Based on HubSpot data, blogs are among the many high three types of media utilized in content material methods at present.

This is not stunning. Whether or not you are all in favour of running a blog for your small business or as a passion, publishing blog content offers many benefits. Running a blog not solely helps you determine authority in an business — it additionally drives site visitors to your web site and allows you to higher convert that site visitors into leads.

To reap the rewards of running a blog, we’ll stroll by way of the method of selecting the best platform on your wants and objectives. Then we’ll discover a number of the greatest running a blog platforms that may assist in the event you’re trying so as to add a weblog to your small business website or to create a stand-alone weblog.

Find out how to Select a Running a blog Platform

To pick out a running a blog platform that is proper for your small business, you first have to judge how its capabilities align together with your objectives and desires. If it’s worthwhile to enhance your visibility in SERPs, for instance, search for a platform with built-in web optimization instruments. In case your important precedence is to begin publishing visible content material quick, then you definately may concentrate on discovering a platform that helps multimedia posts.

Let’s check out some important options that you just may want on your weblog. You should use this record when evaluating completely different running a blog platforms.

Content material Editor

The content material editor is the core of each running a blog platform. As a blogger, you is perhaps working on this editor day by day, so ensure you decide a platform with an editor you want.

You would make a listing of must-have and nice-to-have options. For instance, possibly your editor should have drag-and-drop performance and an auto-save characteristic nevertheless it’d be good to have an choice to preview how your submit seems to be on completely different units.

Themes and Templates

Themes and templates mean you can customise a weblog shortly and simply. When completely different running a blog platforms, try their number of themes and templates.

Have they got plenty of choices for running a blog particularly? Have they got a wide range of free and premium ones? What is the common value of their premium themes? Are you able to edit the themes and templates to create a really custom-made search for your website?

You may also need the choice to begin from scratch moderately than use a predesigned theme.

These are just some questions that may assist you choose a platform with the design and customization choices you want.

web optimization Options and Instruments

Optimizing your content material for search is crucial to driving site visitors to your weblog. Based on a study by Sistrix, websites listed on the primary SERP in Google get 88% of the natural clicks for a key phrase or phrase, with 28.5% going to the primary consequence alone.

To get on that first web page, you ideally desire a platform with built-in instruments that will help you optimize your content material. CMS Hub, for instance, affords web optimization suggestions as you write.

If a platform does not have such a superior performance, then test in the event you can set up a third-party SEO tool. In any other case, you may must rise up to hurry on web optimization greatest practices and ensure to implement them in your weblog.

Extensions and Integrations

No running a blog platform can provide each single characteristic each single blogger desires out-of-the-box. Moreover, your running a blog wants and objectives will probably change over time as your viewers grows or technique shifts.

That is why it is necessary to pick out a running a blog platform that gives extensions or integrations with third-party instruments. Platforms with an ecosystem of apps will have the ability to scale with you over time so you do not have emigrate to a extra versatile various sooner or later. 

Now that you realize some options to contemplate in your choice course of, let’s check out a number of the greatest running a blog platforms available on the market.

We’ll divide this record into paid and free running a blog platforms, so you will discover one which meets your wants and funds. Let’s get began under.

Paid Running a blog Platforms

Most premium running a blog platforms will provide extra options and management over your weblog than free platforms. When you have the funds, investing in your running a blog efforts now might help you develop over time.

1. CMS Hub

G2 Rating: 4.5/5.0 (1,093 Evaluations)

Greatest for: Wealthy Performance

CMS Hub Preferrred Customers

What units CMS Hub other than different running a blog platforms is that it is excellent for each builders and entrepreneurs. It has the instruments, applied sciences, and workflows that builders must construct a CRM-powered weblog and that entrepreneurs must handle it. 

CMS Hub Execs

The largest benefit of CMS Hub is that it is highly effective however nonetheless straightforward to make use of. You can begin by deciding on a pre-designed theme or construct your personal customized theme. Then, utilizing HubSpot’s weblog editor and built-in web optimization instruments, you’ll be able to shortly create search engine optimized weblog posts with CTAs, varieties, and different interactive parts. You possibly can even create multi-language variations of your weblog posts and run A/B checks on them to succeed in a world viewers. Earlier than you publish, you’ll be able to preview how your posts and pages look on various kinds of units.

When you’re prepared to begin selling, you’ll be able to join your weblog to your social media accounts. That approach, you’ll be able to routinely share new weblog posts in your social networks in the identical place that you just wrote them.

