Blogger vs WordPress: Which Platform is Better in 2023?
Choosing a perfect blogging platform is crucial as it will directly affect your blog’s performance and scale. Today, we have several blogging platforms we can utilize to initiate your first blog, but Blogger vs WordPress are the two most popular blogging platforms in 2023.
You can use one of the two platforms to initiate your blogging career immediately without involving any technicality. Both platforms are free to join, create blogs, and provide various customization options to boost your website. Before making any decision, read this blog till the end to choose the best option after analyzing each platform's pros and cons, features, costs, and more, i.e., Blogger and WordPress.
WordPress At a Glance
WordPress has earned an excellent reputation among bloggers around the globe in recent years and established itself as one of the best open-source content management systems, which is now powering over 42% of the world’s websites. Which one is the Best for You? Shopify VS WordPress Ultimate Guide.
WordPress allows its users to create and design all different types of websites with the help of its free and premium plugins. With the Woo-Commerce plugin, you can quickly transform your website into an online e-commerce store. Several brands utilize WordPress, but BBC America and Microsoft are notable. Consider the following points:
This article primarily focuses on WordPress.org as it is the most advanced and popular version.
Blogger At a Glance
Google designed Blogger to give its user an easy and tech-savvy way to create and publish their blogs for free. You can use Blogger to create both personal and business blogs. Use your Google account to integrate Blogger into your site. Blogger is super friendly for users, where they can create as many blog posts as they want, but you can’t exceed the number of static pages of more than 20. Ponder your thoughts on the following features Blogger is offering:
Let's now dive into the detailed comparison of the two most popular site builder platforms.
Blogger VS WordPress: Things to Consider in a Blogging Platform
Before selecting a site builder platform to start working on your personal and business blog, there are several things to consider.
Talking about WordPress and Blogger both platforms have their respective strengths and weaknesses. Focus on the points below to compare the two:
Easy to Use: Consider your technical skill before choosing a site builder platform. Select the one that can give you a straightforward, tech-savvy process matching your skill level. It is how you can choose the platform that best suits your needs.
Customizations and Themes: Take note of the platform's themes and customization options, as they will affect your website’s overall performance and tweak its look.
Add-Ons: WordPress stands alone regarding add-on features and plugins. You can use additional software to boost your site’s default capabilities.
SEO-Friendly: Another point of concern is to choose a platform that is SEO friendly as Search Engine Optimisation is something that can boost your website's visibility. Experts believe that WordPress websites are more SEO-friendly than others.
Advanced Marketing Tools: Look for the marketing tools that the site-builder platforms offer, like forms, analytics, and newsletters, as these tools are considered essential for the site’s marketing.
Monetization Policy: Monetization policy is another crucial aspect for site owners, as different services have different rules regarding monetization options. We recommend reading the policy and understanding it before choosing a platform.
Scalability: Scalability refers to scaling your blog site’s growth, traffic, and scope.
Security Features: Blogger is owned by Google, so its security features are more reliable. These features protect your site’s data from scams, malware, and other threats.
Customer Support: analyze the channels of communication, supported languages, and working hours set by the platform's support team.
Ease of Use: Blogger vs WordPress
We recommend you look at the site-builder platforms mentioned earlier to know the ease of working on both platforms, keeping your technical skills in mind. Let's now dive into the comparative details.
Using WordPress
Although WordPress is the top site builder platform, it is relatively difficult to use in comparison as it already requires its users to have access to web-hosting services. WordPress requires more steps to set up your first blog. If you already have the hosting and domain for your blog site, you will only need to install WordPress on the hosting panel to configure it first.
You can also opt for web hosting services like Hostinger, which provides you with single-click WordPress installation. Despite its many features and plugins, a newbie should spend some time on WordPress to get used to its crowded but fully-equipped dashboard.
On WordPress, you can create a blog as you desire, but sometimes you need to install additional plugins to make your dream blog a reality.
Using Blogger
It is beyond doubt that Blogger is super easy to use and operate. Here, you just need your Google account o start your first blog. Start by signing in to your account and follow the three-part onboarding procedure to assist you in building up your first blog.
The Setup Wizard will ask to enter the required information, like the author’s name, blog title, and Blogspot address. Finish this procedure, and you will have full access to the dashboard. There will be a left sidebar to assist you in designing new posts and doing the blog settings.
When your blog has a lot of content, you can reach the list of published articles and drafts in the control panel.
The Winner
Without a doubt, Blogger wins this round as it is super easy to use and create blogs. You need a Google account to start working on blogger.com without worrying about buying a hosting service and domain name. Its dashboard is also simple yet effective. The slide bar offers all the features bloggers need to manage a website.
