited. Awesome results can be achieved with little or no technical background at all!
WordPress.org is still the best blogging platform…
Setting up a marketing blog? WordPress.org is the way to go. Overall it is still the best blog software there is. Numerous top bloggers have even moved their blogs across from other platforms having decided that WordPress is the best blogging platform, something you may want to consider if your blog isn’t on WordPress yet but you want to really get the best out of it…
Which blogging platforms have you used? What advantages and disadvantages have you discovered to WordPress and other platforms? Which do you think is the best blog software?
Leave a comment sharing your thoughts about the best blogging platform, and don’t forget to share this post with your followers and friends.
Further Resources: My Top Blogging Tools
‘Best Blog Software – Is WordPress org Still the Sharpest Tool in the Box’ ©2011 Blogger’s Alchemy
Here at Blogger's Alchemy, Jym shares simple tips, tricks, strategies and techniques to make blogs remarkable, successful and exceptional. For a long time, he felt like his blogging career was going nowhere fast. That is, until he learned and implemented the things that you'll learn if you stick around... Get the best from this blog by Subscribing Now
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I used to do all of my coding by hand. WordPress was the first CMS I descovered and I haven’t really had any desire to check out others since then. The number of plugins freely available out there makes it so I almost never need to touch the code, so I can focus on what’s important.
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WordPress is still the best for me. It is very easy to use that even new bloggers can utilize it with only a little help and not to mention all its other great features. WordPress rocks!
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I’ve been hearing a lot about Drapal recently, but WordPress is tried and true for me. It’s really the only CMS I’ve used to date though. Before WP I just coded everything myself. I much prefer it the new way.
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Sure Rico, I imagine that even if you know how to code yourself, WP or similar platforms save a lot of time and headaches.
I know acouple of folks who’ve used Drupal, but ended up coming over to WordPress.
Thanks for your comment mate.
Jym invites you to read…How to use Strategic Blog Commenting to Market Your Blog
what about using Concrete5 for blogging? Has anyone used it and what were the results in terms of ease of operation if you did?
No idea Joani. I’m intrigued to know though, I’ve never heard of Concrete5…
Jym invites you to read…Traffic Generation Strategies Unified: Superstrings for Bloggers
I use wordpress for my cooking blog and it is amazing!
Anyway, thank you for your sharing about wordpress, so I can learn more about wordpress.
Jean invites you to read…Sour Spicy Sausage Meatballs
Although I keep checking in with the changes across several blogging platforms, WordPress.org still holds the crown as far as I’m concerned Jean.
Thanks for your comment.
Jym invites you to read…Speed Up Your Blog Without Code – Slow Blogs Lose Readers and Rank Lower (part 2)
I think I will move on to wordpress. I am tired of blogger.
WordPress still seems to be ahead of the pack as far as I can tell Charley.
I’m interested to know how you find the change… Let me know if I can help in any way.
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Do you have a new chart for 2011? I think wordpress (and wordpress.com) still dominating on blogging platform. It’s ease of use and have many good plugin. This is great article btw
‘Fraid not Ron.
I’d be interested to see an updated chart though – if you run across one feel free to add a link here.
Thanks for your comment and compliment. And that’s an awesomely targeted long tailed keyword you have there mate! Two more comments across my blog and your links become dofollow
The range of themes and plugins alongside the fact that its free have established wordpress as the leader but the leader by miles, I cant see any other platform catching up short of an absolute pr disaster.
One other thing that has made wp so successful is that its now easy to install from cpanel and other such admin panels making it more accessible to totally non-tech people.
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Thanks for adding that Jenny. I’m of the same view at this stage.
The accessibility for relatively tech-dumb folks (like I was when I set my blog up) is very powerful. Range of addons still seems far superior to other options as well.
Recently I’ve run across a number of Tumblr blogs – it seems to have a particularly good setup for image-centric blogging (though I don’t know how it looks from the inside)
I was surprised that WordPress wasn’t even more popular to be honest as I use it for all my websites. It has great support and lots of free plugins, although some paid ones are well worth having too.
I did start out with Joomla because it has some fantastic paid themes but i found it to be extremely slow loading and hard to set up. I also tried Drupal and that was also a bit complex to understand. In the end I started using WordPress and haven’t considered anything else since.