As you publish extra content material, you’ll be able to analyze your weblog efficiency to grasp what subjects and sorts of content material are resonating together with your readers. That is as a result of CMS Hub is constructed as a part of HubSpot’s CRM platform.  

CMS Hub Cons

Since CMS Hub is designed to be an all-in-one resolution for entrepreneurs and builders, it has a lot of wealthy performance, together with exercise logging, versatile themes, multi-language assist, and extra. It is a good factor for many bloggers. However, in the event you’re a person or small enterprise simply beginning to weblog, then you could not have the time or experience to leverage the complete energy of the CMS Hub. In that case, you is perhaps higher off with an easier or free various to begin. 

CMS Hub Web site Instance

Under you’ll be able to check out this retailer’s feature-rich blog constructed on the CMS Hub.

CMS Hub Key Takeaways

• Meets the wants of builders and entrepreneurs
• Backed by HubSpot’s CRM instruments
• Multi-lingual assist, web optimization suggestions, and different superior performance is built-in

2. WordPress

G2 Rating: 4.3/5.0 (8,096 Evaluations)

Greatest for: Themes and Plugins

WordPress Preferrred Customers

Creating and managing a weblog on WordPress will probably require extra upkeep than different platforms, however it can present the extensibility and content management features publishers and different companies must create a fancy weblog.

WordPress Execs

WordPress was initially created as a running a blog platform. Although it has developed right into a multi-purpose content management system, it nonetheless has many options and themes for running a blog.

WordPress allows you to not solely buy a custom domain and obtain one in all 3,500+ themes particularly designed for blogs — it additionally enables you to add social media buttons, varieties, affiliate hyperlinks, and different options by way of plugins.

The customization choices are nearly limitless with the 59,000+ free plugins obtainable.

WordPress Cons

You’ll have to be sure your theme and plugins are appropriate and up-to-date. In any other case, they will disrupt the consumer expertise or break your website. Different maintenance tasks like discovering and fixing damaged hyperlinks, updating the core software program, and optimizing your database may even be your accountability. This may be troublesome for website homeowners who haven’t got the time or technical experience to usually preserve their website. 

WordPress Weblog Instance

Tech Crunch, one of many largest and hottest know-how information blogs, is powered by WordPress. Check out this WordPress website example under.

WordPress Key Takeaways

• Preferrred for publishers and others who wish to lengthen platform by way of plugins
• Over 3,500 free running a blog themes
• Web site upkeep may be time-consuming

3. Squarespace

G2 Rating: 4.4/5.0 (921 Evaluations)

Greatest for: Design

Squarespace Preferrred Customers

Squarespace is a perfect running a blog platform for companies and people creating image-rich content material. With Squarespace’s award-winning designer templates and integrations with Getty Pictures, Unsplash, and Google AMP, you’ll be able to create visible content material that is partaking and shareable.

Squarespace Execs

Whereas Squarespace solely affords about 140 templates, they’re all mobile-optimized and absolutely customizable so you’ll be able to create a weblog that appears the way in which you need it to. As soon as you have designed your pages, you need to use Squarespace’s running a blog and web optimization instruments to create and optimize your content material.

Lastly, after publishing your weblog posts, you’ll be able to join your social media accounts to simply promote them. Then use the built-in analytics software to be taught the place your site visitors is coming from, what your guests are in search of, and the way they’re interacting together with your content material.

Squarespace Cons

Squarespace offers even more features, from audio recordsdata assist to publication signup varieties, however finally it is restricted in performance. That is as a result of it helps lower than 30 extensions, so that you’re largely restricted to the options Squarespace offers out-of-the-box.

Since they lack some characteristic that bloggers wants — like an auto-save characteristic, for instance — Squarespace isn’t the best platform for everybody.

Squarespace Weblog Instance

Squarespace does permit some bloggers to create lovely websites, like this lifestyle blog under.

Squarespace Key Takeaways

• Greatest fitted to people and types who wish to customise a weblog to their private model
• Small number of templates however high-quality
• Restricted to options and few extensions that Squarespace affords

4. Wix

G2 Rating: 4.2/5.0 (1,338 Evaluations)

Greatest for: Quick Setup

Wix Preferrred Customers

Wix is a well-liked running a blog platform for newcomers who’re in search of hosting and running a blog instruments in a single place and who prioritize pace and design over performance.

Wix Execs

With Wix, you could have two choices for creating your weblog. Utilizing the Wix Editor, you can begin by deciding on from over 800 pre-designed templates that any blogger can use, whether or not you personal a retail enterprise or run a meals overview web site. Or you can begin from scratch if you realize HTML and CSS. Utilizing Wix Synthetic Design Intelligence, then again, you’ll be able to fill out a fast questionnaire and have a weblog created for you. 