Customization & Themes: Blogger vs. WordPress
A wide range of themes and customization options are the landmark of a good site builder platform. A great design is necessary to attract maximum users to your website. Themes and customization are mandatory to give your site better usability, performance, and navigation. The good news is that both platforms offer premade themes for newbies to get started.
Let's now explore which platform is better in comparison.
Customizing WordPress
WordPress has the broadest range of options for your website’s customization. You can alter your blog site's appearance with premade themes and ready-to-install plugins. WordPress themes offer over 8500 premade themes to efficiently cater to your website’s needs.
Apart from the hundreds of premade themes, WordPress enables you to install and use third-party themes, whether free or premium. It also gives you a built-in CSS editor to modify the templates as per your desire.
The tricky part for the newbies is that, unlike Blogger, WordPress requires different plugins for different operations to perform. WordPress is the best option for site owners besides the issue of adding plugins. Elementor, WPBakery, and SedProd are the plugins you can use to unlock rich customization options.
Additionally, WordPress also provides its users with a text editor option. You can choose either classic or block editors. Classic text editors edit text only, while the block editor assists in making the layouts for multiple content types.
Customizing Blogger
Customization options on Blogger are restrictive when compared to WordPress. Blogger allows users two basic customization options:
- Visual Editor
- HTML Snippets
The visual editor of Blogger is simple and easy to use, but it offers limited drag-and-drop elements with restrictive customization options. For instance, you can edit only the customizable elements in the premade template, like colors, text, background, etc.
The pre-made templates are few, as the platform has only 12 free themes. The preset themes are more suitable for personal blogs, and if you want to edit and customize your blog to an advanced level, then you should have some knowledge of HTML and CSS.
You can also add several third-party themes by using the Edit HTML feature. Another comparative drawback is that it only provides users with a single, straightforward editor. The editor has fewer options, yet it also supports Youtube and Google Photos for media settings.
The Winner
WordPress offers various customization options and drag-and-drop functionalities with many plugins.
On the other hand, Blogger provides its users with limited customization options with restrictive elements and preset themes. WordPress won this round, without a doubt.
Marketing & SEO Blogger vs WordPress
Before initiating your blog, build it on a more SEO-friendly platform so you can rank your business higher in Google. Let's now discuss the marketing strategy of both platforms under analysis.
WordPress SEO Marketing
WordPress stands first regarding its SEO-friendly blogging experience and digital marketing strategies. WordPress SEO tactics and features assist users in enhancing their site’s visibility on Google search. Unlike Blogger, WordPress offers a wide range of SEO marketing tools and plugins to boost your business beyond expectations.
WordPress marketing and SEO plugins include Yoast SEO, HubSpot, Jetpack, and AIO SEO. These plugins give suggestions to optimize your site’s content for Search Engines.
Blogger SEO Marketing
Regarding SEO marketing, Blogger has not yet built in any such tool. Instead, it provides you with Blogger Stats and Google Analytics to cater your business marketing needs. You can use Google Analytics to track your website's traffic and performance.
Blogger can be a smart choice for users with less technical competency because it best suits non-expert site owners. Never forget to set your site’s visibility before applying SEO, as your site should be visible to the search engines. You can check this in your site’s privacy settings.
To boost your business, you must apply the best SEO strategies and techniques to promote your business, including using focused keywords, meta descriptions, titles, and permalinks.
The Winner
Keeping in view the marketing tools and plugins of both platforms, WordPress is highly SEO-friendly and provides several plugins to boost your business. Although Blogger is also suitable for SEO marketing, especially for newbies, with less technical knowledge, WordPress has much more to offer in comparison, so the winner of this round is WordPress.
Monetization: Blogger vs WordPress
Blogging is an emerging business and is one of the most effective ways of making a reputable income online. Luckily, both of the platforms offer monetization options.
Monetizing WordPress
WordPress has more monetizing options than any other site builder platform. You can monetize your blog on WordPress using one of the following ways:
- Memberships
- Sponsored Posts
- Affiliate Marketing
- Paid Advertisements
- Selling products
You can choose the best monetizing option for your blog according to your personal or business needs and requirements. Consider the following examples:
- ThirstyAffiliates is a plugin for affiliate marketers.
- Ultimate Member and Paid Membership Pro are the membership site plugins.
Monetizing Blogger
Blogger has a built-in monetizing feature in the form of Google Adsense. All you need is to register your site with Google AdSense, which will monetize your blog by showing ads to the readers or visitors.
To monetize your blog using Google Adsense, you must fulfill the requirements following the terms of services offered by AdSense. For example, you cannot monetize sites containing adult content through AdSense.
Another concern is that AdSense has different payment thresholds for different countries. You can withdraw your payments every month via electronic transfers or cheques. Furthermore, you can monetize your website through affiliate links and sponsored posts.
