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There is no more common question or concern among both novice and veteran bloggers alike: what blog platform should I pick? Aside from learning how to blog, it's an almost universal concern.
And there is no definitive answer. All bloggers MUST own their domain names, but platform choice is primarily dependent on the indivudal blogger's needs. With that stated, I've compiled a list of disadvantages and advantages of the two primary platform options below.
Hosted Platforms
Hosted platforms refer to services whereby a service provider gives you access to their software, network connection, and hardware, and you setup a blogging account to use on their service. With a hosted blog, you have access to a control panel for your blog, and that's it.
Typical hosted platforms include solutions like Typepad, LiveJournal, and Blogger.
Advantages of Hosted Platforms
- Cheap: many are free; others (like TypePad) are offered with multiple price points
- Simple to setup: just signup for an account and then quickly learn how to create blog posts
- Automatic updates: you needn't concern yourself with keeping hosted software up-to-date and patched.
Disadvantages of Hosted Platforms
- Rigid: there are fewer cusotmization choices with hosted platforms.
- Fewer design options: you typically only get to select from a limited number of average designs, and you often can't make updates to them
- Generic URL: some hosted platforms don't offer the option to use your own URL
- Less control: you are at the mercy of the platform
- Migration issues: migrating from some free hosted platforms results in a lot of effort and often the temporary loss of search engine rankings
Self-hosted Platforms
Self-hosted platforms consist of your own web hosting account with a data center, and the blogging software you install on the data center's server. With a self-hosted blog, you have access to an administrative panel for your blog, but you also have access to a server account and the blog software where you can do almost anything.
Common self-hosted software includes Movable Type, Joomla, and WordPress.
Advantages of Self-hosted Platforms
- Design flexibility: you have full control over layout and design
- Great software: killer software is available on self-hosted platforms
- Custom URL: custom URL's are ubiquitous on self-hosted platforms
- Adaptability: you can change your blog as your needs change
- Easy migration: if you ever want to migrate to a different platform or another server, migrating is a snap
Disadvantages of Self-hosted Platforms
- Difficult setup: setup can sometimes be difficult, but this can be overcome with a good blogs how to
- Cost: while the blogging software is free, the hosting platform will cost you money
- Hosting issues: unless you choose a good host, you might have to suffer from down-time or poor support
- Upgrades: you will need to keep your software patched
Most of of my blogs are self-hosted, and it's what I usually advise anyone looking to create a professional blog. There are too many benefits to ignore, and you usually have the option to host many blogs and domains on one account, lowering the cost per blog down to a negligible amount.
Jared is co-author of Blogging in Action, a popular package that helps people learn how to blog the right way. He is also the programmer of the Six-Figure Plugin Suite, used by hundreds of people to drive traffic to blog posts and sites.
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