After you have picked or created your template, or had one chosen for you with Wix ADI, you’ll be able to start writing and modifying posts on desktop or cell, embed Wix’s inventory pictures and movies or your personal media, and manage them into subjects.

When you’re completed writing, you’ll be able to configure your web optimization settings to spice up your natural attain, push your content material to your subscribers with Wix’s e-mail software, and share them by way of your social media accounts. You possibly can additional foster a way of neighborhood amongst your readers by letting them turn out to be members.

Wix Cons

Whereas Wix is extra versatile than different hosted web site builders, it lacks customization choices and content material administration options, significantly when comparing Wix vs WordPress or one other CMS.

For instance, so as to add extra superior parts to the web page, like music or maps, you’ll have so as to add HTML code. This course of may be intimidating for newcomers, significantly when in comparison with the convenience of installing plugins on WordPress. It is submit editor additionally is not drag-and-drop, which could frustrate some bloggers.

Wix Weblog Instance

Check out this Wix blogger’s site under for an instance of a trendy however comparatively easy weblog. 

Wix Key Takeaways

• Preferrred for bloggers who prioritize pace and design over performance
• Possibility to make use of pre-designed templates or begin from scratch
• Editor lacks drag-and-drop performance

5. Weebly

G2 Rating: 4.2/5.0 (419 Evaluations)

Greatest for: Ease of Use

Weebly Preferrred Customers

Weebly is one other standard running a blog platform for bloggers that need every little thing they should launch a weblog in a single place, together with web site constructing instruments, templates, and internet hosting. Extra particularly, Weebly is greatest fitted to creating blogs with a lot of content material however extra primary performance.

Weebly Execs

Weebly is reasonably priced and simple to make use of like Wix, however differentiates itself in a number of methods. The editor helps drag-and-drop performance for each posts and pages, for instance. You possibly can create extra advanced layouts by including parts like varieties and picture galleries as nicely. You may also add extra sub-levels to your navigation menus, which lets you manage bigger quantities of content material.

All Weebly templates are additionally mobile-optimized, which suggests you will not must do any extra modifying or rearranging for cell.

Weebly Cons

Whereas Weebly affords extra performance than most web site builders, it does lack flexibility when compared to WordPress or one other CMS. For instance, you’ll be able to’t drag and drop parts anyplace in your posts and pages or edit elements of the underlying supply code. These restrictions do make Weebly simpler to be taught and use than most platforms, however they will frustrate extra superior customers.

There’s additionally been some ache factors since Weebly was acquired by the ecommerce firm Sq.. A main instance: customers who choose that they wish to create a web site will see the usual Weebly editor, whereas customers who choose that they wish to create a web site with an internet retailer will see a very completely different editor known as the Sq. On-line Builder. This has induced some confusion among users. 

Weebly Weblog Instance

Check out this Weebly blog under, which is content-rich however not feature-rich. 

Weebly Key Takeaways

• Preferrred for content-rich blogs
• Editor helps varieties, picture galleries, and different superior parts
• No entry to supply code

6. Craft CMS

G2 Rating: 4.1/5.0 (35 Evaluations)

Greatest for: Customization

Craft CMS Preferrred Customers

Craft CMS is a running a blog platform designed for builders, designers, and net professionals. 

Craft CMS Execs

With Craft’s personalised content material modeling, highly effective templating, and choice to edit your supply code, you’ll be able to utterly management the looks and performance of your website — when you have the mandatory expertise.

Craft CMS additionally affords a picture editor, collaboration instruments, and a localization characteristic that may translate your content material to particular languages. Now you can additionally handle a number of blogs from inside a single Craft set up. To research your content material’s efficiency, you’ll be able to combine Craft CMS’ dashboard with Google Analytics.

Craft CMS Weblog Instance

When you have the web development experience to completely leverage the ability of Craft CMS, you can create a fancy weblog with customized submit sorts, like this travel blog under.

Craft CMS Key Takeaways

• Superior performance together with personalised content material modeling and localization characteristic
• Free model for single admin accounts
• Requires some net improvement expertise

7. Contently

G2 Rating: 4.5/5.0 (51 Evaluations)

Greatest for: Enterprise Content material Advertising and marketing

Contently Preferrred Customers

Contently is a sturdy running a blog platform that is excellent for enterprise firms with massive budgets however few inner editorial assets.