The Winner
WordPress also wins this round by providing users with more blog monetizing options. WordPress has several plugins, each for its specific use. At the same time, Blogger is a restrictive option for monetizing your website.
Security: WordPress Vs. Blogger
Today’s websites are at continuous risk due to security breaches and cyber attacks like DDoS attacks. An insecure blog is more likely to become a victim of cyber crimes. Such victimization will harm your website’s overall performance and reputation.
WordPress Cyber Security
We recommend you avoid using low-quality third-party themes, or they might put your site at risk of cyber crimes. WordPress offers different plugins to keep your site secure, including WordFence and Sucuri Security. These plugins will defend your site against cyber attacks by detecting and blocking them.
Consider doing the following things to avoid security breaches:
- Update the software regularly.
- Uninstall the unused themes and plugins.
- Always use strong passwords.
Additionally, WordPress has a wide range of security plugins like Titan Anti Spam and Security, Akismet, and CleanTalk.
Lastly, we recommend using a hosting web service that gives you advanced security parameters like DDoS protection.
Blogger Cyber Security
Google owns blogger, so its security services are high-level and robust. Two-factor authentication is there to keep unauthorized users away from your blog account. Additionally, you will enjoy an SSL certificate with the default domain provided by Blogger.
Although for most blogs, these security measures are considered enough but on Blogger, you cannot self-host your site, so you need to manage the restrictive security options. You cannot recover your blog if the Blogger shuts down.
The Winner
Blogger wins this round, as Google manages its cyber security, so it is safer and sounder. Both platforms have pros and cons when comparing their cyber security measures; WordPress offers a comprehensive range of security plugins and tools, while Blogger’s default domain includes an SSL certificate for your site’s data encryption.
Customer Support: Blogger vs WordPress
Customer Support is considered the backbone of any online service as it enables site owners to give potential customers a quick response. Both under-analysis platforms lack dedicated support teams, but several resources are available to cater to the issue.
WordPress Community & Support Forum
Although WordPress does not have dedicated support teams, it provides its users with an active WordPress Community. Furthermore, you can take advantage of Support Forum to share tips and questions.
WordPress Documentation is there to assist you if you require guidance through tutorials. It contains all the relevant information about every topic users might need. Additionally, you can have dedicated customer support from the web hosting provider if required.
Blogger Community Forum & Documentation Library
Blogger guides its users about everything they need to know through its detailed Documentation Library. The library covers all the relevant topics with excessive details to guide users effectively and answer their questions correctly.
For instance, if the users cannot find the answers to their questions in the library, they can take advantage of Community Forum by submitting their questions. The Help option is also given in the dashboard to access tips and tutorials.
The Winner
Both platforms lack dedicated customer support, but distinctive options are available to cater to your customer support needs. Blogger provides a ‘documentation library’ and ‘community forums’ whereas WordPress offers WordPress Community and Support Forum. After making a technical comparison, we have concluded that WordPress wins this round due to its wide range of options.
Pricing: Blogger vs WordPress
Pricing comes first when selecting the best site-builder platform to acquire blogging services. We recommend you choose the platform that best suits your needs and budget constraints. Let’s dive into the details of comparative pricing and value plans.
WordPress Pricing
WordPress is free to install and operate, but before initiating WordPress, you must buy a hosting service and a domain name for your blog. Simply put, you will have to make a monetary investment depending on your site’s needs.
For instance, Hostinger offers various plans for site owners depending on their personal or business blog needs. Hostinger hosting packages start from $2.79 per month. Furthermore, if you opt for premium features, including premium themes and plugins, you will have to pay an extra cost.
Blogger Pricing
Simply said Blogger contains everything in one place for free. You don't need to buy a domain name or hosting service to start blogging on Blogger; instead, it also contains a free Blogspot subdomain.
There are fewer premade templates and customization options, but you can also opt for third-party templates at some expense. You can also use Google Domains, Hostinger, or another similar registrar to buy your custom domain name. Generally, a custom domain costs around $10 to $20 per annum.
On the one hand, Blogger provides its users with many free feathers; on the other hand, it needs more technical functions and customization options.
The Winner
Regarding pricing, Blogger wins this round as it is free to use and operate. Unlike WordPress, Blogger provides free domain and hosting; you only need your Google account to start blogging on Blogger.
Frequently Asked Questions
Final Thoughts
In conclusion, we can confidently say that WordPress is a perfect choice for bloggers if they want complete control over their blogs, with lots of plugins available to enhance their blog’s performance, traffic, and capacity. On the contrary, Blogger is a relatively easy and free blogging platform, yet it lacks certain functionalities and provides limited customization options. Both platforms have their pros and cons. We think users should study both platforms and choose the best that can cater to their blogging needs.