Nice to have your perspective here James. Interesting that you ditched both Drupal and Joomla and now stick with WordPress.
These kind of experiences only add weight to the conclusion that WordPress is still #1.
Thanks for sharing your experience mate
Jym invites you to read…Slow Blogs Lose Readers and Rank Lower (Part 1) – How Fast is Your Blog?
Good to see some charts and see how the blogging software is doing over a longer period scale.
With so many users and so many themes, modules etc. i might say WordPress is the best out there yet.
If you are not into computers, Internet and so on… still WordPress is easy to use and play with it. I guess that is why so many people and staying home mom’s are using it, right?
cheers!
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Hey Radu,
It certainly helps that it’s so accessible to non-technical users, but WordPress isn’t the only platform that’s easy to use.
I think you’re right in saying that the range of themes and plugins is one of the elements that makes WordPress stand out as the best platform.
Thanks for your comment mate
Yeah the first negative comment. I love blogger more than wordpress although I am using wordpress.com. I plan on moving on to blogger cos there has been some nice improvements over there and even more coming. Blogger will soon beat out wordpress. I strongly believe this.
No problem Charley, actually I’m very happy to have someone express a different point of view.
I’m intrigued to know why you think Blogger will soon be on top – i haven’t checked in on the latest changes, perhaps you could share some here?
Thanks for commenting and going against the flow mate!
A new dashboard, new post editor, e.t.c and many other expected changes.
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WordPress no doubt one of the best one till yet and dedicated my blog to wordpress and web desinging
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After looking at the other options out there Vivek, I’d go even further and say WordPress is still THE BEST!
Hi Jym,
This was such a comprehensive post. Like Heather, I had no idea that there are so many blog platforms. When I started blogging I used blogger, then moved to wordpress.com. I didn’t realize there was a difference between the .com and .org until I really got into the .org.
The deal breaker for me was that I own my content with the .org and no one can censor me. It’s interesting that when I meet other marketers who use wordpress.com or some other site that they don’t own, I tend not to take them seriously as a business owner. How about you?
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Me too Golda.
There’s plenty of options out there! Great that you found your way from blogger to WordPress.org though.
I absolutely agree – the point of ownership cannot be understated! If you don’t own your blog, you are at the mercy of changes, breakdowns or re-structuring outwith your control.
A self-hosted WordPress.org blog offers the best solution to this! Do I take people seriously who don’t have a self hosted blog? I guess it makes me think they must be a beginner on a tight budget, so I’d take them seriously as a beginner!
Hey Jym,
Great Post. WordPress is no doubt best blogging software.
I use many other platforms and have to say WP is is one best platform out there.
It is very beginner friendly and one can easily find lot of tutorials about it.
Anyways, Thanks for sharing this great Post.
Have a great weekend.
~Dev
Devesh invites you to read…5 Essentials to Generating Greater Online Success for your Blog or Business
Thanks for adding your perspective here Devesh.
It’s great to read this from someone who’s used other platforms and come to the same conclusion I reached from my research.
Like the point you added about the readily available tutorials too – very handy for the beginner!
For me, the greatest of wordpress is its communities. We can easily find people to help us with any wordpress issue.
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That’s another important element Dana.
Because it’s so well established and has many fans and users, there’s a lot of great support from the WordPress community.
Thanks for adding that!
Hi Jym,
It was really interesting to see the graph you featured in your post and of course I was not surprised that WordPress is leading the pack.
I have not used any other platforms other than WordPress.com for a short time so I can’t really compare but as far as I am concerned WordPress.org rocks!
Thanks for sharing this great info Jym!
~Marcus
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I agree Marcus – it’s not too surprising that WordPress is the leader, given it’s versatility and accessibility.
Like yourself I haven’t used any other platforms, though I’ve looked at some and spoken with others who have.
I guess we’re amongst the lucky ones who found our way straight to the right place!
Hi Jym,
I have to say I’m in love with WordPress! The more I learn the more I love it! The thing that speaks the loudest to me is that a self hosted wordpress blog is something I own. No one can decide they don’t like my content and take it away from me. It’s my property, I’m in control and I can do virtually anything with it that I could possibly want with all the available plugins and themes!