Contently Execs

Contently lets you handle your whole content material creation course of in a single place. You possibly can create and visualize your editorial technique with their customizable manufacturing calendar software, manage your weblog posts with their tagging software, and successfully collaborate together with your crew on tasks by leveraging their superior workflow instruments. You possibly can even pay for Contently’s well-vetted freelancers to write down a few of this content material for you.

Earlier than publishing your content material, Contently’s sensible content material overview instruments will guarantee your content material is aligned together with your model, optimized for search, and legally compliant. Lastly, to refine your content material technique, Contently allows you to examine your content material’s efficiency towards business benchmarks, quantify its ROI, and measure its efficiency by matter, format, and sources instantly in your dashboard.

Contently Cons

The largest downside of Contently is that it is past many small companies’ and particular person’s budgets. With costs starting from $3,000 to $25,000 per thirty days, Contently is without doubt one of the most costly running a blog platforms for enterprise firms.

Contently Weblog Instance

The Royal Financial institution of Canada, one in all North America’s largest banks, makes use of Contently to streamline content material creation throughout 14 advertising and marketing departments. Take a look at its blog under.

Contently Key Takeaways

• Can handle whole content material creation course of
• Deep-dive analytics
• Pricing solely possible for enterprise firms

8. Joomla

G2 Rating: 3.9/5.0 (338 Evaluations)

Greatest for: Group Constructing

Joomla Preferrred Customers

Joomla is an open-source CMS with superior content material and consumer administration options which are constructed instantly into the platform. This makes it a wonderful WordPress alternative for creating community-centric blogs. 

Joomla Execs

Joomla affords wealthy built-in performance in addition to hundreds of extensions. For instance, Joomla lets you create customized submit sorts, handle tons of of customers, and publish content material in a number of languages proper out of the field.

It additionally affords some nice extensions for running a blog. EasyBlog by StackIdeas, for instance, offers a a lot cleaner drag-and-drop editor than Joomla’s built-in editor. You may also allow star scores in your weblog and routinely publish posts to your social media platforms with this extension.

Joomla Cons

Due to its sturdy built-in performance, Joomla does have a steeper studying curve than a CMS like WordPress so it’s going to require extra time to arrange. It additionally affords a smaller number of themes and extensions than WordPress, which may restrict your customization choices.

Joomla Weblog Instance

Under is an instance of a Joomla blog built with EasyBlog.

Joomla Key Takeaways

• Superior content material administration options
• Steep studying curve because of sturdy built-in performance
• Might require running a blog extension like EasyBlog

9. Drupal

G2 Rating: 3.8/5.0 (375 Evaluations)

Greatest for: Flexibility

Drupal Preferrred Customers

Drupal is a extremely versatile open-source CMS that is greatest fitted to superior customers, in addition to enterprise firms, with advanced running a blog wants who’re in search of a self-hosted resolution. 

Drupal Execs

Drupal has tons of of out-of-the-box options and modules. If you know the way to make use of them or have the time to be taught, then Drupal will present you extra energy than different open-source platforms. 

Particularly, Drupal helps a big selection of taxonomies, content material sorts, web page templates, blocks, views, and extra for creating and managing a lot of various kinds of content material. It additionally has superior consumer permissions so you’ll be able to present website admins, content material editors, and different stakeholders personalised entry to particular content material. This — together with its multilingual capabilities, Structure Builder, and different modules — will mean you can create and handle massive, advanced blogs

Drupal Cons

If you happen to don’t know use Drupal’s out-of-the-box options and modules, and you do not have the time to be taught, they are often complicated and hinder your running a blog efforts. In that case, you is perhaps higher off with an easier platform. 

Drupal Weblog Instance

Under is a Drupal blog that options all the add-ons and modules developed by the location proprietor.

Drupal Key Takeaways

• Greatest fitted to technical customers with advanced running a blog wants
• Highly effective content material administration options
• Superior consumer permissions

Free Running a blog Platforms

Whereas free running a blog platforms may provide much less performance and adaptability than their premium counterparts, many can nonetheless present the running a blog instruments and customizations it’s worthwhile to begin running a blog. Let’s check out a number of the hottest choices under.

10. Write.as

G2 Rating: 4.3/5.0 (23 Evaluations)

Greatest for: Privateness

Write.as Preferrred Customers

Write.as is a light-weight running a blog platform that is excellent for people trying to create easy blogs with a minimalist design.

Write.as Execs

Providing a stripped-down editor with nothing however an auto-save characteristic, Write.as affords the expertise of writing in a digital journal. Write.as can be free to make use of and does not assist advertisements.

Teams may use it like Google Docs to share updates, proposals, and works-in-progress (for a month-to-month subscription). 

