If you are starting a website or a blog, choosing the right platform for it is essential. After you create a beautiful site, you don’t want to realize that the platform doesn’t work for you and you have to start all over again. Even though it is possible to migrate your website, it’s best to evaluate your needs and do a little planning beforehand, to save yourself some time and the hassle later.

Below, I will reflect on two leading platforms that allow you to create blogs.

Let’s take a look at WordPress

Wordpress is one of the most powerful content management systems (CMS’s ) that powers approximately 34% of the internet. Wordpress has countless possibilities and ways you can go with, from a simple blog or site to a professional business. It already has thousands of different predefined free themes that help you to create a website or a blog in a matter of hours. Due to WordPress’s popularity, you will find a 1click auto-installer with most hosting providers, which will speed things up right at the beginning.

WordPress might seem a little challenging to manage at first, but it doesn’t take too long to learn the ropes. The knowledge base around WP is uncountable and is available in various forms - youtube tutorials, blog posts, articles, and so on. WordPress also has a very active community in forums; it even has WP meets, all around the world, so you are sure to find all the answers you need. Another thing - WP is highly customizable, so you can create anything you wish. It has a handy dashboard, which allows high-level customization and various plugins, without actually needing to know how to code. It comes in handy when you have a specific idea and want to get your website or blog just right.

In order to have your WordPress page up and running, you need to start with choosing a hosting plan. WP allows you to self-host and, that is one of the reasons, why it’s so popular. Different hosting plans can cater to different website sizes and requirements, and you won’t even have to break a bank! For a small to medium website shared hosting plan will do, and shared hosting plans are usually the cheapest hosting options on the market

How to monetize WordPress site

Similar to customization, there are countless possibilities to monetize a WordPress site. You can add your WP site or blog to AdSense to run certain ads and make a profit. It is pretty easy to implement it, as you just need to register in AdSense, and it will automatically choose the most relevant ads to show. Moreover, you can add personalized advertisements, or sell advertising space individually, create premium content, and charge your readers for it. If you have a credible and well-built website, you can apply for affiliate programs and add affiliate links to your site. You can even start an e-commerce store or a dropshipping business. Again, with WP you can get creative and implement any idea you wish.

Now, let’s take a look at Blogger

Blogger is a blog-publishing platform owned by Google, which allows multi-user blogs, and is hosted on Google. It is rightfully one of the most popular blogging platforms.

Blogger wins in a sense that is much more beginner-friendly; with predefined themes that help you to create a blog in a matter of minutes. Unfortunately, Blogger, as the name suggests, is only for creating blogs, and is pretty basic in that sense. If you are planning your website to be something more than a blog, you should consider using WP or any other content management system.

As Blogger is hosted on Google and has a blogger subdomain, you won’t need to worry about hosting. Also, your blog name will be under subdomain: yourblogname.blogspot.com. It doesn’t have an opportunity to be self-hosted, meaning that you cannot adjust your hosting plan according to your needs. Although, if you wish, there is a possibility to have your custom domain name. In that case, you will need to find and buy your preferred domain from a domain registrar, and connect it with your blog in Blogger.

How to monetize a Blogger blog

Monetizing your blog on Blogger is also quite simple. Since Google owns Blogger, you can plug in AdSense with one click, which will implement ad campaigns on your blog, and you will eventually generate some revenue. You can also add affiliate links, and try implementing other ways that would generate some income. Although, it’s important to understand that WordPress has more customization possibilities than Blogger. Some creative ways of customizing your blog won’t be an option unless you’re proficient in HTML.

All In all, both platforms have their advantages in certain fields. However, WordPress gives you far more options when it comes to hosting and customization possibilities, therefore it is a popular choice for many users. Since you are planning to monetize the blog or website, high traffic is an essential factor that should not be limited by the “by-default” hosting plan. Blogger is a perfect option for a newcomer since it is super simple to create and manage. Although, for a more serious and professional level, it is highly advised to use WordPress.