I had no idea that there were so many blog platforms out there! Wow! Interesting and informative post!
Heather
Heather C Stephens invites you to read…Do You Blokube Too
Thanks for making that absolutely crucial point Heather.
The self hosting is essential if you’re serious about building your own business. You own your blog, your content and your list.
There are more than the ones I’ve mentioned, but it seems that the general consensus is that WordPress is still the sharpest tool in the box!
Hey Jym,
WordPress rocks. It’s so user friendly and requires almost no FTP knowledge to get it the way you want.
Plugins are one of my favorite things about WP. So many different plugins for so many different purposes.
While most blogging platforms have plugins of their own. I, by far, have seen none with better plugins than WP.
Catch you later,
Adrian Padua
You’re right Adrian, the variety and versatility of plugins available for WordPress stand it apart form the other blogging platforms out there.
I agree with you as well – as far as I know there is no other platform with such a variety of plugins available.
WordPress rocks indeed!
Hey Jym,
I think that customization is the real deal breaker with WordPress.
But the other benefit is you don’t have to use WordPress as a blog, you can create a static website with it as well. Not all niches are well suited for a blogging platform so I think that’s good to point out.
Thanks for a great post,
Liz
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Customization is massive Liz.
The freedom to develop your blog in exactly the way you want and bring a really individual flavor to it is so important.
Thanks for adding the point that certain niches would do best with a static website, it’s always good to consider the alternatives!
Hi Jym,
I have always and will keep using WordPress.org
I really like how customizable its blogs are.
Also, everyone should get their own domain for branding.
I completely agree with all of your points Jym, Thanks for sharing and have a great day!
It’s true Ian, the customization possibilities are huge!
You’re right, your own domain is an small but important piece of the online branding puzzle!
Check out http://jymtarrant.com/mlm-branding-brand-yourself for expansion on that topic.
Thanks for your comment mate
I have some questions concerning the FREE wordpress. I mean wordpress.com. Can you help me?
What are your questions Ali?
The best place for technical help would probably be the WordPress.com forum…
Hi Jym,
Thanks for sharing your insights. WordPress is the best blogging platform, no doubt!
I would also add that WordPress is very good with blog security to ensure that users’ blogs don’t hacked into easily. So, it’s important to keep updating to the latest versions.
This post really complements my recent article on the reasons why WordPress blogging platform is popular among bloggers.
All the best,
Mavis
Mavis Nong invites you to read…Is Your Blog Repelling or Attracting Visitors It’s Time For Reality Check…
This is my conclusion as well Mavis.
Security is another crucial element worth a mention and WordPress certainly has that covered!
Thanks for adding this valuable extra info here
Hi Jym,
I don’t think that there’s a serious alternative to WordPress.org – thanks for sharing your insights and putting this together. However, I am also naturally lazy when it comes to changing anything…
Take care
Oliver
Oliver Tausend invites you to read…Why I Left The Unified Tribe
For the general purpose of internet marketing, I think you’re right Oliver. There is no serious alternative.
Lucky for you, there’s no need to change – you’re on the right platform already
Jym, WordPress will always be King in my book!
I’m actually surprised that Typepad is #2. I know a bunch of people who have jumped ship from Typepad to WordPress and/or planning to make the move. There are some crazy issues with Typepad I’ve heard about and it makes me love that I started with WordPress
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I’ve heard of some problems with Typepad too, partly why I never seriously considered using it. Though some people do and are happy with their results!
I’m with you for now though Kesha, WordPress is King!
Jym, this is an excellent post. I started out with Blogger, then WordPress.com and now I have self-hosted WordPress blogs and I agree that it’s the best for all the reasons you’ve listed. The ability to customize is one of the hugest factors for me. Many people are unclear about the different blogging platforms and the pros and cons of each. Thanks for posting this!
Leanne Chesser invites you to read…The Aim of Marketing
Great to get your perspective from having actually spent time with each of these Leanne.
WordPress is so easy to customize it really makes it easy to create a very personal flavor for your blog. Great for branding!
Thanks for sharing your blog software experience here