Write.as Cons

Write.as does require you to use Markdown, a syntax that makes use of particular characters to format textual content. For instance, you’d kind in asterisks to create bullet factors, hashtags to create headers, and [Link] so as to add a hyperlink. The syntax isn’t troublesome to be taught, nevertheless it may require some observe. If you happen to’d want to easily click on a button to create bullet lists or add hyperlinks, then you definately’ll be higher off with one of many free platforms under.

Additionally, whereas Write.as is free to make use of, you may must improve to its professional plan for $6 per thirty days to attach a customized area title, set up a customized theme, take away the nofollow tag out of your hyperlinks, and extra.

Write.as Weblog Instance

Take a look at an instance of a Pro blog under.

Write.as Key Takeaways

• Greatest for people who desire a minimalist interface and design
• Requires you to be taught and use Markdown syntax
• Free model is ad-free

11. Blogger

G2 Rating: 4.1/5.0 (76 Evaluations)

Greatest for: Simplicity

Blogger Preferrred Customers

Blogger is a free platform designed for amateur bloggers. Whereas it lacks many content material administration options, Blogger is extra feature-rich than most free running a blog platforms. For that cause, Blogger is ideal for people trying to create way of life blogs as a passion or to make some additional money.

Blogger Execs

The largest benefit of Blogger is how straightforward it’s to create and customise a comparatively primary weblog.

To get began, you simply must create an account with Google, choose a template, and get publishing. You should purchase a customized area, optimize your web optimization settings, join your weblog to Google Analytics, optimize your posts with Adsense, and even edit the HTML and CSS of your website — however you will not have the ability to do a lot past that.

Blogger Cons

To get a greater sense of the platform’s limitations, you’ll be able to examine Blogger vs WordPress or one other CMS. With Blogger, you’ll be able to’t set up plugins to increase the performance of your website. You possibly can’t create completely different content material sorts, like portfolio pages. And you’ll’t change the default show of your content material from reverse-chronological order to, say, your hottest posts.

Briefly, in the event you want the content material administration options and customization choices of a CMS, then look into options to Blogger.

Blogger Weblog Instance

Check out this personal blog under for an instance.

Key Takeaways

• Greatest fitted to way of life bloggers
• Extra feature-rich than different free running a blog platforms
• Cannot create customized submit sorts or change show of posts

12. Tumblr

G2 Rating: 3.9/5.0 (26 Evaluations)

Greatest for: Multimedia

Preferrred Customers

Tumblr appeals to non-public bloggers and types alike. Whereas bloggers may have the ability to use this as their solely platform, manufacturers have a tendency to make use of it as one platform amongst many to point out their character.

Tumblr Execs

Tumblr combines the ability of running a blog and social networking in a single highly-visual publishing platform.

Tumblr affords every little thing it’s worthwhile to create a professional-looking website. You possibly can choose from tons of of free and premium themes and add a number of pages, sidebars, social sharing buttons, remark sections, and extra. You may also purchase a customized area title from a site title registrar moderately than use the free subdomain: yourusername.tumblr.com. When you have HTML coding abilities, you’ll be able to additional customise your website.

If you’re happy together with your website’s design, you can begin creating and publishing multimedia submit sorts. That includes pictures, GIFs, hyperlinks, chat dialogue, audio recordsdata, and video in your content material makes it extra partaking, memorable, and shareable. 

Since different customers can simply like, reply, and reblog your posts on their Tumblr in addition to their different social accounts, proper from their dashboard, this is a wonderful platform for partaking and fostering an internet neighborhood.

Tumblr Cons

There are restrictions on the location that may frustrate customers. For instance, you’ll be able to solely schedule (or “queue”) 50 posts in a day, which could restrict your means to plan and execute a long-term content material technique. You may also solely add movies below 100MB and in MP4 format and solely monitor 20 tags at a time. Moreover, your website may be suspended at any time in the event you’re present in violation of Tumblr’s community guidelines.

Tumblr Weblog Instance

Vogue has a extremely visible and multimedia-rich website on Tumblr. Test it out under.

Key Takeaways

• Preferrred for publishing multimedia posts
• Restrictions on what you submit, when, and the way typically
• Preferrred for people and types to have interaction with followers

Get Began Running a blog

When you establish your running a blog objectives and desires, you’ll be able to choose a running a blog platform with the performance and adaptability you are in search of. Ideally, your platform is like CMS Hub, combining ease of use and energy so you can begin running a blog and reap the advantages in web optimization and site visitors.

Editor’s notice: This submit was initially revealed in April 2019 and has been up to date for comprehensiveness.